Foreclosures: My Family's Experience Essay

The government's attempt to stem the tide of foreclosures and arrest the incredible fall in home prices have been, in a word, pathetic. One proposal suggested was for banks to offer low 4% mortgages -- a step in the right direction. But in extending support to buyers of homes, it completely ignores the problems of millions of families that already have mortgages. As a result, it does little to halt the surge in foreclosures. With more home owners likely to default this year, the situation is far from recovery in spite of a wall street surge since March of this year. The new rates, and lower monthly payments, would be especially helpful for homeowners with negative equity (they owe more on their mortgages than their homes are worth). Such underwater borrowers, prime candidates for

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.

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

I believe the foreclosure crisis will only continue and worsen until we understand the needs of the American public. Giving money is not the answer entirely. Each situation is unique and different from another. What works for one citizen may not be the solution for another. This is not only a financial situation but a social situation in my opinion. If he or she has a legitimate reason why they are in a foreclosure panic, such as death, divorce, sudden medical illness, or

There are several issues that need to be addressed, to help solve this foreclosure crisis. The first issue is how the banks were clearly misled by the government, in a sense, that they approved clients for home loans they could not afford. They then took advantage of the late payments, and increased interest rates. We have seen firsthand what happens when people take advantage of the uneducated, ultimately everyone fails. We as a society need to stop dwelling on failure, stop preventing bankruptcy, and rather reward success through government guarantees. The United States government has already pumped billions of dollars into the US banks, but the money is not being used the way it was

The foreclosure crisis that took over the United States a few years ago left many people facing economic hardships. This crisis happened because there was a huge housing bubble that was unsupported by actual home values. The bubble began bursting in spring of 2008 and the crisis culminated in mid-2009. Many lenders went out of business and many home owners began losing their homes. When the government became aware of this problem and began to implement new programs, it was already too late for many homeowners. Those homeowners are not at a point where they might be considering buying a new home. The housing crisis has created new rules, regulations governing the mortgage industry, and has also created a new agency dedicated to consumer protection. This consumer protection agency is called the Consumer Finance Protection Bureau. These dramatic changes have helped to create more responsible lending. The improving market conditions such as low housing costs and competitive interest rates are allowing those affected by a foreclosure to become homeowners again. Prospective buyers have a multitude of programs available to them, so even those with less than clean slate have several options.

The main goal the government should be focusing on is to reduce homeowner’s monthly payments, by enticing lenders to make concessions in interest rates that will make their payment affordable. This plan can keep families in their homes and would decrease the number of foreclosures. Providing a financial rescue plan without requiring

The foreclosure crisis in America has impacted everyone- even those who don’t own homes. Our nation is currently struggling with high unemployment, a relatively illiquid credit market, and a deficit that raises serious concerns about the value of the US Dollar in the not too distant future. With interest rates already at historic lows and the government pursuing an unprecedented policy of quantitative monetary easing, options for government intervention are limited. While there is no simple solution to this problem, I think that we must look at the reasons the housing market went into crisis, and based on that develop a regulatory system that will allow us to avoid another situation like this in the future. If Americans believe

The foreclosure/housing market crash several years ago affected a vast amount of families across the country. Unfortunately, my family was also affected. Thankfully, my parents have not gone through foreclosure yet, but we are all stuck in a house because we are “underwater” (owe more than it is worth). This crisis directly and indirectly affected so many, but thankfully we are all starting to bounce back.

Within the past three to four years, the United States has seen the dramatic collapse of the housing market. The housing bubble spurred by ill-advised loans to individuals who could not afford a mortgage, complicated contracts which had interest rates and payments changing without reason, and the mass purchasing of bad loans by lending superpowers, had popped. The rapid increase in the value of homes across the country for the previous decade, had been a falsity, in which billions of dollars funded by investments and home purchases were lost within a few months (Wikipedia.org: United States housing bubble). Millions of home owners were found to be unable to pay their mortgages, leading to hundreds of thousands of foreclosures. These

In order to fix the foreclosure crisis, the supply of homes on the market will need to be sold. My plan creates a team approach to achieving this goal. The team would consist of a realtor, an appraiser, a mortgage broker, and a homeowner. The realtor will complete a market analysis for the homeowner, and the appraiser will do an appraisal for the mortgage company. The mortgage broker will assess the homeowner’s financial situation to determine what they can now afford. The realtor will help the homeowners find a new home at a price they can afford. The mortgage broker will set up a new mortgage with new strict guidelines designed to help the homeowner succeed. The homeowner

Unfortunately, these banks have already approved so many loans that they have put so many people on the streets because they have lost their homes. Fixing the banking system now, although it will help people in the future, will not help the people who have already lost their homes and are living on the streets, homeless. Due to the economic recession, many Americans have lost their jobs and, as a result, cannot make their mortgage payments. When a house is foreclosed on, almost everyone involved loses money: the family loses their home and most of their possessions; for investors, loses range from 20-60 cents on the dollar; lenders typically lose $50,000 for each foreclosure (fdic.gov). Instead of immediately foreclosing on a home, the bank should look at the situation the family is put in: has there been a medical problem? Has one of the people bringing in income lost their job? If so, there should be a period of time granted to the household in which mortgage bills should stop. For example, if a father has lost his job, the wife doesn’t work, and they have young children, mortgage bills should stop until he has found work. Unless the family has saved up a lot of money and is able to make the payments with both parents out of work, there is no possible way they will be able to make the payments. Considering that the family has a mortgage, they probably haven’t saved up a lot of money to keep up with the

As the economy drops and foreclosures are on the rise, millions of Americans who were financially stable several years ago are asking the same question, “How could this happen to me?” The crisis has occupied the minds of politicians, who are trying desperately to solve this problem, but the tragedy continues as more and more Americans are foreclosed on with no alternatives. The foreclosure crisis will not be solved by simply lowering interest rates, firing loan brokers, or other short-term, ineffective solutions. The long term solution to the housing crisis has nothing to do with housing. The government has lost its way and needs to redirect the way the whole economy is run.

With all of the incentives and mortgage products given so easily to people that couldn’t afford the high prices (including interest rates), many people defaulted on their first mortgages because they were no longer were able to receive the profit from the homes they first intended to flip. “During the first quarter of 2008, nearly 9% of all mortgage holders were delinquent or in foreclosure, the highest rate since recordkeeping began in 1979. Foreclosure filings more than