In many South Orange County cities the public data for September 2009 shows that the average home price went up.  When I looked closer at the data, it showed that larger homes were selling faster than over the previous months in several markets.  In almost every market the inventory has been reduced from previous months.  Im most markets locally, it appears that the past year, high season (typically late Spring through Summer) was more pronounced than usual, with higher highs, but also lower lows in the off season.