A report from Florida Weekly. "Home buyers had many more options to choose from in February as housing market inventory increased 7 percent to 7,442 homes in February 2019 compared to 6,912 in February 2018. The Naples Area Board of REALTORS report, which tracks home listings and sales within Collier County (excluding Marco Island), also reflected a 4 percent decrease in the overall median closed price to $335,000 in February 2019 compared to $350,000 in February 2018."

"'This is typically the time of year when we see inventory jump,' said Wes Kunkle at Kunkle International Realty. 'New listings increased 34 percent in the single-family home market and 7 percent in the condominium market (based on a comparison of February statistics). That’s a lot of great new options for buyers!'"

"While there were 100 fewer closed sales in February 2019 compared to closed sales in February 2018 (a 14 percent decrease), the added inventory has broker analysts like Dominic Pallini convinced that buyers are not rushing into a sale like many did when inventory levels were much lower; and instead, are meticulously evaluating all their options that include new and existing homes."

"'The average days on the market increased in February, which tells me that buyers are looking at more homes before they make an offer,' said Mr. Pallini. 'Plus, there is a lot more new construction this year than a year ago.'"

"'Our statistics show that the closed prices of properties that were sold in February averaged 95 to 96 percent of the current list price,' said Brenda Fioretti at Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Florida Realty. 'This shows that once a property is priced to attract buyers, the seller can realize a final closing price within 4 to 5 percent of asking price.'"

"Ms. Fioretti added that 'many of the current listed properties are priced in excess of the range that is attracting buyers so sellers often have to reduce their asking price to the point where buyers are interested, looking and ready to make an offer. Pricing a home appropriately from the start helps the seller realize a much shorter marketing time and makes for a smoother transaction.'"

From Greenwich Time in Connecticut. "'What we’re seeing post-recession, and this isn’t everybody, but the trend is to live closer to town on smaller lots,' said long time Realtor Mark Pruner. 'Large acreage and large houses are seen as expenses, not necessarily as examples of great success.'"

"He gave an example of a backcountry mansion on Moreland Road that was put on the market for $26 million in 2013. In 2017, it was rented out for $22,000 a month. The house was ultimately taken over by the bank and sold in 2018 for only $6.5 million."

"And while sales were up in 2018 over 2017, Pruner said sales in the first three months of 2019 have been 'poor.' Of the 591 listings of single-family homes in town, there have been 65 sales as of March 25, he said. There’s been a bit more activity in March, but overall it has 'been a difficult period,' Pruner said."

"Also for 2018, 158 condominiums and 23 co-ops were sold in town, showing a 14.1 percent increase since the 2015 revaluation, he said. 'We’ve got a mismatch between what’s being built and what the demand is for those units,' Pruner said. For condos, builders construct 'the largest unit that they can sell for the most money… The problem is they’re having trouble selling them because the demand is in the condos that are under $1 million.'"