Vacant Foreclosed Houses Creating Serious Problems

Posted in Foreclosed House, March 10th, 2008 |

Keeping in pace with the rising number of vacant foreclosed houses are problems relating to it. Nature hates vacuum and in the void enters snakes, weeds and human beasts otherwise known as criminals. The neighbouring community shivers at the growing menace although these houses are not in foreclosure. Shenee Martin walking through her locality look at the eyesores and are concerned about the weeds and deserted pools causing health hazards and danger. In Martin’ southwest Valley this is a common scene with nobody caring for the abandoned units. Squatters have moved in increasing fire hazards.

Marc Slavin works in the Arizona Short Sale Office and has been to some localities where all the houses have been left vacant, thanks to foreclosure. Once the foreclosure process is completed the lenders, usually the banks, take over the responsibility. But while the matter is pending the houses are in a state of limbo, belonging to no one. The lender has to be notified about the impending grave danger. The matter has to be taken up with them, says Slavin. The best way is to educate the people about foreclosures. Fear traumatizes the victims so that they bury their head under the sand. It is this that has increased the number of foreclosures. The best thing for the borrowers is to talk to the lenders and open up communication lines. Lately the banks are more than eager to sit down at the same table with the borrowers to thrash out matters. Slavin says that there are many alternatives to foreclosures.

But such arguments do not impress the neighbours who feel that the equity on their own houses suffer because of the foreclosed houses adjacent to them. Maricopa County had to place a sticker on one unit warning of the unsafe pool. It is such a common occurrence (that is getting worse by the day) that the some of the neighbours are cleaning the houses themselves. Sometimes rowdy parties are disturbing the neighbourhood as these usually ends up in violence. Gangs move in to strip the houses of whatever if left of fittings, doors and windows. Vagrants are having a ball moving from one house to another lurking in the dark.

Last Tuesday new 354 foreclosures were filed leading to a sense of despair that things will not work out easily after all. It seems there are even darker days ahead.