Home Foreclosures. Foreclosure Nation: Mortgaging the American Dream

Home Foreclosures. The family residence is the backbone of the American economy, the most valuable and enduring asset for those who have achieved a financial foothold. Yet today record numbers of households confront foreclosure. In the next year it is estimated that over two million Americans will lose their homes and almost two billion dollars of wealth will disappear in the process. How did the traditional "American Dream" morph into a nightmare for so many?
Real estate attorney and educator Shari B. Olefson, a recognized expert in the current mortgage crisis and its effects on homeowners, explains how America slipped to the edge of this dangerous stagnation-recession precipice. In plain language that is easily understandable to the average person, she clarifies legal and financial terminology and describes how our country's mortgage system really works. Utilizing real-life lender and borrower interviews, she exposes its intrinsic flaws and often discriminatory practices, from the mortgage application process to the securitization of bundled mortgages by large investment firms. She also provides evidence to show the government's and Wall Street's roles in both causing and solving the problem.

Home Foreclosures. Above all, Olefson offers expert tips, tools, and resources to help you:
-Choose a mortgage professional and understand what's motivating him or her
-Decide what mortgage product fits best and when to refinance
-Get the best fees, interest rate, and service
-Create your own solutions for navigating the credit crunch
-Know what to do when you can't afford your mortgage
-Protect your home if you are at risk of foreclosure
-Understand how to proceed if you are already in foreclosure
-Capitalize on emerging opportunities and avoid the scams and mortgage fraud
-Prepare for coming changes
Foreclosure Nation demystifies the real estate bubble and the subprime mortgage crises that followed. With bold, clear visuals like inventory, absorption, and price trend graphs, Olefson pinpoints exactly when and why experts are predicting a recovery. She also cites statistics that strongly suggest the number of foreclosures will surge in the fall of 2008 and again in 2009, with increased reverberations felt throughout the US and global economies. Foreclosure Nation will prove indispensable to explaining what is happening and guiding readers through.
Whether you are planning on buying your first home, struggling to meet your current mortgage payments, facing foreclosure, or wondering how your investments will be affected, this comprehensive book will assuage the fear of the unknown, empowering you to make wise choices and protect your most valuable assets.

Review

"[It] is a hefty tome that spells it all out in language that anyone can understand." -- Bookviews.com, May 2009 and reposted at ReaditNews.com, May 2, 2009 "Her explanations are immediately understandable, and her prose is simple without sacrificing information, but it's the stories, real stories of real homeowners and neighborhoods that move the book forward, and make it more than "just" a handbook for today's crisis. When it comes to a reference book in this genre, writing something that's both comprehensive and easy-to-understand is not easy, but Olefson has succeeded. One last main selling point: Olefson supplements the given information with pages of checklists, appendices, and action plans-a can't miss for the struggling homeowner!" -- Sacramento Book Review, August 29, 2009 "Foreclosure Nation is a choice read for those who are facing mortgage difficulties." -- All Business, June 1, 2009 "One of the best books that I've read on the subprime mortgage crisis has to be one written by Sheri Olefson, a lawyer in the field. Watching here on CSPAN book review prompted me to buy her book, and it was worth every penny. So, I like to recommend it to you as well" -- Ezine Articles, June 17, 2009 "She is a Florida-based real estate attorney, which puts her at the epicenter of the foreclosure crisis. That expertise shows in this lengthy, well-researched book. It provides concise, easily digestible background on how the ultra-complex subprime crisis - and as a result, the economy - got to be where it is. If nothing else, Foreclosure Nation is comprehensive, as Olefson covers the subject from the nation's entitlement problem to the real estate bubble to a chapter titled "Foreclosure 101." In some ways, the book becomes a polemic on debt, without Olefson losing sight of the fact that she's writing a real estate book." -- The Business Review, Albany, June 26, 2009

Real estate attorney and educator Shari Olefson is an expert in the current mortgage crisis and its effects on homeowners, and here explains legal and financial terminology and how the national mortgage system works. From choosing a mortgage professional and deciding which product fits to getting the best fees and services, it's a fine collection of real-life stories from frustrated lenders, distressed borrowers, and others caught in the mortgage crunch. Any general lending library will find it a winner.

Home Foreclosures. Wow! It's rare to find a book that is so topical and so detailed. If you want a better understanding of the current foreclosure crisis, get this book. If you want help understanding how the mortgage and foreclosure processes work in general, get this book. Olefson has laid it all out in the most understandable format. I don't know how she did that in such a timely fashion--impressive.

Just read Foreclosure and want to highly recommend it to anyone wanting to have some clear understanding of the reasons for the real estate meltdown and how to handle financing issues going forward. Very practical, useful and insightful. A real handbook for the times.