has anyone else here had their home foreclosed?Today's headlines

[w8liftinglady]

are like a flashback for me.After my divorce,my home was foreclosed,and I am still essentially homeless.I live with my boyfriend and two kids...not an ideal situation.I would love to start a commune.Has anyone experienced this kind of lifestyle?

[yardwork]

1. I'm sorry that happened to you

I am recently divorced, and frustrated by the immense size and costs of most housing in my area. There are a lot of people in this country who live by themselves, either through necessity or choice. I wish that there were neighborhoods of small single dwellings with small yards or patios. I live in a two-bedroom 720 sq. ft. apartment (for when my kids stay over) and it is perfectly sufficient for my needs. Condos about the same size go for $160,000 and up in my area, with $200 monthly HOA fees and high taxes and insurance.

There are communal neighborhoods in my area, but they consist of enormous (2,500 sq. ft. and up) houses.

I would love to help found a community of small houses or duplexes for singles, energy-efficient, solar-heated, with a communal garden and small patios for flowers and herbs.

[w8liftinglady]

3. That sounds beautiful...thanks for responding...

[demnan]

11. I live alone in a small condo

851 sq feet, and it's adequate for my needs. The trouble is, if I were to buy one new in my part of Northern Virginia it would cost about $220K which is out of the price range of most single people now. Of the six in my cluster, there are only 2 now that are single owned. One family has 5 people living in their condo and its 950 sq ft.

Half my monthly income goes to the mortgage. And when I need to buy a car, I'm going to have to get a second job to afford it.

[w8liftinglady]

13. that's what I'm seeing,too-and lots of two-income families barely scrapping by

no savings-and God help you if someone gets sick or needs a tooth pulled...I'm a nurse,and have a lot of earning potential based on my need for sleep-I have to weigh that against my kids' need for ME...I hate these mother f*ckers.

[yardwork]

18. Exactly. It's exactly the same in my area.

The developers keep building new luxury condos that begin at $400,000 for two bedrooms. These are purchased by out-of-town retirees or corporations and used as guest pads on football weekends or rented to groups of students.

It's very difficult to find a decent place to buy if one chooses to live by oneself.

[Jackpine Radical]

2. I had some brief exposure to communes back in the 60's.

There are also some rural communes still going around this neck of the woods.

The 60's experience wasn't particularly encouraging--just a bunch of hippies smoking a lot of pot & occasionally marching around the house banging on tin pots & trying to sing the Internationale.

As for the rural communes, you have to be pretty careful to get a good match between the temperament of the place and your own temperament and needs. For example, the Catholic Workers are theologically conservative and politically liberal/radical. My politics match theirs, but not the religious part.

[w8liftinglady]

4. my ideal commune would have a mixture of all...

so we could glean off the strengths and talents of all members.I'd like to focus on frugality,recycling,and-of course-activism.

[Jackpine Radical]

12. Rural or urban?

I'd go for rural, with emphases on energy independence, organic food, farmland preservation/restoration...

[w8liftinglady]

14. rural...with access to urban,if needed

[w8liftinglady]

5. actually,my intent behind this post was to let you know-you aren't alone

...and you're not a "loser"...I'm a nurse,and it happened to me.

[wake.up.america]

6. Sounds trite, I know, but - I wish I could help.

[w8liftinglady]

7. I have a good network of friends.I worry about those who don't

[wicket]

8. A girl I went to grade school with lived on a commune

This was in the early to mid 1980's. It was a farm in Vermont where everyone chipped in. Wish I could find something like that.

I'm sorry for the loss of your house :hug:

[w8liftinglady]

10. Thanks,Wicket-me,too...

plus,I'd like to have a community of like minded kids for my sons to play with...:)

[w8liftinglady]

9. Washington Journal is talking about subprime lenders now(which i had)

on CSPAN

[Tsiyu]

15. Heard of "The Farm?"

http://www.thefarm.org/

Still going strong, not far from here.

My kids work with some kids raised there. I hope to visit them this summer and check it out.

Even if you can't have a commune, pooling resources is a better idea than ever. Hang in there. :hug:

[Lars39]

16. I've heard of "The Farm" for most of my life.

Thanks for the link. :D

[Tsiyu]

17. You're very welcome

They have a very rich history indeed. Check out the writing on their dealings with J. Edgar Hoover in the History section.

Lots to see on that site :hi:

[lyonn]

19. Hey Lady, check the stock market, diving again

That is due to this insane housing situation. Hold off as there will be those same over priced homes going for much less. How long that will take I am not qualified to know but I guess within a year it will be a real factor in the home sales area.

By then tho everything else will be in chaos, like the Reagan era. Those idiot Repubs. like to glorify his rein and that is BS. It is similar to what is happening to bush's era. Fake economy.

[w8liftinglady]

20. thanks-of course,when your credit is screwed...you're screwed

[Courtesy Flush]

22. If you have no credit

Then starting a commune would be difficult. You have to buy land first.

There are religious communes, like the Shakers, who take in those who want to live the life, but I don't know how to contact them.

I like the idea of communes, but I'm too materialistic to participate. Besides, I can just picture the abuses by people who just want to con you out of free rent without pulling their share of the load. Also, when there are children involved, you have to be careful who you accept.

[nonconformist]

21. Sadly, yes... my house went into foreclosure in December

We recently filed for Chapter 13 to save it.

Our problem wasn't sub-prime lending or an adjustable rate mortgage... our foreclosure was caused by a bleak period of unemployment.