Many people think that a “Buyers Market” means great prices for buyers and desperate sellers are willing to negotiate much more willingly. That may be true in areas of the country where house appreciation varies by 10, 20 or even 30% but in our area we are much more conservative with  market swings. Historically the average re-sale home averages 98.5% of the asking price and a six week closing is normal. In Chapel Hill we have a finite number of houses in the school district and new home neighborhoods take years to get approval from the town. We’re fortunate in that these two factors shield us  more so than in other towns. We also have a great number of employers in various industries that are within commuting distance of Chapel Hill thereby protecting us from a major layoff that might put too many houses on the market at one time. My experience has been that our prices pretty much remain the same but we’ll wait longer for a contract. If you have the time, it’s not a bad market at all for sellers. The last listing I sold only took 2 months and they got full price.