CHAMPAIGN – Chris Knight has had his house on the market for 410 days.

But so far, he's found no takers for the 19th-century home at 621 W. Clark St., C.

"I really thought it would sell quickly," Knight said. "Ha! Was I ever wrong! Maybe the market has changed and large ornate Victorians are no longer sought after."

Knight, the owner of the Blind Pig Pub and Blind Pig Brewery in downtown Champaign, bought the house in 2003 for $160,100.

"Thought I'd got a real deal, and immediately put another $20,000 into it," he said.

He put on a new back porch, a new utility room, a new porch roof. The floors were sanded, new chandeliers were installed, and the house was repainted and redecorated.

Pleased with the efforts, Knight put it on the market for $349,000.

"Nothing, not a murmur," he said. "Went down to $299K. Nada. Then $250K. No bites. $225K. Not a sausage."

Now the house is priced at $199,000.

"That is $50K below appraisal, and I'll lose about $65K if I sell it for that," Knight said. "But still – no interest."

Knight can't take much comfort from recent sales trends. Home sales in Champaign County have gotten off to a slow start this year.

Sales for the first two months of this year are running 14 percent behind the same period last year in terms of units sold and 20 percent behind in terms of sales volume in dollars.

That's not particularly encouraging, given that last year's sales ran behind 2008 sales for the first half of the year before finishing the year strong.

By the end of 2009, sales topped 2008 figures – thanks to the first-time home buyers' credit.

Even though the credit has been extended – both in terms of time and those eligible for it – interest seems to have waned.

According to the Champaign County Association of Realtors' Multiple Listing Service, 105 homes were sold in February, down from 126 in February 2009.

February's sales were valued at $12.23 million, down from $17.3 million in February 2009.

During the first two months of this year, 193 homes were sold, down from 225 in the first two months of 2009. Sales totaled $24.8 million, down from $30.9 million in the same two months of 2009.

Lower-priced homes seem to be the ones moving. The average selling price in February was $116,464, down sharply from $137,264 a year ago.

January and February tend to be slower months in the real estate business, and cold, snowy weather may have factored into this year's torpor.

Knight said he sometimes thinks his house still wouldn't sell, even if he put it on the market for half of what he paid for it.

Built in 1874, the house has four fireplaces and a "spider-web wooden ceiling," he said. The floors slope, but the house is stable.

According to records from the Champaign County supervisor of assessments, the Knight property on Clark Street was assessed at $47,420 for 2009 taxes, payable this summer. The market value, which is approximately three times the assessed value, is listed as $142,274.

"The weird thing is that it is such a beautiful home," he said. "But no one seems to want a Victorian."