Tough summer: The newest numbers from the S&P/Case-Shiller house price index, released today, show a 4.5 percent decline in nationwide prices in the third quarter vs. the same time a year ago. Prices in the July-through-September period were also down from the second quarter -- 1.7 percent, specifically.

Robert J. Shiller, chief economist at MacroMarkets LLC and the Shiller who gives the index one-third of its name, said in a statement that the price drop was the largest quarter-over-quarter decline in the 21 years of the index. The year-over-year drop is "its second consecutive record low."

“Consistent with prior 2007 reports, there is no real positive news in today’s data," Shiller said.

Index officials also released September figures for major metro areas, a list that does not include Baltimore. (Sticks in the craw, that does.) The Washington area saw prices fall 6.6 percent vs. September 2006, according to the index.