Changes in the overall direction of the housing market are akin to a large ship making course corrections - it takes some time for the driving factors to materialize as a change in the sales level. In many recent transactions we're looking at a delayed effect of mortgage interest rates that peaked in November but are now lower than expected. Mortgage applications have trended up in recent weeks, so we shouldn't be surprised to see pending home sales rise in the next couple months. David Lereah