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MARQUETTE -- Jeremy Pickens recently moved to Marquette from downstate.  He's looking for the perfect new home for him and his fiancee.

"I've noticed that there are a lot of good opportunities out there for someone in our position," said Pickens.  "The inventory in Marquette and the surrounding areas is significant, and the prices seem to be coming down from their highs a year or two ago."

Remax broker Terry Huffman says home prices in the north central U.P. are comparable to those of 2004--with an exception of the city of Marquette, where they've risen about two percent.  There's nearly 100 houses currently on the market in the Marquette area, which is up about 15 percent from just one year ago.

"One of the reasons is supply and demand," Huffman explained, "and there hasn't been a lot of demand.  There are a lot of people sitting on the fence, not sure if this is the right time to buy or not, and there are a lot of people wanting to sell.  There are a lot of people that need to sell because they're relocating for employment opportunities and things like that."

But what about financing?  Brokers with River Valley Bank in Marquette say despite the current doom and gloom in our economy, money is still available.  They've already seen an increase in the number of home loans given out this year.

"We have home values that are stable," said mortgage broker Mike Mattila.  "We also have interest rates at historic lows. So anybody who was thinking about purchasing a home in the last 12 years or so, if they think they might be ready, there's a lot of people at least taking the steps forward to see if right now is the right time."

People like Jeremy Pickens--a first-time buyer looking for the perfect home.