No question things have changed a bit in the past few months, but when I wrote in August that foreclosures in some of the city’s tonier neighborhoods could be right around the corner, I didn’t mean 60 days around the corner.
And yet there they are, foreclosures in Beacon Hill (actually, this is in Dorchester) and Back Bay, plain as the Golden Dome or the Pru. So, distressed owners and would-be buyers, battling to stay on top of your payments, or trying to find some way to squeeze a new payment in, may I humbly suggest making a lifestyle adjustment?
I’ve heard about the trauma downgrading your spending can incur, but let’s be realistic: either way, you’ll lose the inflated sense of wealth—but if you don’t get into a property you can actually afford, you’ll be giving up your home and credit rating, too.
So say you did it to be edgy. Say you did it for the space. Say you realized the emptiness of your Platinum card life. You could even tell the truth and say you did it to save money. But whatever you say, decide to say it soon, or you’ll be just another foreclosure statistic, saying it’s someone else’s fault to a nation that has become far too preoccupied with their own losses to worry anymore about yours.
Some comparatively humbler open house suggestions suggestions for the distressed upscale owner:
73 Lexington Ave #2
Somerville, MA 02144
2 beds, 2 baths
2,097 sq. ft.
$679,000
Sunday, October 12, 2008 1:00 PM – 2:30 PM
131 Willow Ave #2
Somerville, MA 02144
2 beds, 2 baths
1,232 sq. ft.
$535,000
Sunday, October 12, 2008 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM
22 Appleton St #1
Somerville, MA 02144
1 beds, 1 baths
783 sq. ft.
$319,000
Sunday, October 12, 2008 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM
Sarcastic Econ Cat Sez: Bailout Bill Working Purr-fectly