Distressed Homeowners Help Plans - The Obama administration and the regulator for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are expected to unveil new steps to help distressed homeowners in the next week or two, a senior congressional aide said on Thursday.

By NICK TIMIRAOS - "Buy a Home and Get a Visa"  The reeling housing market has come to this: To shore it up, two Senators are preparing to introduce a bipartisan bill Thursday that would give residence visas to foreigners who spend at least $500,000 to buy houses in the U.S. The provision is part of a larger package of immigration measures, co-authored by Sens. Charles Schumer (D., N.Y.) and Mike Lee (R., Utah), designed to spur more foreign investment in the U.S.

Foreigners have accounted for a growing share of home purchases in South Florida, Southern California, Arizona and other hard-hit markets. Chinese and Canadian buyers, among others, are taking advantage not only of big declines in U.S. home prices and reduced competition from Americans but also of favorable foreign exchange rates.

Foreign Real Estate Buyers push Manhattan Home Prices 2011

Taking advantage of a weak U.S. dollar and a beaten down housing market, foreign buyers helped push Manhattan home prices slightly higher in the third quarter, according to the city's top residential real estate agents. The average price for a condo or co-op in the city climbed to $1.42 million in the three months ended September 30, up 3% from the second quarter, according to realtor Corcoran Group.

Foreclosure Home Inventory 4 Million Oct 2011 - As the foreclosure backlog continues to build up, delinquent borrowers are spending even more time in their homes without making mortgage payments. Once borrowers start missing payments, they spend an average of a year and nine months, or 611 days, in foreclosure before banks repossess their homes, according to LPS Mortgage Monitor. That's more than twice as long as three years ago, when the average was 251 days. Earlier his year, the average was 523 days.

Home Loan Interest Rates have never been cheaper, with the 30-year rate falling below 4% for the first time in history.

Stats on U.S. Home Ownership 2011 - The percentage of Americans homes owners have seen its biggest decline since the Great Depression, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.