renter lisa barlow has been on the fence about buying a condo for e past year, but lately e's been surng the internet daily for a one-bedroom unit. >> well, one, i have a large dog, so i'm looking for something that will accept a dog. i'm trying to find something in the 900-square-feet area and is in good condition, and that's by public transportation. >> reporter: but barlow is still hesitant to buy now for the same reason she hasn't bought in the past year: falling home values. in february, the median price for attached homes in chicago dropped 15% from the previous year. the decline for detached homes was more modest. and prices could fall further. that's because foreclosure filings increased more than 40% last month after state attorneys general and lenders reached a settlement on uniform filing procedures. haraus thinks those distressed properties could weigh on the market for years because in illinois foreclosures must be court approved. >> there are so many cases in the judicial system right now that the system has slowed down and been back-logged. and judges aren't very quick to