Can home market bounce back without more help?

Colleen Wells heard the housing market was supposed to be picking up, so she felt optimistic when she put her 60-acre farm in Ocala, Fla., up for sale early this year. When no one bought the farm at its asking price of $894,000, she slashed the price to $699,000. Now it's been more than 11 months, and she still hasn't found a buyer. "Nothing seems to be selling right now," Wells says. "There just hasn't been a whole lot of interest." Stories such as Wells' are a reminder that although the housing market has shown signs of improvement lately, the recovery may not be on firm ground. The year is ending on a brighter note than it began. Sales of existing homes are running at the highest pace in more than two years. Inventory of unsold homes is the lowest in more than a year. And home prices are falling at a much slower pace than they were this time last year.

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