Tonight a two-storey house down the road went up in flames

[magellan]

The firefighters were on hand and the police cordoned off the street. We learned at the local gas station that the house was in foreclosure.

A guy standing in line listening to all this said he'd do the same if his house went into foreclosure. My husband told him he was an idiot.

Folks, you don't get away with burning your house down because you can't make the payments. No, you only make things worse for yourself. Because on top of being foreclosed on, you also rack up an arson charge.

That's a felony. Even if it's your property. Which means not only will the bank & insurance company be looking for you, so will the police.

Geez, if you can't make the payments then lock it up and leave it. Don't put your neighbors at risk and add to your (or worse, your family's) misery by turning yourself into a wanted criminal. Bankruptcy falls off your credit record eventually. A felony charge stays with you the rest of your life.

[kikiek]

1. Not to mention the life of the firefighters that have to respond. And any

number of things that can happen when you have emergency vehicles racing through a neighborhood.

[magellan]

3. Yes!

I'm ashamed to have forgotten the firefighters in particular. Thankless, dangerous job.

[skids]

8. Plus it's not exactly environmentally responsible :-) n/t

[ingac70]

2. Some folks risk prison...

in hopes they won't be found out and can get out of their mortgages without a foreclosure on their record.

My mom worked for an insurance company that pulled out of the state of Texas because of shit like this in the 80s.

[magellan]

5. With today's forensics

...the likelihood of not being found out is slim. Most people use an accelerant -- that's the first thing they look for.

[mitchum]

7. But many people have unopened bags of potato chips in their houses...

and, unlike flammable liquids splashed on drapes or down a hallway, they make for very explainable accelerants

[GreenPartyVoter]

9. Or a grease fire in the kitchen. I just read of a house that burned to the ground

because of one. Thankfully the family was able to get out safely.

[magellan]

10. And if they trace the fire back to its origin and find potato chip remnants...

I've had some good sex in my life, but I've never heard of spontaneously combusting Lays.

[JDPriestly]

4. And, may I add, don't do anything to harm the house just

to express your anger. If you think foreclosure is unfair . . . . Just don't take your anger out on your family, your friends, your house or anyone else. Take your anger out at the polls and vote these irresponsible Republicans out of office.

[magellan]

6. Well put

I wonder how many of these fire bugs voted for Bush**? Twice even?

Of course the lawlessness of this administration combined with the lack of punishment gives regular folks big ideas about being able to break the law with impunity.

[SoCalDem]

11. Sometimes it's the lien-holders who "want' it "gone"

Think about it... Once they toss the "homebuyers" out, the house is ripe for the picking...and vandalism is inevitable.. No one's buying houses right now, so they have to pay someone to monitor the place, cut the grass etc..

but if it burns down....hmmmm.. they collect the insurance money, and can sell the lot later on when things pick up..

I'm betting that the evictees have more to worry about than setting fire to a house they no longer have any monetary connection to.. They do not gain.. the lender does, though..

just sayin...

[magellan]

12. Not saying it doesn't happen

I'm sure it does. But the family was home when this fire started, it was still broad daylight and the house fronts a very busy road.

[alfredo]

18. Property taxes are much less for a empty lot.

[AZBlue]

13. I agree with all you've said, but you've also got to remember:

people in these situations are at the end of their ropes. They aren't thinking clearly, the stress is beyond comprehension, and their thoughts aren't always logical.

[magellan]

16. I can understand that

However, that doesn't explain the reaction of the guy in the gas station who said he'd do the same thing if his house was foreclosed on, which is really why I addressed the whole "burning your house down will only make things worse" issue.

[AZBlue]

19. Gotcha! You're right,

he's of sound mind (we assume, LOL) and should never say such things.

Besides - your post might just stop someone on DU who is in a panicked state of mind and was starting to feel like it might be the only way out. We never know how much help just one post can offer another - it was a good thing to start this thread!

[magellan]

20. That's kind of what I was hoping

I know the state of mind house troubles can induce. Heck, who hasn't faced trouble closing a sale, getting insurance to cover REAL damage, etc? It can be frustrating, enraging and panicking. And I honestly didn't realize quite how much trouble burning your house down because you can't make the payments could get you into. A FELONY. Who considers that?

Obviously not the brainiac at the gas station. (But I'm in Bush** country, I don't expect much from the knuckleheads down here. ;))

[AZBlue]

25. I feel your pain. AZ is a very red state - and, after all, McCain is our Senator.

UGH.

[magellan]

28. Ew! My dear, you have suffered far more than I.

Please accept a :hug:

[Ichingcarpenter]

14. My Condo was partly burned down 3 years ago

by a neighbor that created arson on his own place.

But that is an old story.

[magellan]

17. Oh I'm sorry to hear that

People get crazy and just don't think about anything but their own immediate problems. Guess that's part of the human condition.

I hope you've been able to make repairs and you're settled again.

[tachyon]

15. Spontaneous combustion. Hey, it happens.

(To be a technical bastard, if you own the property and don't attempt to collect insurance, you can burn it down if you want to)

Just sayin'

[El Pinko]

21. Kudos to you for spelling the word "storey" correctly!

:hi:

[tachyon]

22. Uh, it's spelled wrong. In some places.

Story is the preferred spelling, storey is {marginally} acceptable.
:-)

[El Pinko]

23. No, it's not.

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/storey


Storey is the correct spelling, but "story" has become so commonly used in the US that it is now considered a correct Americanized spelling.

I still prefer "storey", although I don't go so far as insisting on a u in color or spelling "center" as "centre".


:)

[GreenPartyVoter]

24. Agreed. Storey it is.

[tachyon]

29. "considered a correct Americanized spelling" I rest my case.

I shall return after visiting the loo.







;-)

[magellan]

27. I love English

And...my British husband beats me if I don't spel thins correct like. lol

[tachyon]

30. I do too! Almost all varieties of it!

:D

[magellan]

32. lol

It's nice to meet you, tachyon. I like to call English my second language. It's getting to be hubby's second as well...The longer he stays here, the more American he sounds. He scares himself sometimes.

:hi:

[tachyon]

33. I'm about as born and bred American as anybody can be these days

but I've been all over the world and I can speak enough of half a dozen languages to find beer and a bathroom almost anywhere on the planet...well, maybe not so much in Borneo...but hey ;-)


I know zackly what you mean.

[magellan]

34. Moi aussi

And I salute your language skills! :patriot:

Lemme tell ya something, though, as a woman. Sake (or a few bottles of Asahi) and squat toilets do NOT mix.

[leftofthedial]

26. The world hasn't seen "terrorism" like the "terrorism" that's coming

as the US middle class dies.

They're gonna NEED the gulags.

[magellan]

31. It's frightening

The poorest feel the pain first. It's now working its way into the middle class. I've watched the number of thefts, robberies, muggings and home invasions rise in our general area over the last four years. They're bold, pulling off these crimes in the middle of the day. Or they're that desperate.

I really do fear for the future. People haven't a clue what hard times are coming, they aren't prepared.