Living the American Dream Nightmare

There goes the neighborhood. Well, technically it's the neighbors whom are going. But what they're selling for is unnaturally skewing the home values in the rest of the neighborhood lower. Right now my home is almost worth less than I still owe on it. I'm not sure what I should do. I'm clearly in over my head, and according to this Lifehacker survey titled "Are You Living Below Your Means?" I'll be totally boned (and not in the good way) with just one moderate sized personal emergency. I know I should count my lucky stars that at least I haven't reach foreclosure status yet like so many other Californians, but with the end to this economic (and now emotional) depression anyone's guess, it's often hard to keep one's mind in a positive frame. It's time to reevaluate which is more important, the emotional freedom that living alone offers, or the financial boost having a roommate will provide. Owning this home has turned out to be far from what I had dreamed it would be.