Amid the flurry of banking bailout talks and stock market worries, the National Association of Realtors released a report Wednesday showing a decrease in existing home sales nationally last month.

The Associated found that sales of previously owned homes, including single-family, townhomes, condominiums and co-ops, dropped a seasonally adjusted 2.2 percent to an annual rate of 4.91 million units from a rate of 5.02 million in July. August figures are also down 10.7 percent from the same time last year.

The national median price for existing homes also fell last month to $203,100, a 9.5 percent slide from August 2007 when the median price was $224,400.

“The median home price reflects more transactions related to subprime loans,” said NAR chief economist Lawrence Yun. “Fewer than 10 percent of homeowners have subprime loans, but these mortgages are accounting for a disproportionately high share of sales in the current market. On the other hand, areas that have had sharp price cuts are seeing a turnaround in sales, which are rising very fast now in parts of California, Florida and Nevada.”

Yet home sales were still down in the West, falling 5.3 percent in August from July.“The highest concentration of foreclosures is in the West, which is weighing down the median price because many buyers are taking advantage of deeply discounted prices,” Yun said.

The Northeast saw a 6.6 percent decline in sales during the past month, while the Midwest and South experienced gains of 0.9 percent and 0.5 percent, respectively.

The main reason for sagging sales, according to NAR President Richard F. Gaylord, was the lack of mortgage financing. “The difficulty in obtaining a mortgage increased over past couple months, making it more challenging for creditworthy borrowers to find financing,” he said. “Our hope is that overly tight lending criteria can be loosened with reasonable standards and credit so that sales activity can catch up with demand. Interest rates have already declined, but there is a serious question as to whether a cash infusion by the U.S. Treasury into Wall Street would help consumers by improving mortgage funding.

“We urge Congress to restore access to sound mortgage credit so people have the ability to make and keep a long-term investment in the American dream of homeownership. Congress needs to take care of Main Street and not just bail out Wall Street.”

One bright spot in the NAR report was that inventory dropped by 7.0 percent during the same time to 4.26 million existing homes, representing some hope that the market is slowly balancing out.

The U.S. housing market could be on its way to recovery within the next year, according to statements Monday from Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, but he left the door open for future federal bailouts of key industry players if necessary.

“I believe that there is a reasonable chance that the biggest part of that housing correction can be behind us in a number of months. I’m not saying two or three months, but in months as opposed to years,” Paulson said in a Washington D.C. press conference.

“I think we’re going to have housing issues … and mortgage issues for years, but in terms of getting by the biggest part of this correction, if we can make this Fannie Mae-Freddie Mac effort work the way I would like to see it work, I think we’ll make real progress here,” he added in reference to the recent government takeover of the ailing mortgage giants.

Paulson called the housing correction the “root of the challenges”  for U.S. financial institutions and the economy as a whole, saying that until house prices stabilize and the mortgage market settles down, there will continue to be “turmoil in the financial markets.”

The government’s role, according to Paulson, in speeding up the correction is to make sure plenty of mortgage funding is available.  Several months before bailing out Freddie and Fannie, the federal government stepped in to keep a private sector company, Bear Stearns from going under.  Yet as major investment bank Lehman Brothers filed for bankruptcy Monday, the Feds maintained a hands-off policy, preferring instead to simply orchestrate a meeting of potential buyers to save the failed company.

When asked by reporters if the well of government bailout money had dried up for good, Paulson did not rule out the possibility of more intervention.  His stated that his primary concern was to “maintain the stability and orderliness of our financial system,” but added that “we do not take, and I don’t take, lightly ever putting the taxpayer on the line to support an institution.”

The Treasury Secretary urged consumers and investors to stay positive while “[we work] through a difficult period in our financial markets right now as we work off some of the past excesses,” and Paulson concluded that overall “the American people can remain confident in the soundness and the resilience of our financial system.”

Many places offer home loans to buyers. You can consider obtaining a loan from a bank, credit union, savings & loans, insurance company and mortgage bankers just to name the more popular options. However, since most home loans are standardized by government rules, you can comparison shop fairly easily between places.

Comparing loans and fees amongst different lenders is the best way to get the best deal. But, first you have to figure out what kind of mortgage you want – fixed-rate, adjustable-rate or any of the hybrids that are available. Once you’ve decided then you can compare the mortgages offered by different companies.

Beyond checking the normal avenues for mortgages, you should also look into government-subsidized mortgages. The government offers loans that have low to no down payments. In addition, ask any lenders that you are speaking with about first-time buyer programs if you qualify for them.

A final way to get the money for a home loan is through private sources of money. You can borrow money privately from your parents, relatives, friends or the seller of the house on occasion. As investors want to put more money into real estate, this is becoming a more popular option.