Can you be "underwater" and be lucky?
I'm not sure just what to make of that bedroom..... anyway, that's not the kind of underwater I was really referring to, which is: Is it possible to owe more on your home than it’s worth and be considered “LUCKY”? Well, maybe… if you qualify for a new US government “principal forgiveness” program run by the Federal Housing Finance Agency, you may be able to request to have some of your mortgage debt forgiven so you can get your mortgage modified and remain in your homes. Best I can tell the program has a somewhat narrow set of requirements, but they estimate that over 33,000 homeowners could be included. I couldn’t find a lot of detail on what it’s about or how much could actually be forgiven, but here are the eligibility criteria: You must be an owner-occupant of a home whose mortgage is owned or guaranteed by Freddie Mac or Fannie Mae. You had to have been at least 90 days past due on your mortgage payments on March 1. ...