Editor’s note: The following is a sampling of comments from Inman’s Groups pages, within the Community section. To join the discussion, create a profile at the site and visit the Groups area of the Community section.
Legislation may provide ‘more confusion than solution’
Discussion on the Pros and Cons of the New Housing Rescue and Foreclosure Prevention Act
"I fear that government intervention will be another Band-Aid fix with long-term downside implications.
"Many supposed beneficiaries of the $300 billion in FHA loans will be unable to qualify for these products. Many used no-doc loans to qualify the first time and, in truth, did not have the means to satisfy their debt obligations. In the current economy it is unlikely things have changed.
"A core issue with the plan is the inefficiency of government at either the federal or local level. For every dollar spent, only a small percentage will reach the problem as most of the money will be lost in administrative costs.
"I believe allowing the free market economy to resolve this problem would have been the best and fastest solution. In parts of the Greater Phoenix market we are already seeing stability. This legislation is likely to provide more confusion than solution.
"However, such a solution does not provide politicians with sound bites and votes. Heaven forbid "we the people" resolve social problems on our own without the help of our wise leaders."
—Gene Urban
No replacement for face-to-face interaction
Social or Social Media?
"The message I took away was … the social networks, blogs are the door. We still have to be face to face with people to make it happen. That will never change, in my opinion. It’s what we do and how we treat the consumer when they walk in the door from all the sites available."
—Missy Caulk
Feed identify theft to the shredder
Is Real Estate the Next Big Target?
"Going through the trash (yes, even at the landfill) is one of the primary ways that identities are stolen. If you have paper records, it would seem reasonable that if the information got out in any manner you could indeed be liable.
"I think ‘green’ is the way to go, but before those papers get tossed, shred them with a ‘cross-cut’ shredder available from an office supply store. Alternatively, you can hire a company to come on site and shred your paper documents and certify in writing that the documents were destroyed.
"Cross-cut shredding is the only way, outside of burning, to securely destroy documents."
—Brian Bell
Information compiled by Daniel Rothamel, Inman Community manager.
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