Has the real estate bubble burst?

What do you all think - have we jumped the shark? Has the bubble burst?

SAN DIEGO -- When Jason and Laura Bennett bought their home two years ago, the housing market was among the hottest in the nation. Would-be buyers made offers as soon as "For Sale" signs went up, then bid even higher in the frenzy to close the deal.

Now sellers, the Bennetts have to chase buyers.

Less than two months after the couple listed their two-bedroom, two-bath condo, they've had to slash the high-end of their asking price by $10,000 to keep up with other sellers in the same complex who have dialed back prices in hopes of hooking a buyer.

"It'll be good for us when we are on the buying end, because there are a lot of motivated sellers," said Laura Bennett, 33, a kindergarten teacher. "But on the selling end, it's a little bit harder for us because there's so much available right now and it's moving so slow."

The national housing market has begun showing signs of a slowdown, with the rate of home price increases easing this year in some areas where double-digit percentage hikes became almost routine in recent years.

Experts say the trend should continue next year, particularly if mortgage rates continue to trend upward, squeezing some buyers' ability to afford home loans.

"You can't sustain 20 percent plus price growth," said Walter Molony of the National Association of Realtors, which forecasts sales next year to cool 3.5 percent. "You're definitely going to come up to a brick wall of affordability where first-time buyers can't afford to get into the market."