This exact question has come up numerous times here on Trulia in the last few weeks as buyers that have been watching houses wonder why they've disappeared overnight. By the time a house leaves the public web sites, it has likely been under contract for a week or more since listing agents normally do not mark a property "Pending" until after the inspection is done by the Buyer.

There are many more buyers out this year than last and there are fewer homes to look at. This weekend about 1/3 of the houses I showed a buyer had another agent with their buyer in it at the same time... which last year was a rarity! The best houses are being scooped up in days (not weeks) and even overpriced houses can be negotiated down in many cases to a reasonable level if you have strong representation.

If you are getting serious about finding a home to purchase, you should get serious and find an experienced and capable agent to assist you in the process. While these forums are a help, the advice given here is nothing in comparison to the assistance an agent who is working for your bests interests can provide to you.

Hi Sue:

It is scheduled to close on April 30, 2009. It looks like there are two more properties in that building though that are still on the market. One is listed for $349,900 and one is listed for $229,900.

I don't know if people are aware of this, but things are definitely moving the market at all price levels. My colleague had a house his buyer was buying and there were 27 offers for the same property! I submitted an offer for a house last month that had 7 offers and had been on the market for 4 days. I notice when I set up showings that a good 3-4 of the properties I want to show are already sold. And, Fox News reported a 22% jump in housing starts for the month of February. The highest amount since 1990. These are all signs of recovery. And, with interest rates still going down, it couldn't be a better time to buy a house.

This unit is Pending, and not an active listing anymore. The last list price for it was $299,900,