Media on Steroids

As awful as it is that many homeowners and investors have had to face foreclosure, it's sometimes hard for me to feel too sorry for them. I lost an incredible amount of money because of my poor investment choices (read: apartments and incompetent management). Some of these homeowners borrowed all of their equity and then had to kiss their houses good-bye. At least they pulled their money out first. Maybe it was only to take a vacation, but that was their choice.

The media would have us believe that the ramifications of this horrible real estate market and loan fiasco are far-reaching. Everyday there is an article with yet another angle of the foreclosure mess. We've already heard about the furniture stores, contractors, real estate agents, lenders, and others going out of business. We've read about city's sprucing up vacant homes, slimy pools breeding mosquitoes, and the private mortgage insurance industry faltering. Just so we won't be caught off guard, I thought that I would make a list of possible story lines generated to keep real estate in the headlines:

"Man Swallowed by Growing Interest Rate"

"Children: 'They can have the house. We only want the Nintendo Wii.'"

"Christmas at the Homeless Shelter"

"Grass at Foreclosed Home Asks for Last Dying Wish"

"Ghosts Take Over Empty Houses"

"Neighbors Wanting to Keep Up With The Joneses Are Forced to Move Out" (this one may take a minute)

"I May Have Signed the Loan Papers, but I Can't Read!"

"The Decline of Residential Bugs Due to the Lack of Crumbs from Vacant Homes"

"The Increase of Residential Rodents Due to a Large Supply of Available Homes"

"Utility Companies' Revenues Decline--No One Home to Waste Energy"

"Foreclosures Force Appliance Repair Services and Plumbers Out of Business"

"Once Noisy Neighborhoods Enjoy Peace and Quiet"

"Builders Offer 'Buy One Get One Free' Special"

"Husbands Delay Completion of 'Honey Do' Lists in Hopes that Bank Will Take Over"

"Foreclosure Reality Show: Watch as a Family Experiences the Pain, Humiliation, and Marriage Strain of Rising Mortgage Payments"

"House Goes Into Foreclosure While Owners Vacation in Bahamas"

What do you think the media will come up with next?