The Philadelphia Inquirer reports from Pennsylvania. "With the spring real estate market more than halfway to its traditional end-of-June close, many agents are saying that they - and the buyers and sellers they deal with - have finally adjusted to post-housing-boom conditions."

"In the suburbs, 'sellers are more educated about the realities of the market than they were six months or a year ago,' said John Duffy of Duffy Real Estate. 'Most know what 'pricing properly' means, although there are a few exceptions.'"

"With so many houses for sale, Duffy said, 'buyers are spending more time, and aren't just looking at a property once, but coming back two or three times for each listing.' More than 60,000 units are on the market."

"Although sellers in other regions of the country appear to be panicking, agents and brokers said they see no evidence of that here."

"'Today's sellers are more educated than they were in the 1980s, so they hear these reports of doom on the national media and take them with a grain of salt, because they know this area is different,' said Diane Williams, an agent in Montgomery County."

"But Williams said some sellers still cling 'to last year's comps' of sale prices."

"Agent Bari Shor suggested that the sellers who would be tough to deal with in any market climate 'are still getting angry at the messenger.' 'I just tell them the truth,' she said. 'Most believe it, because I'm still getting referrals.'"

"Wider choice for buyers means that every house has to look its best, Shor said. That's another sea change from two or three years ago, when, unless a house was just a pile of bricks and dust, someone would make an offer."

The Democrat and Chronicle from New York. "Despite free-falling real estate prices in some parts of the country, the Rochester area is holding steady. Area home buyers had retreated during the second half of 2006 but have come back this year, real estate professionals say."

"'They were scared,' said Jeff Scofield, an agent in Brighton. 'Now Rochesterians are saying the sky is not falling. It's not 2005 (a strong year), but it's a lot better than 2006.'"

"In the Rochester area, the market has cooled a bit after being hot from 2001 through 2005. During those years, it was common for buyers to pay above the asking price and for sellers to receive multiple offers within days of putting up a for-sale sign."

"Now 'it's a balanced market' between buyers and sellers, said Armand D'Alfonso, president of Nothnagle Realtors."

"Agents say the business has gotten back to the basics, meaning that homes appropriately priced and in good condition don't stay on the market for long."

The Asbury Park Press. "New Jersey lost 3,600 jobs and its unemployment rate remained at 4.3 percent in April, signs that the slow housing market and the state's high costs took a toll on the economy, experts said."

"'Usually this time of year we're really, really busy,' said Ralph Sabatino, a Toms River builder that has four employees, down from six a year ago. 'Now, people are extremely price-conscious.'"

"'The No. 1 reason (for the slowing job market) is the winding down of the housing boom,' said Mark Vitner, an economist for Wachovia Corp. 'Anything tied to residential (real estate) or construction of new homes is seeing the downside of the housing boom.'"

The Frederick News Post from Maryland. "Although one local builder said he is looking at his best year yet, home construction is down in Frederick County."

"Mark Lancaster, of Lancaster Craftsman Builders, said it has been especially hard on larger building firms. 'The smaller builders are what is keeping them going,' he said of subcontractors who do plumbing, electrical, heating, air conditioning and other work on homes."

"'The subcontractors are the real barometer of the industry,' he said."

"'Talking with the people I know at the Frederick and Washington counties permits offices, they say it is down from two years ago,' Lancaster said. 'Permits for decks or remodeling are pretty constant, but housing construction permits are down.'"

"The number of foreclosures in Frederick County, 801 during a 12-month period ending in March, increased by 26 in April."

"'It's due to the unique loan products that caught a lot of consumers unaware,' said Terry Fox, president of the Frederick County Association of Realtors. 'We do handle foreclosures and have a few right now.'"

"'Work it out with the lender, an (real estate) agent or an attorney. If you have enough equity you can get the home sold,' said Stephen Mackintosh, of Mackintosh Inc. Realtors."

"'A lot of buyers, because of the negative news in the media, have jumped back on the fence,' Mackintosh said."