The drumbeat from the housing community was loud and clear in 2010: There was never a better time to buy a home.

For  most of the past 12 months, home prices tumbled, mortgage rates ticked  downward, and the inventory of available traditional and distressed  homes was plentiful.

But would-be buyers, even if they were able  to overcome job worries, found that the hurdles to obtain a loan were  formidable. They remained on the sidelines, and housing analysts opined  that if the broader economy improved and unemployment fell, pent-up  demand would be unleashed, credit guidelines would ease and home sales  would improve.

<a title="Harder to buy in 2011?" href="http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2011-01-01/classified/ct-biz-0102-outlook-housing-20110101_1_michael-fratantoni-mortgage-rates-mortgage-market" target="_self">Click here for the rest of the article</a>, including the definition of Qualified Residential Mortgage.