Home prices slid this March in 20 major metropolitan areas, losing 14 percent of their value compared to a year ago and 2.2 percent compared to the previous month. That's according to the Standard & Poor's Case-Shiller home price index, which logged the steepest decline in twenty years. The Wall Street Journal reports Las Vegas, Miami and Phoenix were hardest hit. Bucking the trend: Charlotte, where prices rose by .2 percent compared to February, and Dallas, which had a 1.1 increase in the same time period.

The news comes days after the release of Gallup polls showing that 87 percent believe the economy is getting worse and only 8 percent believe it is getting better. In April, 17 percent of homeowners – twice as many as a year earlier - told Gallup their houses are not worth more now than when they bought them. The overwhelming majority, however, felt their homes had gone up in value. Some Americans, especially in upper incomes, see the current situation as an opportunity, with 53 percent overall saying this is a good time to buy a house. That's down five percentage points from a year ago and way down compared to 2003, when 81 percent thought so.