I agree with Robert that real estate will rebound, but not back to the normal we all once knew.  With records going online there is less and less need for freelance abstractors. Why would they want to pay someone $45 (or even $25.00) for a current owner when they can hire someone to work in their office and get the same thing for minimum wage, or for $10.00 offshore.  No, I dont believe its gonna come back around for freelancers.  And sadly a lot of freelancers are going through their personal savings to keep their business afloat hoping for business to turn around.  In my humble opinion (not really worth 2 cents) it's not gonna turn around,  the business of freelance abstracting has changed.  Don't go through your personal savings.  I agree with Angie, use that money to pursue a new career.  Abstracting is not the only way to remain self employed.  It would be terrible for you to spend all your savings and then when you're penniless to say now I'll look for another job, or career change or another business service that would keep you self employed.  Because then you'll have no money to pay the rent or the mortgage or the groceries, etc. while you're looking for work.  Dont lose you homes trying to hold out for abstracting to come back around.

It's hard to know when to say when, but I think dipping into your savings to pay your bills is when it's time to change.  I only say this out of concern for my fellow abstractors.  I've seen several freelancers in Virginia lose their homes trying to hold on to their freelance business, and I would hate to see more people follow that path.  That wont help our economy, and it certainly wont help you.  I'm not trying to preach or say I know the right thing for other freelancers to do, it just concerns me how many people are willing to lose everything to stay in business. You dont realize how fast you can deplete you savings and then you're sitting there wondering how it happened.  I know jobs are hard to come by, but what it's gonna hurt to look for a job while you're hanging on waiting for abstracting to come back around. 

And I know most of us would like to stay self employed, so I would say, find what you love to do, and then figure out a way to make money from it.