Feb 5th, 2010 · In the days before the housing crisis, the idea of a bank foreclosure filled any homeowner's mind with dread and shame. Now, with so many Americans owing more on their homes than they're worth, some people are taking a whole new approach: essentially saying, "Foreclose on me, please." It's more technically known as a "strategic default."
Oct 15th, 2009 · Phoenix is one of the nation's fastest-growing and most sprawling metropolitan areas. Cheap and plentiful land has led to an ever-expanding ring of suburbs, and commuting downtown can take longer than an hour. Now, a small developer is buying up foreclosed houses near mass transit lines in the city, renovating them to green building standards, and marketing them to young professionals who may be tired of commuting.
Aug 22nd, 2009 · In this recession, more than 13 percent of American homeowners who have a mortgage have fallen behind in their payments or are in foreclosure. Host Scott Simon speaks to Dave Hoy, co-owner of the Shiner Shack Fish Farm in Bartow, Fla. The farm is supplying the village of Wellington with a type of catfish that's eats algae growing in the abandoned swimming pools of foreclosed homes.
Jun 30th, 2009 · In the current economic slump, many consumers are finding bargains by low-balling salesmen or snapping up foreclosed homes. Reporter Jennifer Saranow weighs the ethics of "vulture consumerism" — benefiting from another's misfortune.
Apr 18th, 2009 · Within Detroit's city limits, foreclosed homes are starting to sell. That's the good news. The bad: foreclosures are spreading into Detroit's suburbs because of layoffs and a surge in some mortgage payment resets.
Apr 9th, 2009 · The mortgage crisis is causing misery on many fronts. More and more, spammers are using the crisis to fill up the inboxes of e-mail users. Since the start of the year, there's been an increase in the number of unwanted e-mail messages offering some sort of relief from foreclosure. Or, spammers will invite you to buy a foreclosed house, and cash in.
Mar 18th, 2009 · Amid the crumbling auto industry, mounting job losses and thousands of foreclosures, there's not a whole lot of good news coming out of Detroit these days. But one couple is trying to change things by recruiting artists from around the world to buy foreclosed houses and rebuild.
Mar 5th, 2009 · The foreclosure crisis has left entire neighborhoods nearly abandoned. For those left behind, a derelict neighborhood drives home prices into the gutter. But Cathy Cardenas of Designer Home Tenders has a solution. Host Madeleine Brand talks to Cardenas about how her business is supplying a lived-in — and cared-for — look to foreclosed homes.