The volume of home sales in the nine-county Bay Area declined significantly on a year-over-year basis in December as prices eased back from their November peak, a real estate information service recently reported.

78 homes on Brokers Tour today. There are plenty of homes on the market for buyers to consider. Look at these numbers:

Homes Currently Listed For Sale on the MLS

San Ramon: 200

Danville: 117

Blackhawk: 38

Alamo: 29

Walnut Creek: 114

If I was going to list my home for sale anywhere in this area right now and I really wanted to sell it quickly I would want to be sure that the price was very competitive with everything else on the market. It's all very well to base a sale price on comps over the past 6 months (the only realistic approach in a rising market) but when there is that much competition out there, it is fairly obvious that the most important question a seller has to ask is "Are there other homes on the market at or below the price of my home that look like better value?" If the answer is "Yes", the price is too high.

I just listed a really unique property in Concord. I know the word unique is much overused but this really is.

It is a true "Country Retreat" on Cowell Road very close to the Walnut Creek border. It's well set back from Cowell Road in fact and has a real cottage feel to it. Basically an older style rancher with 3 beds and 1.5 baths but completely updated and remodeled with new paint inside and out. Slate floors through living areas and bathrooms. Completely new kitchen and baths with granite counters and attractive distressed cabinets. And a full 2-car garage.

But saving the best until last, it is on a quarter acre lot. Lots of scope to expand in two directions, or even upwards (subject to appropriate approvals of course). It will be on the MLS on Tuesday at $650,000. Here's a pic:

73 homes on the Thursday Broker Tour this week. Based on last year's tours, this is typical but it is unusual to find so many this early in the year. There is no shortage of homes for sale here so buyers have plenty of choice.

From a sellers perspective, based on feedback from attendance at Open Houses on Sunday, the good news is that there are lots of buyers about. It seems that many are being cautious right now and waiting to see which way the market goes. Indications are that we won't see much panic buying this year so multiple offers are probably a thing of the past. Homes will take longer to sell and they need to be priced right when they are listed for sale. I expect to see prices holding steady for the rest of the year.

The number of homes on the various Brokers Tours is generally a good indication of activity in the housing market. With this in mind I will use this Blog to chronicle the size of the Brokers Tour in my main area of operation - that is San Ramon, Danville, Blackhawk, Diablo, Alamo and Walnut Creek. The tour is run every Thursday.

Yesterday's tour had only 32 homes. This would normally be considered very low and indicative of a seller's market approaching but in view of the time of year, this may not be the case. Let's see what next week's tour looks like.