What do you see in your housing market this weekend? Graphs? Some new statistics? There were 30,313 homes available on Long Island and Queens in February, according to statistics compiled by the MLS of Long Island. In January there were about 25,000."

"The median closing price in Suffolk was $379,000, down $18,000 from the month prior."

Resale trends? "Ken Klein can remember a time when Long Island homeowners didn't need to invest much into making over their dwellings before putting them on the market. 'Two or three years ago you could give [a house] a basic paint job and sell it for 20 percent more than you were buying it for,' says Klein, a real estate investor from East Meadow."

"Not anymore. Since Long Island's real estate market tipped in favor of buyers in late 2005, some sellers say remodeling, especially kitchens and baths, has practically become a necessity to remain competitive."

Homebuilder reports? "Dominion Homes Inc. became the latest homebuilder to feel the sting of the U.S. housing slump, reporting a 54 percent drop in homes sold during the first quarter."

Buyers incentives? "A source of mine in the real estate business says one of his associates went to a builder about a new home. The builder told him that he would refund 10 percent of the purchase price to the potential buyer's real estate broker, who then would hand it back over to the buyer."

"When asked why he didn't just knock 10 percent off the price, the builder said he wanted to keep values up."