Getting Graphic is a semi-sort-of-irregular collection of our favorite BIG real estate-related chart(s).

Northern Trust’s Paul L. Kasriel has a great monthly publication and this month’s issue struck me as particularly telling.

First of all, home mortgage debt is at the highest level it has ever been and that is a serious problem. High leverage and volatile rates place many homeowners at serious risk. However, from the news coverage, it feels like it’s 95% rather than 52.5%.

The ratio of home sales to inventory is almost as high as levels seen in the early 1980s. The chart shows that a lot of time is needed to pass in order for excess inventory to be absorbed. Not much magic will change that. Talk of market bottoms in the next few quarters appears to be beyond silly.

And beyond that, if a seller happens to die in the next decade, the buyer of this house gets the insurance money (hat tip: Bankrate).