Glub, glub, glub - home values are sinking.  Zillow.com reports on February 12, 2008:

"The continued decline in home values means many U.S. homeowners saw equity slip away while more homeowners were pushed into negative equity situations, meaning they owe more on their mortgage than the home is currently worth. Nationwide, those at most risk of being underwater on their mortgage are those who bought in the last two years when most markets peaked. Of those who bought in 2006, 39 percent now have negative home equity as do 30 percent of those who purchased in 2007. By comparison, only 3 percent of those who purchased five years ago, in 2003, and less than one percent of all homes in the U.S., regardless of when they were purchased, have negative equity(3).

The rates of negative equity are typically higher in markets that have had significant value declines and relatively low median down payments. Parts of California, Florida, Nevada and Arizona, where the median down payments were zero to 5 percent during the last two years and year-over-year value drops in the fourth quarter were in the double digits have negative equity rates two to three times the national median."

Ok, enough of the bad news.  The ideal solution, of course, is having these homeowners exit out of their home with a full release short sale.  And that's what we do on Seller Helps Buyer. 

I'm presently looking to add to my Florida team.  We have a mortgage company, a loss mitigation company, and we procure the buyer and work the short sale at no upfront cost.  You make the real estate commission.  What could be better than that?

If you're looking for solutions in this marketplace, then I welcome you to join us!