As the nation struggles through a housing crisis, President Obama happens to be vacationing in an area of the country shielded from plummeting home sales. 

The National Association of Realtors reported this week that the sale of existing homes fell by 27.2% in July, marking the biggest one-month drop ever recorded. Sales of single-family homes fell to their lowest rate in 15 years.

But with a median housing value of $1,097,469 in July of this year, Chilmark, Massachusetts is a cocoon of certainty amid an uncertain real estate market. Chilmark is where the president has been staying while on Martha’s Vineyard; an island unto itself as Massachusetts’ state-wide home values average a mere $366,721 in comparison. The national average is $235,429.

In fact, Dukes County, where Martha’s Vineyard is situated, is the only county in the state where single-family housing sales are up. State home sales are down 28% for July.

The president's Treasury-backed housing program, which sought to help three million people endure the housing crisis, has in fact only helped about 460,000 so far. (read more)