Slowdown in Bay Area home sales little threat to most, experts advise

When factoring in new and resale single-family houses and condos, the Bay Area's median price rose by only 0.5 percent in December, with price declines of 0.2 percent in Contra Costa County, 1.2 percent in San Mateo County and 6.3 percent in Sonoma County, DataQuick Information Services said. But industry mavens say not to worry. "If the economy holds up and we keep creating new jobs, then we should weather this (slowdown) fine," said Delores Conway, director of the Casden Real Estate Economics Forecast at the Lusk Center the University of Southern California. Most homeowners should just sit tight, Conway said.