A report from the Press Democrat in California. "The slowdown in Sonoma County’s residential real estate market sharpened in November, when sales and prices declined while the number of homes available for buyers jumped significantly."

"In November, the county’s median housing price fell to $615,000, a decline of nearly 9 percent from the record peak of $700,000 in June, according to The Press Democrat housing report, compiled by Rick Laws of Compass real estate brokerage."

"Even more striking, the number of homes sold in the last three months has fallen to its lowest level in eight years. And the number of homes for sale at the end of November increased to 909, a 77 percent increase from a year earlier."

"The current slowdown in home sales is evident throughout the Bay Area, but is happening to a greater degree in the North Bay and especially in Sonoma County, according to a recent analysis of the local housing market one year after the October 2017 wildfires, which destroyed 5,334 homes in Sonoma County."

"The increase in inventory in Sonoma County is largely driven by the availability of homes under $1 million, a trend that is also evident in other parts of the Bay Area. Selma Hepp, chief economist at Compass noted a marked increase in the number of county sellers cutting the price for their houses. In September and October, 45 percent of sales involved a price reduction, compared to 26 percent during that period in 2017."

"Lori Sacco, managing broker at Vanguard Properties said another thing that’s noteworthy about the current housing market is that homes in the $2 to $3 million range or above are sitting on the market a little longer than they have in the past. 'The higher-end luxury home, it’s a purchase that’s made because it’s discretionary,' she said."

The Register Guard in Oregon. "Home sales and sale prices dipped in Lane County last month, according to a new real estate report. The county’s median sale price was $277,500 in November, down from $290,000 in October, according to the Portland-based Regional Multiple Listing Service. The 370 closed sales was down from 421 in October."

"Price and sales dips are expected in the winter months, when the real estate market typically slows down. But the RMLS data hint at a possible broader slowdown in Lane County’s red hot housing market."

From The Oregonian. "Four employees were laid off Friday at the Portland Bureau of Development Services as the city’s development boom shows its first signs of slowing. Rebecca Esau, the Development Services director, said the cuts come as officials there were given a 'quite sobering' forecast for Portland building trends."

"A construction slowdown by definition hurts the bottom line for Esau’s bureau, which gets most of its funding from permit application fees. 'The longer we wait to reduce expenditures, the worse future cuts will need to be,' Esau wrote."

"Esau’s decision is a proactive step that prior officials didn’t take during the last recession. The bureau and its then-commissioner-in-charge, Rand Leonard, held off on making layoffs until 2009, when budget setbacks forced officials to cut 90 jobs."

The Traverse Ticker in Michigan. "Statistics from the Traverse Area Association of Realtors show that the slowdown in the housing market is continuing. Sales in the five-county area for November were 320 units, down from 365 in November 2017, and the average price of a home dropped to $270,893 from $289,097 a year earlier."

"Most of that drop can be attributed to Leelanau, Benzie, and Antrim Counties, as both Grand Traverse and Kalkaska County sales were very similar to November 2017. But Leelanau dropped to 40 from 55, Benzie to 40 from 51, and Antrim to 40 from 54. Though the dollar volume for the latter two was very similar for the two years, in Leelanau there was a precipitous drop, from $27,077,735 in 2017 to $13,351,550 this year."

From Curbed Boston in Massachusetts. "These Dorchester homes are priced to sell, having recently reduced their tags to entice buyers midwinter. They range from $440,000 to $770,000—all you have to do is move in. Will this tactic work? Your call."