If a lumber merchant in Philadelphia financed his inventory with a short-term loan, that loan would enter the banking system as an asset and somewhere down the line occasion the issuance of banknotes used to pay the lumberjacks in Wisconsin.
Distressed inventory, comprised of short sales and foreclosures that tend to produce an average discount of 14% to 20%, puts downward pressure on non-distressed homes as traditional sellers are forced to slash prices to compete for buyers and appraisers lower values due to a glut of discounted comparables.