AltWeeklies Wire
Dirty Secrets of the Real Estate Collapsenew

There's lots of blame going around for this economic crisis. How we got here was simple: too much credit and too much debt for too many years. But why are hard-working people, many Hispanic, losing their houses?
Reno News & Review |
Madeline Zook |
11-07-2008 |
Housing & Development
Advocates Worry About Landlord Foreclosures' Impact on Tenantsnew
The Pennsylvania statute governing tenants' rights during landlord foreclosure or a tax sale is a tricky little block of legalese.
Pittsburgh City Paper |
Adam Fleming |
10-28-2008 |
Housing & Development
Can Philly's Bold Experiment in Preventing Foreclosures Work?new
With the foreclosure crisis in full swing, Judge C. Darnell Jones issued an order declaring that before any foreclosure goes to sale, a representative for the lender must sit down with the borrower in court. He also postponed all sales of owner-occupied houses scheduled for April or May until July. The order immediately drew national attention, and last week, the experiment began.
Philadelphia City Paper |
Isaiah Thompson |
06-24-2008 |
Housing & Development
Home Equity Loans Threatened in Mortgage Crisisnew

As property values drop, many banks are freezing their customers' home equity loans.
East Bay Express |
Anna McCarthy |
06-04-2008 |
Housing & Development
Houses in Cleveland are Selling on eBay for as Little at $810new
Turns out that real estate fiends from as far away as Florida and Texas have been buying up the slums of our fair burg, then flipping the houses on eBay
Cleveland Scene |
Staff |
05-30-2008 |
Housing & Development
Foreclosure May Hurt Children the Mostnew
"When foreclosures force children from their homes, their education is disrupted, their peer relationships crumble, and the social networks that support them are fractured," according to a recent study by First Focus. "Indeed, their physical health, as well as their emotional health and well-being, is placed at risk." Tiffany Rodriguez, a North Philly 14-year-old, would have to agree.
Philadelphia Weekly |
Tasneem Paghdiwala |
05-27-2008 |
Housing & Development
Oil Costs Reshaping the Suburbsnew
Current property values in the U.S., where the subprime-mortgage crisis has unleashed a sea of foreclosures, demonstrate how surging oil prices can affect the real-estate market. Cities with more suburban sprawl are suffering more in terms of depressed prices than denser areas that are less dependent on cars.
The Georgia Straight |
Carlito Pablo |
05-19-2008 |
Housing & Development
Helping People Out of the Subprime Crisis, Without Foreclosurenew
Three years ago, Lisa Peterson and her husband got into trouble with their own home payments after a publishing venture failed. They had to turn to family for help. The experience gave them an idea for a new business: help people protect their credit and avoid foreclosure, either by renegotiating their loans or buying and reselling their houses.
Isthmus |
Mary Ellen Bell |
05-12-2008 |
Housing & Development
Foreclosure Rage is On the Risenew
The evicted residents who destroy their own house before they leave are rarely prosecuted. As attorney David Winterton explains, "The people who trashed the house don't have money anyway, so if someone were to sue them and get a judgment, they wouldn't be able to collect."
Las Vegas Weekly |
Jennifer Grafiada |
05-02-2008 |
Housing & Development