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 out of a person’s capabilities to pay for it. If we understand their situation, we will be better enabled to help and solve their crisis.
There are three common reasons that foreclosure happens as described by Lucy Lander, a writer for the National Association of Foreclosure Prevention Professionals. The first is a loss of someone that was helping to pay the mortgage. This can happen either by divorce or death. In the case of divorce, I believe banks should give them a grace period to the extent of one year to help the single woman or man temporarily until he or she can purchase a smaller, more affordable home. In the case of death, I believe banks should proceed with the same temporary grace period as with a divorce, until the wife or husband of the deceased spouse can decide whether to move into a smaller and more affordable home, or if another family member can help pay the mortgage. I believe banks should give these temporary grace plans because we would literally be running American citizens...
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...e has a part to play in solving the foreclosure crisis, and laziness should not be tolerated.
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 recent job loss, then the American government and banks should lend a helping hand. We cannot punish the unfortunate. We have only made a step in the right direction. We need to start sprinting to the finish line, because if we follow these steps, the foreclosure crisis will be gone in a flash.
In existence is $150,000, specifically set aside for the purchase of distressed real estate. This essay will outline a detailed strategy ensuring a maximum return in regard to the financial investment made on the home. Including a description of distressed real estate and foreclosure in addition to how utility can play a role in the decision-making process.
For the decades before the current housing crisis, buying homes and loaning money was a simple, but strict, affair and had had two outcomes. Either the borrower could pay back the money owed or they could not pay the money back. If the borrower could pay the money back, they could keep their house or whatever they took out the loan for. If they could not pay the money back, the lenders repossess the things that were not paid for. When this happens with a house, it is called foreclosure.
There is, I believe, no easy way to solve the foreclosure crisis. The reason for this is that the underlying problem is not merely the individual foreclosures. The underlying problem isn’t even all of the foreclosures as a whole which constitute the crisis. No, the real underlying problem is ultimately human greed. Consequently, the way to solve the foreclosure crisis, I believe, is not merely through some kind of “stimulus plan.” Yet, this matter shall be examined more thoroughly later.
In order to accurately solve the problem of the foreclosure crisis the nation is currently in, one must look at the cause of the issue. To determine the cause, the history of foreclosures has to be looked at. The questions, “How long have foreclosures been around? In the past what was the cause of foreclosures? How was the problem fixed before? What are the similarities between now and then?” all need to be answered.
To solve the foreclosure crisis we must take a multi-pronged approach that tackles the issues making the situation worse and that caused the problems in the first place. Our goal is to do this in an efficient and time conscious manner. Any solution is going to have its positive and negative aspects but we must try to maximize the former and minimize the latter.
Posing the problem of solving the foreclosure crisis first begs the question – “is there really a foreclosure crisis?”
The frequency of foreclosure in our nation today is dangerously high. The strain from the recent economic downturn has put many families and individuals in a financial chokehold preventing them from being able to make their monthly mortgage payments. Consequently, many of these people feel they’ve punched a one-way ticket to foreclosure. With all these homes being foreclosed on, we face a very real crisis.
...tions may not immediately and completely end our current foreclosure problem. Hopefully, it will be the beginning of a solution to the on-going problem of borrowing money, attacking the core of where I think the problem really lies. Americans have always been known for their resiliency. If only patience can be developed as well in this time of economic crisis that could very well lead to a long term solution. By acquiring property that is paid off, they will be able to relieve themselves from future pains. Because most Americans cannot help the economic state, they can help themselves by preparing for the future and whatever it may bring.
There is a solution to the Foreclosure Crisis. I do not propose that this is my own answer, but that it is born out of Love. The love for all my family and friends and the country as a whole is the reason for this proposal. Their fates and indeed the fates of our way of life in America depend on what we do at this time in history. The admiration and love for the foundation on which this country was established is an additional motivating factor. Needless to say we can neither turn our backs on all those who have shed blood and even given their very lives for the principles of our America. To allow this jewel of freedom and prosperity to falter and deteriorate would be the most monumental political plunder ever recorded. We can not afford to blow this opportunity.
As of December 29, 2009, the website Foreclosure.com reported that over 2.2 million homes in the continental USA are in some form of foreclosure, 486,323 are in pre-foreclosure and 465,490 have already been foreclosed. Over seven hundred thousand have tax liens against them and 87, 389 have been sold in Sheriff sales. Along with the homeowners, mortgage companies and banks have suffered tremendous financial loss. However, the homeowners lost so much more; they not only lost the roof over their heads, but memories, their self-esteem and their piece of the American dream.
It’s important to note that the solutions made above should be on a person-to-person basis and do not apply to everyone. Yet, if possible, it is to the best interest of all parties to see that these solutions are implemented. For in every city, in every neighborhood, and on every street, there is someone facing foreclosure. If not for the empathy of another’s pain, then look at it in terms of how it’s hurting you. If you’re a neighbor, you’re left with an unsafe, empty neighborhood and a house that’s worth considerably less because of it. If you’re a bank, you’re left owning a house with unpaid mortgages and annual property taxes. If you’re an investor, you see your shares decreasing in value which takes money out of your own pocket. The foreclosure crisis affects everyone, and it’s about time that we realize that.
The foreclosure crisis has no simple solution since so many things affect it, but fixing each thing one by one will gradually help. Incentives for people to buy are fantastic ideas. The $8,000 tax credit to first time homeowners is a good start. There could be others that don’t exclude current homeowners. The first few months’ mortgage could be paid for, or provide furnished houses. President Obama is very intellectual and I think he has the capacity to make wise decisions and fix our foreclosure crisis.
... main way to fix the foreclosure crisis; education. A concentration on education doesn't mean spend more tax dollars on public schools. I mean increase the quality and target of the curriculum in the schools that do exist. Americans learn of Paul Revere but do they know about Louis McFadden. We learn about capitalism and democracy but do we know how it is sustained. Do we teach and require from ourselves and our children the common sacrifice needed to maintain our way of life. Do we know and understand our rights, not in some superficial manner but in a substantial internalizing way. I think if we did, we would be greater demanders and defenders of such. Property, due process, legal vocational pursuits, and contract rights are such that if not protected, will not only foster more and deeper foreclosure and financial crises, but could end our democracy as we know it.
I remember the morning my mom told me that we would no longer be living in the only home I had ever known; it was right before spring break of my fifth grade year. My mom was a single parent, and had been for as long as I could remember. She was always strong, always a hard worker, always able to persevere; but the odds were against her. At first, I saw the words for sale and not long after the word foreclosure. She was a single, Hispanic woman earning no more than minimum wage in a grocery market, with no green card, and unable to speak English fluently. At first I had no idea what the word “foreclosure” meant, but soon found out that the bank was going to take our home and ruin my mom’s credit in the process. She could not afford