9 percent

Amount by which the price of nearby properties can drop when there's a foreclosed home in the neighborhood, according to a Chicago study cited by President Barack Obama during his February 18 announcement of a $75 billion program for homeowners in danger of defaulting on their mortgages. The president also noted that a single foreclosed home can cost a local government as much as $20,000. Who'll make up for the shortfall? Other homeowners.

The president's announcement came on a day when the U.S. Department of Commerce said that construction of new privately owned homes in January plummeted to the lowest level since 1959. Housing starts dropped 16.8 percent from December to an annual rate of 466,000.