Housing Sparks the Economy

Housing sparks the economy.  One of six jobs in our economy is connected to the housing market.  The incredible recession/depression we have experienced beginning it’s downturn in 2008 was delivered to us by the Banks and Greed.  Banks were allowing anyone to buy a home.  No interest loans, no down payment, no credit check was the order of the day for most banks who were reaping enormous profits selling these bad loans in packaged Mortgage backed Securities.  It has been the Banks who put the Government’s bail-out money in their rainy day accounts and did literally nothing to help the millions of struggling homeowners.  This continues today.

Here in Massachusetts our Attorney General agreed to a deal with several other states to accept Government issued fines for their egregious behavior.  That money has been used to truly help people while the banks continue to stonewall growth.  The days when your Banker was a person you could meet, shake the hand of and have a conversation with about the issues you face are long gone.  Now it is all automated.  Service people at the banks have scripts they never vary from. They can not be human and keep their jobs. They deliver horrible news to people like reading a grocery list. They continue to stonewall and provide misinformation that can not be verified or confirmed.

Now that the Banks are showing some record profits again, even with the hefty fines, they are beginning to loosen the stringent guidelines that hampered the regrowth of our economy for years.  This is good.  Credit scores needed to obtain a loan have dropped just a bit.  Underwriting of loans has come back off the Planet X they were living on and the result is some very good news the last couple of months for the housing industry.

To keep this going in a sane way we need for the Banks to understand that they are part of this problem and develop better service for those still in trouble while they open up the doors for people to buy again.  We in the real estate industry who assist buyers and sellers with their goals need for the Banks to help rather than hinder the regrowth of our economy. So far neither political party is discussing this which is a shame.  Both parties fully understand the connection, but it just isn’t as sexy as talking about Jobs in general rather than an industry that builds jobs.  Off this soap box I will say that it is so nice to see people obtain their dreams and goals in home ownership.  It is doubly wonderful to know that our work is rebuilding America. God Bless America, may she always stand as an advocate for responsible home ownership.