SACRAMENTO — Sacramento’s once-booming housing market is showing fresh signs of weakness as sales slow, prices fall and more buyers cancel new home purchases.

Experts don’t know how much the Sacramento area market will soften, but many suspect the recent chill is more than just a seasonal lull.

In the resale market, sales volume dropped nearly 20 percent in October from a year ago. The median price of a resale home in Sacramento County slipped 2 percent from August to October.

Real estate agents are now seeing the biggest inventory of unsold homes in a decade, with the number “For Sale” signs doubling in the past six months.

Experts attribute the softening market to a variety of factors. Mortgage rates are rising, banks are tightening lending standards and many investors are cashing out and buying in cheaper markets.

Economists worry that the economic effects of the housing slowdown will be felt in Sacramento and across California.