Seven Steps to Solving the Housing Crisis

The economic crisis that hit the country took many jobs or people had their hours cut. With this situation happening, many people were finding themselves short on their mortgage payments and needing to go into foreclosure or having a short sale on their homes. Either option the homeowner chose or had chosen for them, they found themselves with poor credit and no way to become homeowners again. However, most wait times before was a minimum of two years up to seven years before that previous owner could be eligible for traditional loans.

The foreclosure crisis in America can only be resolved by every American citizen working together to build a stronger America by changing the way we make decisions for expenditures in our lives. We must stop overextending ourselves beyond our economic means. The foreclosure crisis of America has been caused by Americans borrowing money to purchase a home that they cannot afford. Lending agencies have allowed Americans to borrow more money to buy a home than they can afford. Each lending agency seemingly used logical reasoning that if they did not lend the funds to the homeowners, another agency would. The foreclosure crisis was caused by homeowners, businesses, banks, and even the government. The economic recovery depends on not

Our nation faces many problems, and has for many years. Today’s generations, and especially the mainstream media, seem most concerned with social issues such as abortion and same sex marriage. While these issues are important, our economic situation should receive more urgent attention. Americans are desperate for better days, but lack a meaningful understanding of how our financial system works. Almost 100 years ago, the creation of the Federal Reserve Banking System was instated. One could argue that this system is the base of why we are 18 trillion dollars in debt, and rising. The Federal Reserve Banking System has contributed

I really didn’t know much about foreclosure. So I did some research. I asked many people of many different ages from eighteen to sixty-two. A lot of people said,“ Just pay the bill”, but that is often easier said then done. Some said they got in over their heads and were not able to get out. Some also said that their income and credit look good on paper but did not cut it when it came to paying their bills. Some told me their income had changed due to losing their jobs or having a spouse pass away. There are many circumstances that are out of people‘s control. Attempting to gain some control over the situation often is better than just praying that nothing bad will happen.

Investors and mortgage holders owe so much money to different firms that is has become almost an irreversible meltdown. The government tried to raise and cut taxes where they think they can get caught up and it doesn’t change. Money is owed by nearly every institution as well as the day to day expenses that each one occurs. Homes in major cities around the country lay to waste leaving blocks of run-down wasteland. Jobs and unemployment are just now starting to stabilize. Th economy is making a slow change for the good, but you must take baby steps after you fall. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Chart October 2007 unemployment was at 4.7% and rose to 10% by the year 2009 and everything from construction to professional and business services decreased by an average of 37.4% (Bereau Of Labor Statistics). These statistics are horrible and one can only hope we do not repeat our mistakes. A conclusion can now be made with all the factors stated

would be a financial crisis that could lower the economic power of the United States.

During the early 2000 's, the United States housing market experienced growth at an unprecedented rate, leading to historical highs in home ownership. This surge in home buying was the result of multiple illusory financial circumstances which reduced the apparent risk of both lending and receiving loans. However, in 2007, when the upward trend in home values could no longer continue and began to reverse itself, homeowners found themselves owing more than the value of their properties, a trend which lent itself to increased defaults and foreclosures, further reducing the value of homes in a vicious, self-perpetuating cycle. The 2008 crash of the near-$7-billion housing industry dragged down the entire U.S. economy, and by extension, the global economy, with it, therefore having a large part in triggering the global recession of 2008-2012.

The housing crisis is not random, but is the deliberate result of the social and structural institutions that create neighborhood racial inequalities. Discriminatory and unfair housing policies have existed for generations, but have recently taken shape in the form of the new Jim Crow which relies on law and order regulation to create new forms of discrimination in housing, education, and employment. This regulated discrimination can be seen through the recent surge in sub-prime mortgage lending that targeted inner-city and marginalized communities. To challenge the housing crisis, policymakers must answer the question of whether they are willing to take a stance and create an infrastructure that challenges discrimination and advocates for

Americans were willing to live beyond their means, and bankers were willing to finance the dream. The biggest problem with this easy money was the obvious lack of responsible financial regulation. “Stated income” allowed anyone to easily commit fraud for a home loan, and banks weren’t worried about the money they lent since the loan was ultimately backed by the government. Sub-prime borrowers were given the opportunity to get mortgages, and no money down allowed people to get a home loan without really having “skin in the game.” Second mortgages were only icing on the cake and people figured that as long as house prices kept rising, home equity could be used as an instant cash machine to live even further beyond their means. As long as

The Big Short is a movie that discusses the housing market crash in 2008. As you may know, the banks, the mortgage brokers, and the consumers were all affected by this collapse. On each level of the system, there were things that went wrong and that could have been changed that could have prevented the failure of the housing market.

“Foreclosure filings were reported on 336,173 U.S. properties in June, the fourth straight monthly total exceeding 300,000…”

Affordable housing in the United States describes sheltering units with well-adjusted housing costs for those living on an average, median income. The phrase usually implies to applied rental or purchaser housing within the financial means of lower-income ranges specific to the demographics of any given area. However, affordable housing does not include those living in social housing owned by government and non-profit organizations. More specifically, the targeted range for housing affordability sets below 30 percent of a household's annual income, including all applicable taxes, utility costs and home owners insurance rates. If the mean income per household breaches the 30 percent mark, then the agreed status becomes labeled as

Government help was seen as the only way to avoid a total economic collapse in the United States, although many thought it could result in a worldwide economic recession. On September 18, 2008 the 700 dollar bailout plan was proposed to congress. Fed Chairman Ben Bernake is quoted telling congress, “If we don’t do this, we may not have an economy on Monday” (The Housing Market Crash of 2007, 2011). This is when it became apparent that the government had a stake in this situation. When people begin questioning whether the United States economy will still exist, the government then has a huge role in the survival of not just the economy, but the entire country. The government is in a situation where it must decide how to protect the American economy, the citizens, the businesses, and the future of the United States of America. On October 3, 2008 congress passed “Emergency Economic Stablization Act” (H.R. 1424- 110th Congress, 2008) which led to the lending of 700 billion dollars’ to

On the 9th of December of 2014, I attended a San Jose City Council meeting in the council chambers in the San Jose City Hall. The topic of discussion was the issue of affordable housing in San Jose. There are nearly 5,000 homeless people in San Jose. There are thousands more on waiting lists for affordable housing, some using more than 50 percent of their daily income for rent, or in danger of losing their homes. Homelessness impacts our community, our environment, and our homeless neighbors. Addressing the issue of homelessness is a constant battle between respecting the rights and also meeting the needs of the homeless individuals. This was continuously brought up during the City Council meeting. The members were discussing the

To really be able to fix the housing market, we have to look at how it got so bad to begin with. Banks were giving loans out to people who couldn’t afford to repay them. That was, what I see, as the most detrimental situation regarding the housing market. Are the banks only to blame? Absolutely not. Those people who took those loans with little thought of repercussions also caused this mess. We shouldn’t be borrowing money so loosely and the banks should not have made it so easy.