Baltimore-area housing sales fell last month to the lowest level for a September in at least nine years, as the turmoil in the mortgage industry hit the slumping market full force.

Laura Barnhardt reports on angst in Baltimore County's Bowleys Quarters community about plans to put condos where an old marina now stands:

How strong are feelings running in Bowleys Quarters? The local community association has endorsed the proposal - and opponents say they will push to impeach the group's president at what is expected to be a stormy meeting tonight.

The Washington Post reports on "mansionization" in Prince George's County:

Prince George's officials, hoping to curtail the number of large houses springing up in the county's older communities, are drafting legislation that would require some homeowners to secure a special permit for large additions and would set new height limits for houses.

And watch out for email scammers: Symantec, an infrastructure software company, says it has seen "a marked increase in spam directed towards homeowners and prospective homeowners offering refinancing, home equity loans, and actual houses." (Thanks, Consumerist, for pointing that out.) Symantec says:

First, the spammer needs to collect personal information from the recipient to evaluate whether they are eligible for an offer. This is information they can turn around and use to their advantage for further spamming.