Here are the top five states where it will take the longest to sell your home.

1. New York – 130 days
2. Hawaii – 119 days
3. New Jersey – 117 days
4. West Virginia – 113 days
5. North Dakota – 113 days

All this comes at a time when the housing market is down across the country — down 21 percent since January. According to Google, searches for “sell my house” exploded 147 percent in July. This follows two major steps in the federation. The average mortgage rate today is 5.5 percent, double the rate of 2.8 percent last year.

Therefore, as of 2010 Are we headed for a housing crash in 2008 or is it something a little more simplistic like a correction?

Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody’s Analytics, said: “This is not when we have real problems in the housing market when houses, houses everywhere, are empty. This is the fundamental reason the market is correcting. It’s uncomfortable, especially for the seller, but it’s not going to break.

That’s a bit of good news. But if you’re trying to buy now, it pays to be strategic. Here is Dina’s list of buyers:

• Create a budget using a mortgage calculator. My favorite is at mortgage calculator.org. It allows you to increase property taxes, which in our area doubles your monthly mortgage.
• Find a trusted local agent who knows your market well.
• Use technology to your advantage by exploring virtual 3-D home tours to save time in person.

• Be flexible. Can you live with a small bathroom if you have a big yard for your kids? Be willing to make trade-offs to stay within your budget.