HOME PRICES SETTLE DOWN.

"A lot of buyers hit an affordability wall last year due to the one-two punch of higher mortgage rates and higher home prices", says Zillow's Tucker. "We're fairly conservative in terms of our finances, and because mortgage rates jumped up in such a short span of time, we had to lower our price range from $625,000 to $550,000", says Richard, an architect. That means saying goodbye to crazy bidding wars and sight-unseen offers, and saying hello to seller concessions, such as credits for home repairs, closing-cost assistance and mortgage-rate buydowns - in addition to financing and inspection contingencies. [Extracted from the article]