Whatcom County has seen a significant decline in home prices, but depreciation has been steeper in many other Washington communities, according to a new federal report. Local home values dropped 5 percent in the third quarter compared to the same period in 2008, according to the Federal Housing Finance Agency's all-transactions house price index. While the depreciation was steeper than in previous quarters this year, the Whatcom County price slide wasn't as bad as other nearby communities: Seattle, Tacoma and Longview saw year-over-year drops of 10 percent or more.