Personal Narrative: My Relationship With Foreclosure

Every child wants to “be something” when they grow up. A doctor, a lawyer, a veterinarian, the list continues indefinitely. Most people fixate on one particular career; even if it changes, at any given moment they have one goal. For some reason, that never happened for me. My friends and family would ask “what do you want to be when you grow up?” and I would immediately rattle off a laundry list of different things. “An inventor, a scientist, a dancer, a chef, a translator! I’m going to learn every language in existence!” was my excited reply. Apparently I was quite the ambitious child.

In these days of economic upheaval, rising unemployment, increasing bankruptcies, and car and credit card loan defaults, perhaps nothing is more frightening than the rising rates of home foreclosures. Owning a home has long been considered the cornerstone of the Great American Dream, and now for many that dream has turned into a nightmare, from which there seems no escape. The combination of predatory lending practices and consumers who have for to long lived beyond their means has created an escalating problem. Unfortunately, there are no easy answers.

In order to complete my heart's desire I've made sure to do above and beyond. My parents have also pushed and encouraged me to become the best me. I went to some of the best schools and took the best classes in Miami Dade County because my loving parents and I made sure that my grades remained on top. Even though I strived for the best, still I struggled with family issues. In middle school, I had a difficult time because my family was about to lose our home to foreclosure. When you lose someone or something so precious in your life, it can be a draining and learning experience. On the outside to everyone else they thought I looked blissfully happy, and like nothing was going on in my life. I was wearing a perfectly painted mask as my disguise. Little did they know that in reality I was constantly worried and I felt powerless. I had my father who worked as a construction worker and he tried to help out as much as he could, but he had his other kids and bills to pay. My hardworking mother was a Registered Nurse who graduated from the University of Miami for crying out loud and she did whatever she had to do to try and get a job but it was like everywhere she turned there was a roadblock. Finally, she got a

Growing up, I had such big hopes and dreams for myself. As a child, I always aspired to be a teacher because I loved telling people what to do and taking charge. I am the oldest child and would always have to help my brother with his homework and teach him how to do things around the house. I remember how I enjoy quizzing him for his spelling tests. Unfortunately, life did not go as planned and I ended up taking the wrong path in life. However, 13 years and 3 kids later I decided to return to college.

When I was younger I always wanted to be a teacher. Throughout my middle school years I figured. I wanted to be a Special Ed Teacher. My sophomore in year high school I had an opportunity to be apart of a special camp. This camp was were special children would come for a week and people would volunteer to watch them for that specific week. My church does this every other year, so when I was old enough to go, I signed up to go. The camp is named Camp Barnabas and it impacted my life in so many marvelous ways.

Becoming successful and learning from my parents mistakes is the greatest educational and career related goal I have. I aspire to major in criminal justice to become a probation officer for the youth, or to earn my degree in social work. I am most confident that I want to impact the lives of others to help them reach their own goals and help them discover all that they can be in life..

Ever since I was little, i have had the career aspirations of any other child. From ballerina to firefighter, fashion designer to chef. At one point I wanted to be a veterinarian, but when I came to the realization that I don't particularly like animals that dream slowly faded and died. When I looked back upon my previous dreams I realized one common theme, Helping people. It was from then on that I knew who I wanted to be.

Foreclosure is a heartbreaking process, but it is always possible to salvage something from the situation. If you can pay back the lender everything you owe, including back payments and penalties, then you can sell it before it is auctioned off. An experienced real estate agent can help you avoid foreclosure by selling your home and getting enough to pay your debts.

A mortgage is a form of debt, secured by the warranty of a specific real estate property. The borrower is required to pay back the debt in predetermined payments. The most common reason for acquiring a mortgage is to purchase real estate when it cannot be paid for up front. The homebuyer, in a residential mortgage, pledges their home to the bank. Over a period of years, the borrower pays back the loan with interest. Once the mortgage is paid in entirety, the owner retains the property free of any charges. However, in case of foreclosure, the bank has an entitlement on the house, as a form of insurance should the buyer default on repaying the mortgage. The bank can then sell the house, and use the capital to pay back the remaining

Crash! I stand a couple of feet away inspecting the damage in shock. I can’t believe this is happening! I look over at Mark who shares my same expression. The tree had fallen straight through the roof. Even though the tree wasn’t that large, it still managed to crash right into the living room. I stand waiting for what fate has in store for me. I have made a huge mistake, and it all goes back to this morning.

At one point or another, a person dreams of what he or she desires to do with his or her life. When I was a child, I always wanted to go to medical school and become a doctor. However, my goals have changed since then. I have considered other career paths, including teaching. As of now, my major is political science. I chose this mainly to get in to law school for what I aspire to be, an attorney. The law requires not only education, but dedication to the duties for the rewards and benefits.

The current foreclosure crisis is arguably the greatest economic disaster to strike the US since the Great Depression. It is the culmination of a number of factors; an economic "perfect storm" if you will. What makes this current downturn more pronounced is that much of it could have been avoided. While a simple prescription of "how to fix things" would be lovely, it's also not possible. Mammoth problems can be slowly healed, but understanding is the first step in that process.

Being the child of a single teenage parent made the way that I viewed things very different from the kids my age. When asked what I wanted to be when I grow up, my answer was always that I wanted to go to college. It always confused people because I didn’t say the typical things little kids wanted to be: doctor, lawyer, singer. I really just wanted to do everything my mother didn’t get to and college was one of those major things. Then I discovered that I had a love for caring for others. I just wanted a job where I could help others.

To combat our nation’s foreclosure crisis, I believe it is necessary to inform Americans about their options, rights,

Foreclosure is one of the hardest things that a person can be introduced to. It can make a person or break a person, but for me it made me so much stronger. I can truly say I have accomplished much more since getting out of a foreclosure scam at a very young age of 16. Throughout that hard time I just continued to not only motivate myself, but my mother because I understand getting something taken away from you that you have worked hard for can destroy a good person. This is what happened to my family and I, and what we did to overcome it.