We have lost so much this last year and now tomorow we are moving to a tiny appartment that we can afford. When i lost my job the mortgage payment was gone and i have had the worst time finding others to feel in, working at walmart making 250 a pay does not even come close to paying anything. We lost r home due to lack of jobs in the area and 400 dollars a month in insurance cause i am sick, we didnt take on somthing that was to much or to big to handle. I had to sell so much just to afford a moving truck to get my good things out of here before i lost them also, my grass is knee high but i dont have a lawn mower anymore and if my neighbors want to complain then they can take a long walk cause none of them offered help and they know whats going on. As far as destroying the house well im not doing that but im not cleaning up garbage or throwing out the stuff we cant squeeze in the 17 foot truck. We live in nice nieghborhood but in a bad town and before we moved in someone broke into the empty home and removed all the copper and door knobs why Dont know but i do know someone will do it when we r out. So you cant put all people who have lost homes due to bad times down cause some of them need money or some r young and immature. WHY SHOULD I HELP THE BANK SELL MY HOME?

Manners and class are free - there is nothing wrong with being poor - but using it as an excuse for being ignorant and acting like an animal - that is undefensible.

I totally agree with you Steve. It seemed that living a materialistic lifestyle was far more important. So important that it meant risking everything, just to "show off" what they had. When I bought my home, my loan officer (thank god) recommended that I stay away from those loans. I hate (YES, HATE) people who call themselves victims of these practices. Take the time to do the research and read all your documents carefully, and you'll save yourself alot of trouble and heartache. Yes, many people have lost their jobs, which is one result of the housing market. Too many companies invested too much money on home builders. I should know, my 401k has dwindled due to home builder and bank stocks. There are plenty of foreclosed homes in my neighborhood. Thanks to idiots who bought something they couldn't afford. Without you, my house would be worth so much more.

I'm surprised this got past the editor. Most of this "story" is opinion. Many people lost their homes due to things beyond their control. What about scum that go in and trash the homes after they are vacated. We read stories every week about thieves stripping appliances, copper, etc from vacated houses.

This is crap!!!! My Husband was in the construction market making 250k a yr and lost his job due to the economy and the builder sold out. No more ins, no more check. people arent losing their homes because they bought to much house they are losing them because they lost their jobs. We still have our house thank God that is the first bill I pay. I think you need to rewrite this story it is CRAP!

i agree, i was put down a lot for not having a home and BSing my income to get what i want but not really deserve yet. i have debt, medical bills and college loans, but no credit cards (i paid that off 5 years ago). but because of what these people have done i will have to work even hard than I already have been to get what earned legitimately.

I think the statement of "living within one's means" is a bit judgmental and a generalization. There are a lot of people who bought their homes, have their own business, were fully living within their means and then the world crashed around them. They had their 401k, savings etc and have used it up to keep their bills up until they can do no more. Mortgage companies and credit card companies put on a face to the general public of, "call us...we can help." They don't. We've been working with our mortgage company since last October and still have not worked out a loan modification. Every time we call it's, "jump through one more hoop, then we can help you." And, you never get to talk to the same person twice. Credit card companies are the same way. And, there's a lot more "fine print" to the Obama plan then what one hears from the media. Mortgage companies, or let's say the investors, still make the rules and don't have to follow the plan at all. I don't agree with trashing a home if you lose your home, but I can certainly understand the frustration, anger and depression. I'm not going to judge people who are so fed up with "the system." Many of those people have tried to work out solutions only to hit brick walls. What about the homes that are foreclosed on and the banks/lenders let the home/property become an eyesore? Why aren't they spending the money to keep the property nice so that someone will want to buy it. Not everyone trashes the home before they leave it...what is the bank/lender's responsibility? I'm not going to feel sorry for lenders...but I do respect my neighbors and would not do anything to further reduce the value of the neighborhood. My value system has not fallen by the wayside. Steve...I've watched channel 15 for a very long time and have never been so offended by such an off handed remark. Isn't there something that states..."judge not lest ye be judged?" I think the book was the bible....and how about "casting the first stone."

I wholeheartedly agree with this, and you will probably be surprised when I tell you that my husband and I had our home in Maricopa foreclosed on in May of last year. There were many factors involved in our personal foreclosure situation, but trust me when I say that it broke our hearts to leave a home we had loved and put blood, sweat and tears into, besides all the money we'd spent on landscaping, window coverings, etc. Not only did we continue paying our HOA fees until the home was no longer ours, we made weekly treks back to Maricopa to keep the yard cleaned up and free of weeds. It was the least we could do for the neighbors we left behind. We NEVER considered trashing the house - we left everything, including pictures of the home during construction and all of the instruction manuals for the appliances. Again, it was the least we could do for the next owners, who will hopefully love the home as much as we did. People who blame the bank for their situation and trash a home SHOULD be prosecuted to the full extent of the law!