A Review of Various Circumstances Warranting Foreclosure

Knowing when to Walk Away from the American Dream

No responsible person could ever imagine walking away from the American dream. Responsible home owners understand that a home is more than shelter; it is your comfort zone after a long day of work. Your home is your hiding place, when you simply need to be alone. Your home is your family's staycation[1] when a vacation is not an option. From birthdays to family bar-be-cue's on the 4th of July, your home is an integral part of your life where memories are formed everyday. And contrary to the popular saying, "home is where the heart is," our heart is where our home is. But suddenly you wake up one day and realize that owning a home in today's market is no longer where your heart is. Knowing when to walk away from the American dream is not a decision that responsible Americans take lightly, but it is a decision that many of us are facing.

You Are Officially House Poor

Being "house poor" is not a new concept. Professor Michael Stone coined the term "shelter poor" in the late 80's to define households that could not meet their needs for food, clothing, medical care and transportation at some minimum level of adequacy after paying for housing.[2] According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, "the generally accepted definition of affordability is for a household to pay no more than 30 percent of its annual income on housing.[3] The reality is that you are beyond house poor if your household is now paying 50% or more of your annual income toward housing costs.

Your Lender Refuses to Negotiate

For borrowers with piggyback loans or second mortgages, you may find that the process of negotiating with both of your lenders (or even the same lender holding both mortgages), is not only time consuming, but usually impossible.[4] However, your mortgage lender has various options when negotiating: READ FULL ARTICLE: A Review of Various Circumstances Warranting Foreclosure ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON Thursday, August 27, 2009

A Review of Children's Wellness Center in Atlanta, Georgia

A Community Pediatric Practice Focused on Personalized Care for Children

A few days after my little one was born at Northside Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia, my mother-in-law and I attended my daughter's first newborn well visit. My obstetrician referred me to Children's Wellness Center in Atlanta, Georgia. Being a new mother, I was pretty cautious, a little overbearing, and downright protective of my baby. If you believe in astrology, my protective nature should come as no surprise, as I am a lioness in every aspect of my being. Hopefully that smidgen of background information provides a little insight on my personal experiences with Children's Wellness Center described below.

Professional & Environmentally Friendly: The nursing assistant assigned to us on our first visit was very patient with me. In fact, she changed the padded liners on the changing table 3 times because I was convinced they were used. Finally, she invited the office manager to speak with me about the padded liners, mainly to assure me that those little specks I was seeing were not dirt. The office manager went so far to pull out a brand new bag of pads to show me that they were actually recycled, which was the cause of the specks. Now my child is 2 years old, and I have relied on that same nursing assistant's advice from dealing with everything from burping my baby to cradle cap. The staff at Children's Wellness Center proved not only to be professional, but they even use recyclable products. READ FULL ARTICLE: A Review of Children's Wellness Center in Atlanta, Georgia ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Casualties of the Mortgage Crisis

You had money in the bank for emergencies, a retirement fund, and/or stock investments when you decided to purchase your home;
You had a great job, with a steady income when you decided to purchase your home;
You had great credit when you decided to purchase your home;
You purchased what you could afford, and not a penny more; and
You even paid your mortgage on time.

So if you did everything right when you purchased your home, why are you a casualty of the mortgage crisis? This is the question that many Americans are asking themselves as they follow the endless coverage of the declining housing market.

Homeowners who pay their mortgages on time are having the hardest time refinancing mainly because their homes have declined in value. Homeowners with adjustable rate mortgages are stuck in a never-ending adjustable rate cycle every six months. Homeowners with the infamous 80/20 loans are stuck with two mortgages, with the second mortgage representing the negative equity in their homes. And homeowner’s with prime loans who refinanced or purchased when the market was up, are now upside down.

Unfortunately, many of these homeowners with declining home values fail to meet the criteria for Obama’s Making Home Affordable Program (makinghomeaffordable.gov) simply because their mortgages are not held by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac. So if you can’t refinance, the question is what should you do? There is no easy answer to this question. However, if you can still afford your home, despite the declining home values, you should probably continue to pay your mortgage. Although you are upside down, I urge you to hang on in hopes that Congress will remember you... the remaining casualties of the mortgage crisis. ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON Monday, August 17, 2009.

The Best Advice that I Never Received on My Wedding Day

As I write this article, thumbing through my wedding album, I realize that May 3, 2003 was the day that my life changed forever. Not that I haven't experienced other great moments in my life. Nor have I failed to accomplish many of my goals in life. In my youthful innocence and naïve view of the world, I assumed these moments were equally important. Getting my learner's permit when I turned 15, my driver's license at 16, making the cheerleading squad, my emancipation from high school (or is that called graduation?), going away to college, being accepted into a top law school (although by graduation, you're not sure how you feel), and bringing in my first client to name a few. None will ever replace the overwhelming joy I experienced on my wedding day. And although I received tons of advice in preparation of my wedding day, the best advice was the advice that I didn't receive. Embrace every moment of your wedding day: your mother's smile, your father's grasp, and your groom's first glance as you walk down the aisle. READ FULL ARTICLE: The Best Advice that I Never Received on My Wedding Day ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON Tuesday, August 4, 2009