ECONOMY-DREAM

When Lina and Jimi Gibson moved into their 850-square-foot apartment in 2009, they figured they'd stay two years while they planned their wedding and saved for a house. Now, with the economy in another tailspin, they're on the fence. The couple can walk to restaurants and movies from their building in southwest Charlotte. They have a gym and a pool, and they don't have to mow the lawn or repair the roof. Mostly, they don't have to worry-like so many of their friends- that the housing market's slide isn't over. (Deidra Laird/Charlotte Observer/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)