Finally a bit of good news to report; March 2010 monthly sales figures are above February 2010 and also above March 2009.  That only happened in 4 out of 12 months last year and none of the previous 24 months (in ’08 or ’07). So yes, that’s kind of a big deal. And the First Quarter home sales show a measurable increase up to $500,000 for the first quarter 2010 versus the same quarter 2009. We can thank the first time homebuyer tax credit for that increase. But it is also attributable to buyers and sellers being bold enough to buy or sell despite the mixed up and unpredictable marketplace. Even without the tax credit, we should expect some increase in that range. And let’s not completely ignore the better prices and values that buyers are finding these days. Examples abound of a specific property selling in 2008 or 2009 that may now be available for less. What some sellers wanted last summer is probably now even lower. That’s what buyers are seeing and acting upon.

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