National home prices still sliding

While many parts of the economy appear to be picking up steam, a report from the Federal Housing Finance Agency says home prices are still not among them.

According to the agency's home price index, national home prices sharply declined from January to February, sliding 1.6 percent following another 1 percent drop in January. Compared to a year ago, home prices are down 5.7 percent.

Since the start of the recession, national home prices have dropped 18.6 percent, and are now

In the West South Central region - which contains Oklahoma, Arkansas, Texas and Louisiana - prices fell 1.5 percent during the month, and were down 3.7 percent from February 2010.

While home prices in the Houston real estate market have not declined to the degree seen in many other cities, the current economic situation has still created a strong buying opportunity. A recent study by the website Trulia found that buying Houston homes would make more financial sense than renting.

Courtesy of 2M Realty News