Nassau Home Prices Drop

From Newsday:

Nassau home prices actually drop

For the first time in nine years, Nassau County's closed median home prices dropped over the last year, leaving experts to wonder whether the housing market's downturn could be more significant - and longer-lasting - than first thought.

Adding fuel to the debate, median prices for homes under contract fell in both Nassau and Suffolk counties last month, according to data released Friday by the Long Island Multiple Listing Service. Nassau County's median home price stood at $495,000, 1 percent below last year's median of $500,000. It's a minor dip, to be sure, but it's still relatively early in the market's shift, sources said.

"This is the turn that we've been waiting for for a long time," said Pearl Kamer, the chief economist of the Long Island Association. "This is only the beginning of the downward cycle and only the beginning of the unwinding of the housing bubble. The price declines could continue for a long time."
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Yet, Suffolk County saw a 1 percent dip in its median price for homes under contract year-over-year, while Nassau County's under-contract drop was 3 percent. Inventory in both counties is approaching record levels, achieved in 1990.