Wall Street Journal - "Rising Inventories Weigh on Home Prices" (9-13-06)

"A continued rise in inventories of unsold homes in August signals further downward pressure on home prices in many parts of the U.S."

"Inventories of homes in 18 large metropolitan areas expanded by 3.5% in August, according to data compiled by ZipRealty Inc., a real-estate brokerage firm based in Emeryville, Calif. The data are based on single-family homes and condos included in local multiple-listing services of homes for sale."

"The biggest increases included 8% in Orlando, 6.4% in Seattle, 6.1% in San Francisco and 5.6% in Miami."

"Home sales have plunged over the past year in many areas where prices had soared over the preceding five years. The persistent weakness has prompted housing experts to say prices will have to decline more to revive sales."

"Compared with last month's chart, the data for Baltimore, Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles have been reconfigured to reflect a change in the areas tracked."