Home › News ›

'Drive 'til You Qualify' Foreclosures on the Rise

Posted by: Cathy Duchamp

26 February 2010 - 11:00am

Long commute + High Fuel Costs = Home Losses in Exurbs.

You can commute to New York City from the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania, according to developers who promoted exurban living back in the early days of the housing bubble. But by 2005, foreclosures in the Poconos region rose above 500; by 2009 the number of foreclosures had quadrupled to 2000. Analysts say one cause is the cost of the extreme commute.

Scott Bernstein with The Center for Neighborhood Technology noted the pattern in the Chicago area and mapped it: the farther out from the city center, the higher the foreclosure rate. Scott told WNYC reporter Andrea Bernstein 2008 was the tipping point, as gas hit $4.30 a gallon: "The cost of housing was apparently low enough to attract people, but the cost of transportation is so high that you couldn't afford to live there anymore."

HUD knows its an issue, and is trying to promote new housing in locations with shorter commutes.

Full Story: Gas prices drive up foreclosures
Source: Marketplace, February 25, 2010
»
Bookmark and Share
“
The impact of community design and amenities on community engagement is substantial. Respondents with a lower overall grade for their communities were also found to be less engaged in their communities, as measured by participation in social activities, relationships with neighbors, volunteer work, and civic participation such as voting.
”