Readers have little sympathy for real-estate 'gamblers'

A few weeks ago, I told you about Laura and her husband, who were hit hard when the local housing bubble burst.

Laura wrote that her husband spent eight years as a real estate investor and was doing well. Then the economy turned sour, and they were stuck with eight houses they couldn't sell. She was wondering whether there was any way they could avoid bankruptcy and foreclosure.

I shared some advice from a local financial expert that could help them, but that's not why I'm revisiting the issue. Rather, I have been surprised at the number of reader responses to Laura's situation — and the emotion behind them.

One reader, Denise, wrote that she and her husband moved to Utah three years ago. They want to buy a house, and they have great credit scores and plenty of money for a down payment. However, they still haven't found the right home.

What's the problem? Denise says she blames both homeowners and banks.

She says she and her husband have bought and sold houses in all parts of the country and recently sold a home in this down market.

"We are not unacquainted with the dynamics of this market or selling homes in general," Denise wrote. "The key, my homeowner friend, is to sell for what the market will bear, which most of you are not doing. You want too much for your house. You want a retirement nest egg in one fell swoop. You want a return on investment of 50, 100, sometimes even 200 percent. Whatever happened to a nice 8 percent return, or just breaking even?

"In just a few years this nation has deluded itself into thinking that homes are a fast track to wealth, that everyone everywhere makes MONEY on their house. … You want premium pay for a tired, rundown, outdated house. … Whatever the circumstances are, the simple truth of the matter is, it will only sell for what someone else is willing to pay for it."

Denise feels banks are an even bigger part of the problem. She wrote that she and her husband have been lied to and put on hold by banks during their search for a home.

"Everywhere you hear about short sales and foreclosure properties and what a great deal you can get. We have yet to even come close to such a deal. The same answer applies: greed, pure unadulterated greed," she wrote.

"Banks want too much for the house; they loaned too much and now are trying to get it ALL back. … They made very poor decisions based on inflated values and want the government or the taxpayers, more accurately, to pay for their lack of forethought."

Another reader, Fred, suggested in an e-mail that Laura and her husband need basic training on how real estate markets work.