Why Most 'Underwater' Homeowners Never Consider Walking Away

Lita Epstein
Updated

Would you ever considering walking away from your house and giving it back to the bank?

Trulia.com and RealtyTrac.com surveyed homeowners online to ask if they would walk away from their home if they were unable to make the mortgage. In a poll taken May 10 to May 12, using Harris Interactive, only 1 percent said it would be their first choice and 59 percent said they would never consider it.

But 41 percent did indicate they would consider walking away if their mortgage were "underwater."

Yet Trulia's co-founder and CEO Pete Flint said, "For every borrower who avoided foreclosure through HAMP last year, another 10 families lost their homes." He added, "It now seem clear that government programs will not reach the overwhelming majority of homeowners in trouble."

So why do a majority of Americans paying a home mortgage still believe walking away from it is wrong?

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