Nation's Housing Market Report Card

Hanley Wood, a Washington, DC-based independent real estate research firm "providing residential construction information for residential real estate development and new home construction" offers site visitors a sobering view of today's housing market. In contradiction to the data page's heading, "Welcome to Hanley Wood Market Intelligence", this is one graded report suggesting the exact opposite. Abysmal marks for the nation's housing market indicate it remains in dire need of remedial help. The good news is that mortgage rates continue to hover near historical lows. The money may be more difficult to come by, but if you have the credit scores/downpayment combo, it remains a good time to secure a home loan. Beware the market you are in, however, lest you fall behind the depreciation curve.