Sales of distressed properties, including short sales and REO transactions, put downward pressure on home prices. For this reason, CoreLogic's Home Price Index measures values including and excluding distressed sales. In January, the index showed a month-over-month decline of 1.0 percent and a 3.1 percent slide from January 2011. But, when excluding distressed sales from the equation, home prices actually gained 0.7 percent from December and dropped less than one percent from the year before. CoreLogic's price index measures increases and decreases in sales prices for the same homes over time rather than basing their data on all home sales. More here.