From today’s C-Ville.
(Visited 39 times, 1 visits today)
RealCentralVA.com
Charlottesville's Real Estate Blog. Buyer &/or Seller Representation, Real Estate News
I am sure the intent is not how I read it. I was hoping the media would educate instead of hanging out folks business. It really does not matter who did what-the foreclosure issue is a community issue. I am hoping we come together as a community and help folks out.
Shelley –
In my mind, I stripped out the name and focused on the fact that this is happening – and it is very real and damaging for the individuals as well as the community.
As you know the average reader will not strip the name, I commend you for doing that, first people will begin to think is it someone they know, pass judgement, etc. Again, as I said to C-ville, use the paper to help the community, no need to hang out the laundry, foreclosure is a community thing, it will affect all of us, not just the individual. The question was asked why the Realtor or -who ever didn’t comment, all that needed to be said was printed, it painted a picture, enough said. People need to get a grip, individuals and families are losing their homes, it is desvating no matter where you are sitting! Wake up Charlottesville! Thanks Jim for your response.
Call me callous, but as someone who busts his hiney to pay for his one and only house, I don’t have a lot of sympathy for someone who loses his 2nd and 3rd home. He lost his first house thanks to greed on houses 2 and 3 , plain and simple.
And his and others’ bad decisions screwed the rest of us. First, by driving up the cost of houses, and now by forcing we the people to bail the also-greedy banks out. Thanks, everyone!
I’ve seen variations of this story a dozen times over this year in newspapers in other parts of the country where the housing bubble collapsed much faster than it has here in Cville. Renters sign a lease, move in and pay rent, meanwhile the landlord pockets the rent but doesn’t keep current with the mortgage, allowing the property to fall into foreclosure. Usually the renter then discovers this the day the bank shows up with the eviction notice.
To keep collecting the rent check without notifying the tenant, and when you know the property is heading into foreclosure – It seems to me like fraud.
Shelly – I also stayed away from using his name because I think that too many people see using it in the story as a personal attack (and I do not agree with that point of view). The story defined a crisis – and part of that definition is putting a human face on the crisis.
Mark – I can’t say I disagree with you at all.
TrvlnMn – We’re likely to see more and more of this as we move forward.
Whether one disagrees or agrees with the article or likes or dislikes what happened, at least Judy and Tara Savage had the courage to post their comments with their names attached vs the many anonymous and sudo name people who are more often mean spirited and negative rather than positive. It makes me wonder if they would say the same things to someone in person that they write on blogs.
Michael –
I absolutely agree that anonymity breeds a certain kind of comment; that said, so does consistency of one’s use of pseudonyms – while one’s identity is unsure, at least other readers can follow a consistent identity over time. I do understand why many don’t use their real names – often they are at work, or their words would have very real consequences. Those of us in the public eye must make a deliberate decision as to how we want to be perceived by others – using our real names can have positive and negative consequences.
This is an issue that clearly lends itself to strong emotions on all sides – and from what I’ve read, if ones strips the meanness from the comments, then there are legitimate points to be made. Regardless of the singularity of the article’s focus, we are all paying for the mistakes and greed of specu-vestors’ belief that easy money and appreciation were always going to be around. And those of us who have been responsible absolutely have the right to be pi**ssed off – because we seem to be suckers for being conservative.
Michael, Since you posted the same comment over at the bubble blog so I’m going to post a similar response as I did over on the bubble blog. There’s a place on the net for anonymity. To be honest, I wish Judy and Tara Savage HADN’T used their own names. They seem very unprofessional in their angry emotional responses. They didn’t pause to consider the effect it would have on readers. This kind of hotheadedness is not what I want in somebody who is guiding me through dropping a half mil or mil of my hard earned cash.
Worse, Judy doesn’t seem to know the difference between “professional” and “ethical.” Nobody accused her of lack of ethics as far as I read. But it is unprofessional to believe that as the president of a trade association you can speak as a “friend” about someone in your industry. To the public you’re the face of the association. All the time. To think otherwise is an error in professional judgment.
Jim, Amen to paragraph two about all of us conservative suckers.
Regardless of the fact that pseudonames or anonymity is Blog/web2.0 SOP, I stand my comment that those who don’t want to make themselves known can say things that they wouldn’t say to the person if they were standing in front of them.
Why are we suckers for being conservative? Yes, I wish we weren’t in a place where these bailouts seem to be necessary but I would rather be in my home making my payments knowing I still have some equity than going through the turmoil folks who tried to beat the system are going through today.
I would say exactly what I wrote here to the person in question if – a) I had a reason to be in the same room and b) this were the conversation taking place. However I wouldn’t have that conversation on a stage in front of a million other people. Expressing an opinion does not mean that one should be required to become a public figure.