Is this a mess or what?
You live in a San Diego new housing development where all homes were sold out in 2004. You and your neighbor paid $750,000 for your identical homes. You have been paying your mortgage on time, but your neighbor is facing foreclosure. As we all know, most San Diego home values are way down from their 2005 highs. So, let's say the homes in this example are now worth $525,000 each. What happens when your neighbor gets his loan modified to $525,000 simply because he can’t afford his house?
Actual clause in the government rescue package:
Sec. 109. Foreclosure Mitigation Efforts
CONSENT TO REASONABLE LOAN MODIFICATION REQUESTS – Upon any request arising under existing investment contracts, the Secretary shall consent, where appropriate, and considering net present value to the tax-payer, to reasonable requests for loss mitigation measures including term extensions, rate reductions, principal write downs, increases in proportion of loans within a trust or other structure allowed to be modified, or removal of other limitation on modifications.
Also, be sure to read these related posts:
Are the Rating Agencies at The Cause of Our Financial Mess?
Housing Bailout – The Real Cause?
The Paulson Plan – Still Wrong
Government Bail-Out – Risk & Reward
Housing Bail-Out … Pass or Depression
When I was buying a house about 4 years ago, you could not believe the zany loans I was offered. Interest only was big then…”all you need is to pay your interest then whatever you can afford on the principle.” Thank god I wasn’t foolish enough to do that; I’d be one of the many in foreclosure now.
skin doctor
Most of you are conditioned sheeple. The majority of homeowners did not buy in the last 3 years. The majority of homeowners have plenty of equity in their homes. It’s a very small group in trouble. Those in trouble will become renters again. Owners with equity will buy up most the foreclosed homes. Renters: look for the notice that your rent is going up. The rich get richer the poor get poorer. Pay attention.
Florida Bail Bonds
I think what we need is a discompassionate conservative, not a bleeding heart liberal or compassionate conservative.
Clinical Research Manager
“We’re nearing a plateau” – this is wishful and dangerous thinking. We’re not even halfway through the subprime resets, and starting next year a wave of even more toxic Option ARMS will start resetting. Home prices will be falling for the next 10 years. Buy a home to ENJOY if you must, but don’t look at it as a get rich quick investment.
San Diego Optometrist
There’s an extremely simple way to avoid foreclosure: make your mortgage payments on time every month. If you are unwilling or unable to do so, then you will lose your house. This is exactly what you agreed to in the mortgage contract that you signed. Expecting the rest of us to “bail you out” is a morally indefensible position.
Riverside Attorney at Law
Now I realize Greenspan probably kept interest rates too low after the dot.com bubble and 9/11 and Congress may have been too aggressive in requiring banks to lend to ‘sub primers’ and Bush may have gone overboard with his ‘ownership society’ schemes but at the end of the day it was the American people that did this. No one was frogged marched down to a mortgage brokers office and water boarded until they signed a loan to buy a house they could not afford. People did it to themselves. I was tempted too I admit and even looked at houses. Met an agent who had drawn up an offer. Looked it over and said ‘lemme think it over’. Called him back the next day and said ‘nope, don’t need a new house.
Texas Lawyer
Why always blame somebody else? What happened to self responsibility and self accountability? If you cannot afford the house payments then don’t buy a house. If you cannot qualify for a fixed-rate 30-year loan, then that means you are not qualified! It’s your responsibility to know how much you can afford. It’s as simple as that.
Cosmetic Dentist