From Zero Hedge:
Everything that the government has done so far, with a few minor detours, has been almost exclusively focused on maintaining home prices high, by tweaking either the supply or the demand side of the housing equation.
... This is ironic, as proper price discovery is critical for a true recovery, since Americans realize all too well that buying a house at prevailing levels in advance of the second down-leg in housing is senseless, the continued pursuit of such flawed policies by the Fed and President Obama merely pulls the market ever further away from its equilibrium, thereby making the anticipated second dip so much more likely and not that far off in the distant future.
Below are 5 simple charts the highlight just how precarious the housing situation in the U.S. is...
Read full article (with charts)...
More on housing:
Must-read post on housing and the FHA
Why it's ok to walk away from your mortgage
The most sobering take on housing you'll read this week