The Press of Atlantic City reports from New Jersey. "When Matthew Altier became the new VP of administration and finance at Richard Stockton College in April, he got more than just an office. He also got temporary use of a house. As part of his contract, Altier is caretaker of the state-owned home on Shore Road in Linwood. Stockton's salary, $180,000 per year, was on par with Altier's salary at California State University."

"Altier owned a home near Sacramento, and there was no telling how long it would take to sell it in a deflated housing market. If he moved right away, he would have to support two homes."

"Altier's housing arrangement runs through June. He said he may look for a home in Linwood - once his California house sells. 'This isn't a long-term situation,' he said. 'I'd like to invest in my own home again.'"

The News Journal from Delaware. "Don Grist was under no illusions when he and his wife put their four-bedroom Newark home on the market in December. He listed the house at $479,000. It took six months and several price cuts to find a buyer. If the sale closes on July 15, the Grists will sell their home for $440,000 -- $5,000 less than they paid for it almost two years ago."

'He considers himself one of the lucky ones who found a buyer, even if he and his wife had to write two mortgage checks a month while waiting for the house to sell."

"'Fortunately for us, we're in the position that we could afford to do that,' said Grist. 'I understand a lot of people aren't. I could see how people would be losing their minds.'"

"Home sales fell by 30 percent statewide through the first five months of this year, with median prices also taking a hit in most areas. And everywhere, sales took longer."

"Near Lewes, Susie Hudson is settling into a new career away from real estate. Just a couple of years ago, as buyers faced off in bidding wars for beach properties, Hudson was bringing in a six-figure income selling homes as a Realtor, she said."

"In early 2005, she bought an antique market north of Lewes as an investment, with no intention of ever working there. But slowing sales all but forced Hudson from her job as a Realtor, so she opted to run the antique business as a full-time pursuit."

"'A lot of Realtors come in here and say 'at least you have a job',' Hudson said."

"Hudson called real estate agents, including herself, mere 'order-takers' through the real estate boom, as buyers lined up to buy homes, many of which were purchased as investments. 'Now you have to be more creative,' she said. 'You have to bust your butt and you still may not get the sale. Because I don't have anybody to support me, I had to move on.'"

"Sales are off about 50 percent for Lani Freshwater, an agent who has sold homes for three decades. 'This is the longest period that we've ever been through in my 30 years where we went down and didn't come back up,' Freshwater said. 'Houses were so inflated. Things just got out of hand. This was due to happen.'"

"'It is a good thing,' Ann Riley, president of Wilmington-based Gilpin Mortgage, said of the tighter standards. 'Is it taking more people out of the market? Yes,' she said. '[But] I don't think our industry did people any good by putting them into more house than they could afford. Now people are in a world of hurt in default situations.'"

"Delaware reached another record in May with 446 foreclosure-related filings, up 87 percent from the same month last year."

The Baltimore Sun from Maryland. "As foreclosure cases continue to mount unabated, Maryland nonprofit groups, elected officials and the courts are joining forces to urge attorneys to help residents in danger of losing their homes."

"More than 70,000 Maryland homeowners were behind on their mortgages in the first three months of the year, including thousands who faced the imminent loss of their homes. That's an increase of 70 percent from a year earlier, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association."

"'The need is obviously enormous,' said Esther F. Lardent, president of the Pro Bono Institute. 'The biggest issue we're seeing with this is that many of the major financial institutions that have issued the mortgages are also the clients of many large law firms. Those firms have contacted us to say that they would love to be able to help on this, but under the ethics rules, they would be considered potentially in a conflict-of-interest situation.'"

The Charleston Gazette from West Virginia. "Woody and Kelli Hill and their three children live on Charleston's West Side. They bought their home in 2001, paying $134,000 and putting about the same amount into upgrades. Now, they are trying to sell it for $275,000."

"'We have had one open house. And I think things have gone great,' Woody Hill said. 'I don't think we are going to make a fortune on it, but at least get our investment on it.'"

"'We live in our own little world,' said Dean Dawson, president of the board of directors of the Kanawha Valley Board of Realtors. 'Homeowners, when they ask me how the market is and I tell them it's fine here ... they have this stunned face.'"

"In Kanawha County, between the fourth quarter of 2007 and first quarter of 2008, the average sale price of a home dropped slightly, from $143,700 to $135,400. However, in the downtown Charleston market, the average price of a home rose nearly 27 percent over 2007, according to Realtor numbers."

"In West Virginia overall, there have been some drops, particularly in the second home market in Greenbrier and Pocahontas counties, said Ray Joseph, director of the state board."

"The once smoking-hot Eastern Panhandle market has also seen drops, as people are less willing to commute to metro Washington with $4-a-gallon gas, he said."

"One of the key reasons that West Virginians aren't feeling the major housing bust is because there was no boom to begin with, Joseph said. 'They look at the national market and think we are a part of it. We aren't,' he said."

"'I think the most important thing is to do your homework, just kind of get a feel for the market. Find true comparables. Don't try to win the housing lottery by listing a house way too high,' he said. 'And don't be afraid.'"

The Times News from North Carolina. "The housing market in Henderson County continues to be dismal as home sales decline and new home construction slows to a crawl. Average sales prices dropped from $252,561 in 2007 to $229,248 so far this year, a decrease of $23,313."

"For the past several years, the southern mountains in general and Henderson County in particular have been a hot market for out-of-state transplants, especially people from Florida seeking to escape high property taxes, heat and hurricanes."

"But beginning in late summer of last year, the pace in Henderson County slowed as people trying to relocate to the mountains discovered they could not sell their existing homes. If people thought 2007 was a bad year, 2008 has proven to be worse, economic analysts and area Realtors said."

"'It's harder to find a mortgage today than it was a year ago, and lending institutions are going to be looking at loans with a much harder lens today than they were three years ago when the housing market was booming,' said Adam York, an economic analyst with Wachovia Corporation. 'The nation as a whole peaked with construction prices and building in general in 2005. That was kind of the end of the boom. Your area (Henderson County) was a little later in slowing down.'"

"'Nationally there is an oversupply problem and I think one of the things that is hurting markets across the country at this point, is that people who are in those bad markets are unable to leave,' York said. 'They are unable to move to Hendersonville because they are not able to sell their homes. And add to that a weak economic environment in general and consumers at this point are loath to put big money on the table.'"

"Hendersonville Board of Realtors President Ron Stephens said he agrees that the 30 percent decrease in housing sales in Henderson County is 'significant,' but he says the drop can be attributed more to a cooling in the higher priced, upscale housing market."

"'The reason that's happening is the high end of the market, homes (priced) over $600,000 are really slow,' Stephens said."

"The housing crisis also extends to new residential construction with a 67 percent decrease from 2007 to 2008."

"'Both new housing starts with our permit center and subdivision applications are down significantly from this time last year,' said Henderson County Planning Director Anthony Starr, 'As far as subdivision lots we've approved each year for the last three or four years, those have been significantly higher than new homes. So there's been more lots available than homes being built and that was true even when the housing market was hot.'"

"'Either the number of subdivisions was going to have to slow down or the number of housing units being constructed was going to have to increase, but they've both slowed down,' Starr said. 'I've heard some builders are going to a four-day week and it's not because of gas costs.'"

The Dispatch from North Carolina. "In Davidson County, the local housing slump is hurting an already declining economy. Foreclosures have increased 552 percent since 1998, according to Brian Shipwash, clerk of Davidson County Superior Court."

"The biggest surges in the number of foreclosures can be seen between the years of 2000 and 2001 and 2007 and 2008. From 2000 to 2001, as local furniture plants began closing and moving production overseas, foreclosures jumped from 276 to 472."

"From 2007 to 2008 - in which the amount is an estimate - the number of foreclosed homes will likely hike up from 811 to 972. This year, Davidson County is averaging 81 foreclosures per month, Shipwash said."

"During a public counseling session this week on foreclosures...the only couple in attendance acknowledged that scams are out there."

"'We brought this house back in the family,' said James Rolph, homeowner. Rolph bought the house belonging to his wife's side of the family when it fell into foreclosure. Now, the house is in jeopardy again."

"The Rolphs were able to hold their heads above water last month with the help of the national tax rebate check and unemployment. However, as the next month draws nearer, so does the chance of foreclosure."

"'I've been out of work for five weeks - I'm in the furniture business,'" said Rolph. 'This started like six months ago; no orders have been coming in.'"