Helping Homeownership With Dividends

        In a recent press release, JPMorgan Chase announced it has reached a $13 billion settlement in principle negotiated by the President's Residential Mortgage-Backed Securities Working Group of the Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force. This announcement was made a week following Freddie Mac announcing since 2009, $71.3 billion in dividends to be paid to the U.S. taxpayers and Fannie Mae announcing $114 billion in dividends to be paid through December 2013. In total the U.S. Treasury will receive over $198 billion in dividends. These companies have also created programs to assist individuals in distressed homes and implemented programs to prevent future poor business practices. This is great for potential buyers and individuals going through the foreclosure procedure but what about the individuals who have already lost their homes as a result of the meltdown? These families have been forgotten and were just collateral damage. To strength the housing market and increase home ownership, these agencies responsible for the meltdown have to assist those families who have lost there homes.

        Simple measure to assist those whom have lost their homes is to commit resources to develop a claim center with federal fraud oversight. The claim center will be responsible helping families find a house of equal or comparable value to the home lost; assist with a below market interest rate loan; provide a down-payment exemption; and work with credit agencies to repair individual's credit.

        For individuals currently unemployed or not financially capable of paying on a house, the claim center needs to establish a reasonable grace period equal to the previous ownership period.  This will allow those individuals time to get back on his or her feet.

        The measure will help the home ownership rates rebound from what is currently reported by the U.S. Census Bureau as record lows this year.

        Home ownership is the key to America's economic recovery. The two goes hand and hand. When home ownership is up, the economy is stable. Although ownership is low, it is getting better. This is evident in Freddie Mac, Fannie Mae, and JPMorgan Chase's ability to report steady profits. As long as the profits continue and the companies make good on their promises, the economy will continue to grow along with the housing market.

My House Is Shrinking

        It's two and a half paces from the right side of my bed to the bathroom door.  From the bathroom door to exit the bedroom,  it's five paces.  Just outside the bedroom door to the left,  is the top of the stairs.  Down 13 steps,  a  left turn, a half step forward, another left turn, then 12 paces leads to the front entrance.  I've walked this same pattern consistently  for the past five years and the distance never changes.   Occasionally, I may bend forward to massage my aching arthritic knees or stop to stretch my lower back but my strides remain the same.   Yet I believe my house is shrinking around me significantly.  I can't physically see it shrinking nor will measurements prove it.  I can only feel it as the days pass.

         When I mentioned it to my two children, the room became silent and I was given a weird look.  They claimed that I'm losing my mind and asked that I stop embarrassing them in front of their friends.   My wife probably agrees with the children.  She hasn't said it but I can see it in her facial expression.  Every time ask for her opinion, she becomes dismissive and tells me to figure it out.  I now have a few theories to how my house is shrinking.

 
        Individuals looking to purchase a house often get introduced to a house with light colored walls, open bright windows, and 100 watt light bulbs shining in every room.   All the bright lights and light colors are used to create an illusion of endlessness.  This makes the rooms seem bigger than they actually are.  Brighter rooms also look cleaner which also make them more inviting.

Furniture placement also important in making rooms seem bigger.  Furniture that doesn't fit in a room properly make the room seem cluttered and uneasy to navigate.   This can make an individual uncomfortable and cramped.

         In addition to the lighting and furniture placement, another theory is that my family is still growing.  At the time of purchase, neither of my children were teenagers.   Now they are teenager and require more personal space for themselves and their belongings.   The amount of friends that visit on a regular bases has tripled and the invasion seems to never stops.   For individuals looking to buy a house, it's always good to take in consideration family planning.  How many children are desired?  And, will this space be adequate enough for a growing family?    

        My house isn't shrinking.  My styling preferences and growing family has changed the dimensions of the house.