WORST MARKET:
CALIFORNIA CENTRAL VALLEY

12-month change in home values:
Merced: -42.8
Salinas: -42
Stockton: -41
Modesto: -37.9
Vallejo: -35.9

The market hit hardest by the housing bubble is the Central Valley in California, where aggressive development and price hiking has yielded more homes than jobs. Now many homeowners owe more than their house is worth and are being forced into default.

Still, it's not all doom and gloom for the California housing market. The drop in home values has created an affordable market for first-time home buyers. And, on average, monthly sales have almost tripled from last year. Although the Valley has seen the worst of the crash, it may well be one of the first areas to recover.