Yet there will always be good buys, opportunities. Real estate is a long game, not a short game. This is a time when acting sooner rather than later is the best advice.'' Looking back, Mr Edwards said there was definitely a change to the market about four months ago. "There was a deliberate, strong uptake of properties under $400,000 and in some cases the $500,000 mark. "After that, properties normally listed to replace those sales have not occurred. Listing numbers are down 30-40% over the past few months.'' Century 21 on Duporth principal Damien Said believes momentum in the market has been building over the past six months. "Buyer inquiry levels have steadily been increasing across all price ranges and sales volumes have been on the rise also,'' he said. "We are now seeing the first signs of stock shortages across the Coast as buyers have genuinely realised that now is the time to buy. "Research figures and quarterly sales volumes are often published three to four months after the event and to an extent can become historic indicators. "Buyers who are still sitting on the fence today may find that by the time they read that the market is beginning to shift, they may in fact be three months behind the movement.'' Mr Said believes this shortage of stock is starting to generate multiple offers and competition between buyers, creating the first signs of some upward pressure on prices. This is occurring across all price ranges. "There is a