This is still a slower time for the South Bay real estate market, but things are improving a bit.  An economy in recession, job destruction, wealth destruction, and distressed property (foreclosures and "short sales") have created a Buyers Market.  Buyers are taking their time looking at properties, becoming more difficult to please, and many are looking to "steal" properties.  Sellers are becoming more realistic in their expectations, and house prices, in general, have bottomed out.  That said, inventories in some sub-markets are low at the moment, making for a rather robust sales environment in which multiple offer situations still occur.