There might be hope for home owners if they are not drastically underwater. A very small rise in home prices is really not enough to save many people but it may be enough to increase confidence across the board. If consumers and lenders have increased confidence it could move the market. Banks have been very tight with appraisals and have been working hard to keep inventory off the market. The slight increase could be completely fabricated but most economic numbers can be manipulated one way or another. This just might be what is needed to push the real estate market toward a more normal recovery.