Foreclosures may slow, but neighborhoods are still under threat
I knew something was amiss -- all of the signs were there:
* About 6 months ago my next door neighbor abruptly took off with a U-Haul full of personal belongings;
* I haven't seen any foot traffic in or out of the house since then;
* Newspapers began piling up at the foot of his driveway;
* And then -- I'll admit I might have been being a little nosey - I discovered a foreclosure filing on his front door Feb. 12.
After several months of mystery, I found myself turning into a real estate sleuth. I called my home owner's association to see what they knew about the home, which turned out to be absolutely nothing -- zilch. Then, I chatted with the neighbor on the opposite side of the house in question, who was also clueless.
But it's all clear now. The foreclosure filing confirms what I had already suspected -- and adds to the millions of other foreclosure filings that have circulated since the start of the current financial crisis.