Philadelphia Weekly

REAL ESTATE

Stuff underwater homeowners say

Mood of the Market

By Inman News Feed

Add Comment | Comments: 0 | Posted Jan. 9, 2012

4. "I applied for a loan mod, and they told me the documents got lost."

5. "The bank said they don't give modifications to people who are current on their payments."

6. "Can my sister just buy it from me in a short sale, then sell it back to me?"

7. "I can't do a short sale -- I'll lock in my losses."

8. "I've gotta cut my losses."

9. "I can't keep throwing good money after bad."

10. "I have to do a short sale."

11. "I'm going to buy a car, cash in my equity line and then do a short sale."

12. "What do I need to know about doing a short sale?"

13. "If I could just get a principal reduction."

14. "I'm so over it."

I suppose this entire "Stuff (insert X group of people here) Say" phenomenon is nothing if not unifying. Its brilliance is in showing you that you are not alone, no matter how you might feel at any given time.

And as Stuff Underwater Homeowners Say shows and proves, all these forays into what I'll call verbal anthropology might seem silly from the outside looking in, but are very reasonable and very serious in context, especially when they are coming out of your own mouth.

Tara-Nicholle Nelson is author of "The Savvy Woman's Homebuying Handbook" and "Trillion Dollar Women: Use Your Power to Make Buying and Remodeling Decisions." Tara is also the Consumer Ambassador and Educator for real estate listings search site Trulia.com. Ask her a real estate question online or visit her website, www.rethinkrealestate.com.