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force me to learn about something new. I had heard about short sales before, but the latest public request caused me to learn far more about them than I ever thought I would. Very helpful as we plan to rent our underwater home when we leave the Navy in 18 months, but if we can't, I may be a short sale requester myself...

I found the topic so interesting, I decided to write more articles with different angles on the subject just for fun.

My only response is "You live under water?" Details, please. Don't leave the curious hanging.

Underwater is a real estate term, it describes a home that is worth less than the mortgage note that is on it. We bought our home for $175,000, it is currently worth somewhere between $140,000-$160,000. But we owe $170,000 and when you sell a home here in our extreme buyer's market, as a seller you'd be picking both buyer and seller's closing costs, or about 6% of the purchase price. So that's another $10,000 or so. Ordinarily when you sell a home, that would come out of your profit, unless you don't have any, then it comes out of your pocket.

Embarrassingly funny, Elizabeth, and I'm glad you came back. Based on "...we plan to rent our underwater home when we leave the Navy," I'd never have guessed it meant something entirely different. LOL

Funnily enough, my H is a real estate broker and his company has been in business for 20 odd years. I'm thinking it's an American RE term? Possibly something that came out of the mortgage debacle?

Anyway, hope it gave you a giggle too. Good luck with your series. And yes, rent the house, don't sell it. Scary.

Aw, I was hoping you lived in a asubmarine! I have heard the term "upside-down mortgage" but "underwater" is a new one for me. My mother is in that position since she bought her house at the peak of the housing bubble and now finds its value is only about half of what she is still paying. Sad

I've heard underwater and upside down used this way for home and auto loans for many years in the U.S. (pre-meltdown). Must be one of those silly American expressions, but I liked thinking that maybe, just maybe, Elizabeth really did live in an underwater home. I believe she said her husband works on a submarine, so perhaps?

The term "underwater" on a house relates directly to the term "drowning in debt". It just sounds a little less like imminent death.

It IS funny, my husband and I just got a good laugh about this. And yes, he was a submariner, but we are now on shore duty where he teaches at a school. This reminds me of the time I asked a young girl in Australia at a rugby game which team she roots for. Turns out that word means a very different definition than in the United States. I essentially asked her which team she would be amorous with in a very vulgar manner.

I am happy to be back. In my zeal, I had 3 articles in line for review, but I yanked one back for closer review. I have a $500 sales goal, so I'm shooting for $1200 in available content this month. I know from my two years here, if I write it, eventually it will sell. At least that is what I keep telling myself. It just so happens while launching my comeback portfolio (and in the last month I have sold some really, really, reaalllly old articles) I get to write some things that are interesting and fun for me.

You guys are braver than I am. I'm afraid to write about that stuff, because I am so ignorant to it all.

Me too. It takes me so long to do research...but we all know I am a tortoise

If you're curious about a topic, why not learn about it and share your discoveries with others through your writing? One thing that's neat about writers is that we can research anything, digest it, and translate it into easy-to-understand articles. Not only will you learn something interesting to you, you will help other people with similar interests learn these same things without having to figure out the gobbeldegook and legalese.

I like the public requests precisely because I get to go learn something. I find research easier then writing so maybe it is an excuse to be lazy, but hey I've always liked learning new stuff. Now if some of those public request articles would sell I'd love them even more.