Upside Down Housing Hits Military Families

It's understood that many of today's homeowners reside in homes that have lost tens of thousands of dollars in equity and value during this economic downturn.

Inman News reported on a study of Upside-down borrowers locked into their homes. The study highlights that those who want to move, but can't, include those looking for:

-- Better School Systems

-- Job Opportunities

-- General Relocation Desires

Moving would entail a huge loss financially, as home-owners would have to make up the difference between current loan and what they could sell for. Thus many families nationwide are staying put.

What has gone under the radar are military homeowners, especially those military members who purchased homes between 2004-2007. These military members own homes that have loss huge amounts of value.

Regretfully, these individuals cannot "stay put", as many homeowners are doing, as shown by these recent studies. Rather, they must relocate their families due to orders to report to a new duty station...they have no choice, they must move.

Many military members are forced to rent their homes that are well-below the cost of the monthly mortgage, limiting their monthly cash-flow on living expenses in their new location. Or, they must sell the home, tapping into retirement funds to have available cash to "walk away" from the home, sell at a loss and maintain good credit.

These families cannot stay put, as the study concludes many homeowners are forced to do today. What we are seeing are military families put in a situation of immense financial burden as they cannot stay put...they have to move.

I'd be curious to see if government will begin programs to assist military families in these types of situations.