REAL ESTATE

Moderation Is Key: Even in the big urban markets--including Orange County--not all is miserable for home builders and homeowners.

Prospective buyers’ eyes start glazing over once prices get much above $275,000, but most everything that is more moderately priced--especially those homes priced below $200,000--is generating interest, realtors report.

To try to impress upon sellers the need for reasonable pricing, Coldwell Banker has instituted a Blue Ribbon Award program in which listed homes that are competitively priced and in move-in condition are specially identified in ads and on yard signs.

In Nebraska, where Coldwell Banker introduced the program, the average Blue Ribbon home was on the market for 29.3 days, contrasted with an average market time of 93.5 days for other properties, according to a spokeswoman for Coldwell Banker Residential Group in Mission Viejo.