Its official: 2011 was the WORST YEAR for home sales in U.S. History. (like we didn’t all know that already, right?)

To the facts:

* 1 out of every 5 homes sold in 2011 was a foreclosure

* New home sales dropped in December

* Home values are still on the decline (3-5%)

* There will be a new wave of foreclosures in 2012. Remember that whole robo-signing mess? The states A.G.s are in the final stages of settling the massive suit with the nations largest banks of foreclosure fraud. Its expected that the banks will pay out over 20 Billion to settle this suit. Once that happens the banks will be moving forward with the foreclosures that have been waiting in the shadows. The stories of owners living payment free are going to come to and end in 2012 and into 2013.

Another drop in home prices:

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- The besieged housing market has even further to fall before home prices really hit rock bottom.

According to Fiserv (FISV), a financial analytics company, home values are expected to fall another 3.6% by next June, pushing them to a new low of 35% below the peak reached in early 2006 and marking a triple dip in prices.

Several factors will be working against the housing market in the upcoming months, including an increase in foreclosure activity and sustained high unemployment, explained David Stiff, Fiserv's chief economist.

Should home values meet Fiserv's expectations, it would make it the third (and lowest) trough for home prices since the housing bubble burst.

There's also a "shadow inventory" of homes in foreclosure that have yet to go back onto the market.

The specter that those foreclosed homes could flood the market at any time and drive prices significantly lower is a huge concern, said Mark Dotzour, an economist for Texas A&M University. "That's the elephant in the room," he said, noting that there are 6 million home currently in shadow inventory.