At least it wasn't an "F": Housing consultant grades the Tampa region

A well-known California housing consultant gives our region's housing market a "D" for dismal. Or depressed. Or delinquent.

Let's put it in perspective, though. Previously resilient markets like those in North Carolina and Washington State are earning the same just-above-failing grades. As far as I could see, only Dallas gets a "C."

When you dig into the Florida data we look quite a bit better than our in-state competitors. In Miami, for example, housing costs devour 61 percent of a typical income. In Tampa-St. Pete, where the median home price has fallen to $172,500, it's only 31 percent.

Here's the Web site. Find Tampa on the map and hover the mouse over the symbol. To go directly to a national chart that includes Tampa, here's a short cut.