As home prices in certain parts of the country are falling, Charlotte has managed to eke out modest gains when compared to last year. The most watched Standard and Poor's/Case-Shiller home price index released lately showed Charlotte having a 1.8 percent rise in January as the 20-city index fell 10.7$ 5 $7- the steepest decline in the index's two decade history. Local officials and real estate agents cited the strength in the regional economy and Charlotte's history of more modest home price growth during the boom years as reasons the market was holding up now. A real estate broker said, "We are still selling here in Charlotte,"

That's not to say Charlotte, with approximately 1.7 million people in its metropolitan area, isn't feeling the same pressures as the rest of the nation. "You have to try a little harder to sell more of your listings, but homes are selling," said a broker in the city. The Charlotte area is home to 9 Fortune 500 company headquarters, including 2 of the country's 4 largest banks, Wachovia Corp. and Bank of America Corp. More than 14 thousand jobs were created in the Charlotte area last year, compared with about 12 thousand jobs in 2006.