The American Dream Of Success

Many people have come to America for adventure, opportunity, freedom, and the chance to experience the particular qualities of the American landscape. The American Dream is the idea that every United States citizen, including immigrants and residents, should have an equal opportunity to achieve success and prosperity through hard work, determination, and initiative. America somewhat provides access to the American dream, it is more so the citizen who provides access to the dream for themselves. Even though they encountered many trials and tribulations, with persistence, people such as Langston Hughes in “I Too Sing America and Anzia Yezierska in “America and I” they were able to achieve their individual American Dream.

The Great Recession of 2007-2009 was one of the most economically disastrous events in American history. The housing market took a significant downturn during this period. People were not cautious when it came to their money and loans. Larger loans were given out to people, even to those with bad credit and low incomes. These large loans caused many homes to go through foreclosure since people were unable to pay off their mortgage debts. These debts were created by banks increasing the interest rates on the loans significantly in a short period. In 2008, foreclosures were up by eighty-two percent. This increase is significant because the previous percentage of foreclosures was at fifty-one percent from 2007. Unemployment skyrocketed, and 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.

The American dream is all about stability. Owning a home, having a well-paying job, a yearly vacation and children are stages of the American dream. Above all of them, owning a house is the most important because that means one is secure and stable. My auntie, Evelyn, had reached the biggest stage of the American dream: owning a house. After hearing the good news my family and I planned to visit her and see the new house, but it was too late before we got see her new house: the value of her house dramatically decrease and my auntie was forsaken. So, she decided to let the bank take her house instead of making the house payments. Just like my auntie, Evelyn, many American families were affected by the financial crisis in 2007-2008. Although the financial crisis was a horrific experience, there are some positive aspects.

Problems for home owners with good credit surfaced in mid-2007, causing the U.S.'s largest mortgage lender, Countrywide Financial, to warn that a recovery in the housing sector was not expected to occur at least until 2009 because home prices were falling "almost like never before, with the exception of the Great Depression." Most economists agree that the primary cause of the current recession was the credit crisis arising from the bursting of the housing bubble. Why did the housing bubble occur and why did its bursting cause such a severe and widespread recession?

The desire for home ownership is something embedded in our DNA. Claiming property and owning a house is a critical part of the “American Dream.” Home ownership represents more than just a place to rest your head at night. Your home is the environment that serves as a setting for your journey through life. It’s the place of your children’s first steps, family birthdays, barbeques, amongst many other significant events. Your home is the backdrop that describes you and your family. Although many American’s were financially hurt by the trillions lost in the home equity market during the housing bubble, there is and will always be a desire to own a home. The most vital part is that American’s who lost their homes during the crash, learn from their past, so that they do not repeat a foreclosure.

In fact, “During the last ten years, the nation’s rate of homeownership has steadily fallen from nearly 70 percent down to just over 64 percent” (Romerdahl). Homeownership has been seemingly inseparable from the American Dream, yet statistics are now showing that less people are interested in owning a home. Until recently, government intervention has been raising the percentages of homeowners in the US, but percentages have been steadily falling even with lower interest rates and continued effort from the government. This evidences that not only is the American Dream changing, but it is not clearly defined in the first

For decades Americans couldn’t help but rejoice when they were able to own their very own home. The image of holding the keys and to quickly step foot into their home provided Americans with visons of prosperity. Many Americans whether poor, middle-class, or wealthy could now dream of endless possibilities when owning their very own home, as well as embracing a sense of accomplishment. These accomplishments or feelings were great at first; however, the realty for some Americans was that behind the glitz and glamor was a ticking time bomb. Now imagine the United States of America flourishing in the real estate sector and the US economy from Wall Street to individuals benefiting from the booming housing market. However, while all this was

Owning that little home on the corner with the white picket fence and big oak tree in the front yard has always been the American dream, but for some unfortunate home owners hit by the recession and housing crisis several years ago, it now seemed more like a nightmare. Imagine, after years of hard work, finally having your very own home only to have it ripped out from under you through foreclosure or short sale. This very scenario happened to countless thousands in towns across the country.

Big banks in the middle 2000s were flourishing of the money made from selling the mortgages to big investors. While this was great when the banks were giving money to people who were reliable and were going to pay their mortgages every month. And when the investors were making such a hefty profit they wanted more. This is when Subprime mortgages were widely used, giving less reliable lower credit scores the opportunity to get homes. The banks knew that these people would not necessarily always be able to pay, which was the one of many mistakes (Crash Course.) The banks learned that while it did sometimes work out, the consequences of giving out too many unreliable mortgages can bring the whole nations economy down for the housing market has always been the pillar of the economy. The greed of the extremely wealthy continued to overpower the common sense of the

Homeownership is a far in the future goal for many young American and many may never even reach it. The rising cost of living and education puts many into debt. And, the difficulty of finding a job before, during, or after college makes staying above that debt difficult. As a result, for those who want to have kids they could be putting themselves even further into financial distress. Overall, there are many factors that make obtaining a home difficult, so luck and/or hard work may not be enough to achieve the original 1950s American dream. In conclusion, the house in the American Dream seems to be fading

Until every home loses value, buying a home will continue to be a good investment for those who can’t buy stocks or bonds. Purchasing my home was a huge milestone in my life as well as an investment I could make for my future. Adalberto Aguirre also believes that “For many Americans, homeownership is synonymous with success, independence, and the achievement of the American Dream.” Homeownership is seen as a pathway to aspects of the American dream; for instance, the ability to pay for a college education, providing start-up capital for a family business, or funding retirement plans (6). Owning a home, like earning a college education, is something I thought we are all supposed to want for ourselves, friends, and family. Helping others attain the American Dream certainly took a backseat to profits in the minds of many mortgage brokers and lenders during the 2000 housing boom.

The housing market crash, which broke out in the United States in 2007, was caused by high risk subprime mortgages. The subprime mortgage crisis resulted in a sudden reduction in money and credit availability from banks and other lending institutions, which was referred to as a “credit crunch.” The “credit crunch” and its effect spread across the United States and further on to other countries across the world. The “credit crunch” caused a collapse in the housing markets, stock markets and major financial institutions across the globe.

Around 2006 the price of houses began to fall substantially fast. “The oversupply of houses and lack of buyers pushed the house prices down until they really plunged in the late 2006 and early 2007” (The Subprime Mortgage Crisis Explained). These actions threw investors into a big dilemma. In the beginning they believed buying the mortgages would bring them a profit, but quickly realized that the mortgages would cost them more financial damage than reselling the homes. “Nationwide, home vales have declined about 16% since the summer of 2006 and experts project that the drop will continue until homes have lost about 25% of their value” (Biroonak, 2008). In other words mortgage homes are “underwater”, that is, the mortgage owed equals or exceeds the value of the house (Biroonak, 2008). Investors and homeowners started to go more in debt trying to pay off their original debts.

Establish Credibility: According to US News, the great American dream of owning a home appears poised for a comeback. Real estate company Trulia reports that in many parts of the country, rents are rising while housing prices are falling, making buying a home more affordable. Trulia found that in 98 out of 100 major metropolitan areas, including Detroit, Atlanta, and Cleveland, buying has become more affordable than renting.” I think the mortgage catastrophe of 2001 left prospective home buyers afraid of buying a house without being extremely certain that is the right decision.