Americans were willing to live beyond their means, and bankers were willing to finance the dream. The biggest problem with this easy money was the obvious lack of responsible financial regulation. “Stated income” allowed anyone to easily commit fraud for a home loan, and banks weren’t worried about the money they lent since the loan was ultimately backed by the government. Sub-prime borrowers were given the opportunity to get mortgages, and no money down allowed people to get a home loan without really having “skin in the game.” Second mortgages were only icing on the cake and people figured that as long as house prices kept rising, home equity could be used as an instant cash machine to live even further beyond their means. As long as …show more content…
Foreign investors, local economies that rely upon housing tax revenue, and all other invested interests have suffered and are begging for a clear solution in sight.
Solutions to alleviate the impacts of the foreclosure crisis are absolutely central to the health of our financial systems and the country’s economic stability. The foreclosure crisis is nowhere near an end as mortgages with “teaser rates” are expected to default in catastrophic numbers. The goal of foreclosure solutions must be to keep people in their homes with affordable monthly payments, while still leaving cash in their pockets to contribute to our heavily relied upon consumer based economy. Solutions do not lie in forgiving mortgage loans and billion dollar bank handouts, as this only sets a bad precedent for contract law and regulation standards by condoning financially reckless behavior. We must work with people directly and mortgage modifications must be dealt with on an individual basis.
My solution is a multi-pronged approach that also includes regulations to ensure that this kind of situation never happens again. Firstly, we must establish 50-100 year mortgages making monthly payments affordable, thereby halting foreclosures. These 50-100 year mortgages would make monthly mortgage payments less expensive than rent for a comparable living situation. Obama’s refinancing strategy should include the conversion of existing troubled mortgages into 50-100
Seeing other people reactions towards foreclosure helps me to develop a meaningful value of life and how to appreciate it everyday of my life. As I see what is going on around me I came up with three plans that can be executed to help all people who are dealing with foreclosure issues. This can become a major factor for the economy. One is called Own A Home , Financially Fit, and Bills To Kill. These are guaranteed plans that will help any individual that feels that they are not financially secured to become a homeowner. The Own A Home program is designed for aspiring homeowner in which they
Too many Americans have fallen victim to the crisis that has become the norm for our citizens these days. Lenders no longer want to work with individuals who have gone through the foreclosure process and for many it is not only their homes they lose. Some have lost their jobs and/or families, others fall into a deep depression and worst of all some have taken their own lives.
In the United States, the lending industry’s lack of aggressive monitoring was a big part of the housing market crash of 2006. The Las Vegas housing market, once a booming industry in 2003 to 2005, is now one of the top 3 cities in foreclosure properties. I sat with Suzanne Pashnick to get her take on what happened, who is to be blamed and what can be done for the city to recover. Suzanne has been in the real estate field since 1995 and began her career in Michigan. In 2005, she moved to Las Vegas and continued her career in real estate and is currently an agent for CENTURY 21 MoneyWorld and remains licensed in Nevada.
There is by no means a simple solution to solving the home foreclosure epidemic but there are many changes that can be made to help Americans across the globe. The first, I believe starts
It is often easy to castigate large cities or third world countries as failures in the field of affordable housing, yet the crisis, like an invisible cancer, manifests itself in many forms, plaguing both urban and suburban areas. Reformers have wrestled passionately with the issue for centuries, revealing the severity of the situation in an attempt for change, while politicians have only responded with band aid solutions. Unfortunately, the housing crisis easily fades from our memory, replaced by visions of homeless vets, or starving children. Metropolis magazine explains that “…though billions of dollars are spent each year on housing and development programs worldwide, ? At least 1 billion people
The housing crisis of the late 2000s rocked the economy and changed the landscape of the real estate business for years to come. Decades of people purchasing houses unfordable houses and properties with lenient loans policies led to a collective housing bubble. When the banking system faltered and the economy wilted, interest rates were raised, mortgages increased, and people lost their jobs amidst the chaos. This all culminated in tens of thousands of American losing their houses to foreclosures and short sales, as they could no longer afford the mortgage payments on their homes. The United States entered a recession and homeownership no longer appeared to be a feasible goal as many questioned whether the country could continue to support a middle-class. Former home owners became renters and in some cases homeless as the American Dream was delayed with no foreseeable return. While the future of the economy looked bleak, conditions gradually improved. American citizens regained their jobs, the United States government bailed out the banking industry, and regulations were put in place to deter such events as the mortgage crash from ever taking place again. The path to homeowner ship has been forever altered, as loans in general are now more difficult to acquire and can be accompanied by a substantial down payment.
There are many interesting proposals to help homeowners who are in the process of foreclosure. Just recently, before the election, Senator John McCain proposed to the Treasury to spend $300 billion to purchase troubled mortgages at face value and then the “Federal Housing Administration would issue a new, federally guaranteed 30-year fixed-rate loan, based on the property's present value, at a "manageable" interest rate” (McKinnon, 2008). Under McCain's plan, the government would pay for the loans and take the whole loss rather than putting the responsibility on the lenders. His plan carries large benefits for the homeowners, but it will decrease
Foreclosure is a dangerous issue that has swept our nation in the last few years. Americans are losing their homes due to jobs being lost, home values falling, and banks lending out more money than homeowners can afford. Despite the multitude of issues that arise out of foreclosure, the main problem at hand can be almost solely traced to the economy. The recession has put many people out of work, made taking out loans more difficult, and has caused a nationwide panic. Therefore, to completely solve the foreclosure problem, it is necessary to trace the issue back to its roots, being the economy. This would take fifty pages to discuss, so this paper seeks to solve one aspect of foreclosure. Refinancing is an option that has become
Foreclosure in America has been a rising and prominent problem recently, and has destroyed many Americans hopes and dreams. Over 2.3 million homes were foreclosed in 2008, and an estimated four million homes will be foreclosed by the end of this year. Despite the efforts of many banks and lending companies, over half of homes will foreclose that have received their help. I believe that we have only started in the right direction in solving the foreclosure crisis. Giving money and lowering mortgage rates will help, but I believe we should find out why Americans are in this situation in the first place. We are being too stereotypical when we think the only reason someone is foreclosing is because of irresponsible payments or buying a home
Affordable housing in the United States describes sheltering units with well-adjusted housing costs for those living on an average, median income. The phrase usually implies to applied rental or purchaser housing within the financial means of lower-income ranges specific to the demographics of any given area. However, affordable housing does not include those living in social housing owned by government and non-profit organizations. More specifically, the targeted range for housing affordability sets below 30 percent of a household's annual income, including all applicable taxes, utility costs and home owners insurance rates. If the mean income per household breaches the 30 percent mark, then the agreed status becomes labeled as
The mortgage crisis we are experiencing in the United States today is already ranking as among the most serious economic events since the Great Depression of the 1930’s. Hardly a day goes by without a story in the newspaper or on the cable news stations reporting about the increase in the number of foreclosures across the United States. The effects of this crisis have spread across all financial markets, where in the end all of us are paying a price for this home mortgage crisis. When the housing market collapsed, so did the availability of credit which our economy depends upon. The home mortgage crisis, the financial crisis and overall economic crisis all need to address by the
The foreclosure crisis in America can only be resolved by every American citizen working together to build a stronger America by changing the way we make decisions for expenditures in our lives. We must stop overextending ourselves beyond our economic means. The foreclosure crisis of America has been caused by Americans borrowing money to purchase a home that they cannot afford. Lending agencies have allowed Americans to borrow more money to buy a home than they can afford. Each lending agency seemingly used logical reasoning that if they did not lend the funds to the homeowners, another agency would. The foreclosure crisis was caused by homeowners, businesses, banks, and even the government. The economic recovery depends on not
Brooklyn, NY – December 30, 2009 Foreclosures continue to rise drastically across the United States due to the recession, and have effected, and continue to affect thousands of families and individuals every day. One aspect we must take into consideration is that most people are not informed of what foreclosure means, or the process, even those who are homeowners. I believe that one step to preventing foreclosure is to educate first-time homebuyers. In addition, first-time homebuyer programs should not only assist potential buyers with financially preparing them to buy a home, but to keep the home once
The United States economy has been in trouble for the past couple of years. The foreclosure crisis is a condition that began due to the inability of homeowners to pay their mortgages. Foreclosure is a legal proceeding whereby a lender obtains a legal termination of a debtor’s right to redemption. The foreclosure rates have been increasing for a considerable period and certain steps have been put into place to solve the problem. While the government, financial institutions and the general public are highly aware of the crisis, the steps taken to combat the problem are still not sufficient as the foreclosure rates are still increasing.
The current real estate crisis that America finds itself in is one of the greatest challenges America has ever faced. America’s troubles are further compounded by increasing unemployment of American citizens and environmental problems like global warming. Solving any one of these problems would be a Herculean task, yet they must each be addressed in order to protect American families from disaster. However, it is possible to find a solution to the problems of the real estate crisis that can also be used to improve the problems of the unemployment and environmental destruction. The first part of the solution involves the United States government purchasing the homes that have been foreclosed and using them to offer temporary housing to