Under Water With Only Five Days Left
Naming these posts is difficult. I’ve just been combining words and phrases for the topics being discussed into something that doesn’t really make sense by itself. This could be “my thing”.
25,000 words down and 25,000 left to go. Hitting the halfway mark felt good, though I wish I did it about ten days ago. There are only five days left and unfortunately one – Thursday – will be worthless to the cause. I followed Vonnegut’s advice and started as close to the end of my story as possible. I fear I may have started too close to the end. There is story left to write but I don’t know what if it will fill another 25,000 words. I would like at least 50,000 words of plot, only to be polished and dressed with additional words if they’re needed.
My sustainability slap in the face for the day is this statistic: 81.1% of mortgages in Las Vegas are under water, meaning the home securing the mortgage is worth less than the remaining principal balance of the mortgage. Below is a list of the worst 14 markets in the United States. They are all in either California (6), Florida (5), Nevada (2) or Arizona (1). Take that Sun Belt!
- Tampa – St. Petersburg, Fla. – 48.2%
- Brendenton – Sarasota, Fla. – 48.2%
- Bakersfield, Ca. – 50.4%
- Riverside – San Bernardino – Ontario, Ca. – 50.4%
- Cape Coral – Fort Meyers, Fla. -60.5%
- Vallejo – Fairfield, Ca. – 61.1%
- Orlando – Kissimmee, Fla – 62.3%
- Reno – Sparks, Nev. 62.4%
- Fort Lucie, Fla – 62.5%
- Phoenix – Mesa, Ariz. 63.5%
- Stockton, Ca. – 66.9%
- Modesto, Ca. 70.4%
- Merced, Ca. 72.2%
- Las Vegas, Nev. 81.1%
The Las Vegas number just boggles the mind, though the percentages in other cities are nearly as bad. I haven’t mapped the California cities but I’m wondering how many are in “foreclosure valley”, an area in southern California that should never been built up and now probably won’t be, at least until we forget about our mistakes. Hopefully one of the things you’re giving thanks for tomorrow is having equity in your home, no matter how teeny tiny the amount.