While in Sarasota recently I read this piece in the Herald Tribune's Real Estate section.  I believe it speaks to many of the current situations and is worthy of a read whether you are a buyer or seller.

Q.  I have a problem, My property was appraised about five years ago for 50 per cent more than what it's worth now, according to the local assessor's value.

I've listed the home for sale significantly below that number over the past year and I've had many lookers but no great offers.  I've made every improvement or change suggested by my real estate agent, but the most recent offer was 30 percent less than my listing price.

Would it be possible to take a look at what's viewable on the Web and maybe spot some serious defect or drawback that's causing lookers to back off and not even consider making an offer?

A.  The market is rather interesting these days, but not in a good way.

There are many fewer buyers out there than in past years.  The Great Recession is one reason, but greater scrutiny by lenders has affected the real estate market as well.  We're also seeing a general decline in real eestate market prices, which has been relentless in places like Atlanta, Phoenix, Las Vegas and just about the entire state of Michigan.

While