The subject of mortgage foreclosures is obviously one that has received a great deal of attention in both the media and in private conversations. The economy has tanked and people who are struggling financially are clearly going to have problems paying their mortgage. And many of us have seen friends, acquaintances, or family members granted loans that were never sustainable, based on poor or non-existent reviews of circumstances. But what of the rest of us? I have a mortgage that I can comfortably afford to make payments on. But I’m surrounded by foreclosed properties and loans that are being adjusted to make them more affordable. I bought my house eight years ago for a total price of a

Unemployment figures that we hear, as bad as they are, are not the entire picture of todays unemployment. Tens of thousands of people have lost their (self employment) jobs within the real estate and finance fields within the last year alone. Real estate fosters many different self employment opportunities.  When the markets were good, the California Association of Realtors held their tests in locations that would hold thousands of applicants at a time. Tests were given monthly and often times several times a month.  Within the field of real estate alone, you have Appraisers, Loan Officers, Home Inspectors, Realtors, and Notories.  In addition to real estate, the financial markets also hav