Foreclosures increase crime and drop property values

Suddenly foreclosures rather than “how to flip your home to make millions” is the focus of the majority of homeownership articles. It only took a mere six months to go from one extreme to the other in the financial press.

In a tribute to “Captain Obvious”, recent articles hawk the reality that foreclosed homes are a magnet for crime and cause neighboring property values to drop. One figure to note, each foreclosed house in your neighborhood will cause your home value to drop by 1%.

In the meantime, those turning off the lights at bankrupt mortgage companies wring their hands and exclaim, “Who would’ve thought that lending money to people who never could have repaid it would cause a crisis in neighborhoods across America.”

Empty Houses Home to Crime As Loans Fail
Neighborhoods Suffer As Crime Follows Foreclosures Into Vacant Houses
http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/071113/vacant_homes_crime.html?.v=1&.pf=insurance

Protecting your Home’s Value in the Era of Foreclosures
Foreclosures can affect the value of your property even if you've been paying your mortgage faithfully. Here are some ways you can protect your home's worth if your area is hit hard by foreclosures.
http://biz.yahoo.com/cnnm/071115/111507_toptips.html?.v=2&.pf=loans