5/4/08

On the Sub-Prime Crisis

Many of you already knew that we were probably losing our home in the first wave of foreclosures hitting this state and the country. I have been sort of busy the last couple of weeks with this issue and (some of) you may have noticed that my Blog has been dormant because I have been so busy.

The bad news? We have given up trying to save our home.

The good news? Unlike the many American families that are, right now, living in tent cities (from the morgtage crisis and also from hurricane Katrina) we have been fortunate enough to find a house to rent. And we will not have to move from New Milford, either. The kids are happy about that second part. They have made friends and like living here.

Finding a place to live has not been easy. Being in the first wave of foreclosures, many landlords refused to rent to us. This issue will likely resolve itself for others later on as more and more people with foreclosures and bankruptcies on their credit reports will flood the renters market. For now it is still an issue. An issue we that we kind of lucked our way around.

Lemons Meet Lemonade

The house we are renting? It is a little bit smaller than the home we loved but it does have some serious plusses that make this a better place for us. First, it has a nice little wood stove in the living room to curl up in front of on those chilly New England nights. It will also save us money on oil. Second, it has a nice, big and sunny room that I plan on turning into my media room that will look right out over the back yard. Third, it is not on a main street so the kids and the dog will be a little safer playing outside. Fourth, we will be saving hundreds compared to what our original mortgage payment started at, never mind how much our ARM was by the time it doubled.

As for the luck part? Well, we are renting the house from someone that was on the verge of losing it all, as well. She pretty much knows our situtation and, because of her own situtation, was a little more forgiving on our credit check. The lady who owns the house is where we were in the foreclosure process about 9 months ago. She did not have "ARM" or sub-prime issues, but employment/relocation issues. As the real estate agent that helped us find a place said, this is a win/win situation for everyone here. She won't be crushed financially like we were and we will have a roof over our heads.

I'll have more to write on this later but, for now, don't be surpised if my Blogging particiaption is a little bit irregular.

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

I'm so sorry, for you and for your family. I'm glad to hear that it's working out better than most folks who are going through this mess. It's also nice to hear that you're managing to make the best of a very desperate and unfortunate situation. Best of luck in your new place, take care man.

ThePoliticalCat said...

Stephen, I'm so glad to hear that there's some good news coming out of this revolting pit of the mortgage crisis. Best to you and your family, and I'm glad you get to stay in your hometown.

CT Bob said...

Sorry to hear of your tough situation. I'm glad you are able to stay in New Milford for the kids' sakes. At least that's a bit of upheaval you won't have to deal with. Best of luck to you and yours.

Unknown said...

you know what? after your first sentence i wanted to cry (and scream). however after reading your entire post, i am smiling. this IS a good thing. it WILL be a good thing in the end.

family first
house second

Anonymous said...
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fuzzyturtle said...

damn... I'm glad things worked out and the kids don't have to switch schools. Hang in there!

Anonymous said...

Dude, I can only wish you and your family the best of luck.

Hang in there and get back to your blog soon. You do good work.

Anonymous said...

Sorry to hear this. Hang in there!

Commander Zaius said...

Don't know what to say but that you have turned a lemon into lemonade. Like the others said hang in there.

ThePoliticalCat said...

Just checkin' on ya, buddy. Hope you're doin' OK.