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Woman Kills Herself Before Foreclosure

time.com — A 53-year-old wife and mother fatally shot herself shortly after faxing a letter to her mortgage company saying that by the time they foreclosed on her house that day, she would be dead.

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  • FidelBlack, on 07/24/2008, -6/+55I take it she doesn't read digg.

    http://digg.com/business_finance/House_Passes_Home ...
    • jemka, on 07/24/2008, -1/+16not anymore
    • IKORKYI, on 07/24/2008, -7/+5Darwin award winner? Lady goes into forclosure, decides to commit suicide so her family can take the life insurance and buy back the house, only to find out that suicide isn't covered.

      She pretty much says that the house provides a greater benefit to her children than she does.
      • kingmanic, on 07/24/2008, -1/+9Some insurance policies will pay out for suicide but you must have have and pay for the policy for a 12 month period. I guess they figure most people who commit suicide will change their minds in a year.
      • IKORKYI, on 07/24/2008, -0/+4she left a letter, its criminal
      • bigbri9, on 07/24/2008, -2/+8I'm guess after committing suicide, she didn't in fact find out that suicide wasn't covered...
        It's very difficult to communicate with the dead.
      • Puppetfunk, on 07/24/2008, -1/+2If she already has kids I don't think she can win a Darwin award. They aren't meant for people who cannot have kids.
      • igyigyigy, on 07/25/2008, -0/+2What? No! they're for people who remove themselves from the gene pool. Doesn't mean they weren't in it already...
    • BradOFarrell, on 07/29/2008, -0/+0Maybe she does: http://bradofarrell.tumblr.com/post/43818612/the-k ...
  • brad3378, on 07/24/2008, -3/+65I doubt this would have happened if she only would have told her husband about the foreclosure.

    Also, I could be wrong, but I thought life insurance policies become null & void in the case of a suicide.

    Best wishes to this woman's family.
    • chubbybubba, on 07/24/2008, -1/+22There actually is a two year window on suicides on a life insurance policy. If the policy is over two years old then the life insurance company would still pay the benefit. They would tell us stories of people who would kill themselves in front of their agent a day after the two year window was over.
      • xsecretfiles, on 07/24/2008, -0/+7OMG are you serious??

        *Has been 2 years on life insurance
      • IKORKYI, on 07/24/2008, -9/+4Not when she leaves a letter to her family telling them to take the money for the house...pretty sure thats illegal
      • docbob84, on 07/25/2008, -0/+0@IKORKYI: Nope. As long as it's been longer than the specified time, which is usually two years but as low as one year in some states.
    • Ydnar723, on 07/24/2008, -0/+0She's a lucky one if hers has a two year window, mine is null and void on suicide regardless of when it takes place.
  • Masternajee, on 07/24/2008, -5/+86I have yet to see a house that is worth the price of someones life.
    • fr3ddie, on 07/24/2008, -9/+29Well then you missed the Top 10 most expensive houses in the world post.
    • Asianwaste, on 07/24/2008, -5/+3I'd kill someone for Oprah's house
      • tmart, on 07/24/2008, -1/+5what if it was Oprah herself?
      • TheThirdLevel, on 07/24/2008, -1/+5tmart - Even better.
      • defy, on 07/24/2008, -0/+5How do you think she got the house in the first place?
      • Asianwaste, on 07/24/2008, -0/+2defy - Her ninja skills are great.
      • docbob84, on 07/25/2008, -1/+1I'd kill Oprah for someone's house. Doesn't even matter whose house it is really, still worth more to me than Oprah.
    • ordig, on 07/24/2008, -1/+5Statistically that is only 6.1 million dollars.

      http://www.sachsreport.com/thehumanfactor2.htm

      Drive through Beverly hills some time. you will see houses that are worth more than people's lives.
      • neonoodle, on 07/24/2008, -0/+3but then again, I haven't met a person worth 6.1 million dollars either. That price is way overinflated.
    • IKORKYI, on 07/24/2008, -4/+4you haven't met Joe Lieberman?
    • assbeard, on 07/24/2008, -1/+3Agreed. Sure, it's a lot of money, but it's just not worth dying over. There are ways to fix things like that, it just takes time and strength
    • shutter54, on 07/24/2008, -3/+1Saddam Hussein's house? Alot of folks died for that.
  • mysn239, on 07/24/2008, -45/+39Suicide is for the weak
    • dafragsta, on 07/24/2008, -14/+41It's a good thing that deeply personal eternal choices are held to your highly regarded judgement. Life is suffering, death is suffering, neither need validation from you to have a finite value. You are weak because you're horizons have not been adequately broadened. That's my equally worthless and arbitrary judgement.
      • nmnnotmyname, on 07/24/2008, -7/+3"That's my equally worthless and arbitrary judgement."
        Equally worthless? be modest.
      • Paulish, on 07/24/2008, -6/+4It is funny when people argue about how suicide is good or life is hard. If suicide is so preferable, why argue with me? Isn't that delaying that from the achievement of your values, namely suicide?

        PS: That doesn't mean don't have sympathy for people who are suffering, just don't glorify the suffering as virtue.
      • dafragsta, on 07/24/2008, -2/+15I never said suffering was a virtue. I think we spend our lives trying to avoid the suffering as much as we can, but sometimes the suffering of life is so great and the hole you are in is so deep or you are terminally ill and you want to at least put the suffering of life to an end. I think suicide is a very selfish decision, but it does not make you weak. It's also equally selfish to not be somewhat empathetic to what drove that person to that point and to feel entitled to that person's presence in your life.
      • Iztikeit, on 07/25/2008, -0/+1Death is not suffering. Death is the release from suffering.
    • Klisk, on 07/24/2008, -6/+6Suicide is for the weak*

      *Only applies to the Western World's society standards.
      • Antialias, on 07/24/2008, -3/+3In Japanese culture I would say the same applies. Most suicides, even the classic "harikuri" sp? that samuri do could be classified as for the weak in that you've failed in some way. I'm not certain about every other culture though. Just pointing out that in some eastern cultures the same could be said.
      • 1hrSleep, on 07/24/2008, -3/+0When I grow up I want to be a martyr.
      • nmnnotmyname, on 07/24/2008, -4/+3Our society sucks, so please refrain from making us feel even worse about the gigantic black hole that has essentially replaced all social value in our culture.
      • ParanoydAndroid, on 07/24/2008, -2/+3@antialias - That's not really true. To fail is to lose honor, but not to show weakness. You only show weakness when you fail to make it up to everyone by killing yourself in the most painful way you can. Seppuku was to show that you may have lost your honor, but you're still man enough to do horrible things to yourself.
      • Robopath, on 07/24/2008, -2/+1@ParanoydAndroid
        Our society sucks because of people who think like you do.

        Please leave, I hear Venezuela is nice.
      • Clusterfrak, on 07/24/2008, -0/+0Actually ancient Roman society also held suicide as an honorable way to die. If a woman was raped she would kill herself to keep her honor. Not saying it was right just saying. And where do you think we got the phrase "falling on your sword."
      • sat0shi, on 07/25/2008, -0/+1@Antialias
        "harakiri" = traditional suicide performed by cutting open one's own stomach
        "harikuri" = "needle-*****"

        Slight difference there. Also, please note that "needle-*****" is not a real word in Japanese, but hari = needle and kuri = ***** so yea.
    • shutter54, on 07/24/2008, -6/+8The weak? Are parents who lose their children in a house fire "weak"? Are AIDS patients "weak"? You don't KNOW troubles, my friend. People become suicidal for many reasons and your ignorant remark on the subject makes me wish that you someday DO get the opportunity to understand, firsthand.
      • nmnnotmyname, on 07/24/2008, -2/+1Mentally weak? Yes.

        But it's the same as being physically weak - after so much damage you can't help but be weak. I think you read them wrong.
      • diggitydoc, on 07/24/2008, -0/+2generally, yes, AIDS patients get pretty weak...

        by the way, i especially like how you criticize their point then tell them to go die.
        classy.
      • brokencode, on 07/24/2008, -0/+4Comparing a parent losing his or her child to a fire to losing a home to the same degree? Give me a break! That foolish woman could have at least had the decency to tell her husband about the situation so they can figure a way out of it instead of committing suicide.
      • Iztikeit, on 07/25/2008, -0/+2Suicide is weak. It's the ultimate "I give up" decision.
    • djholybolt, on 07/24/2008, -0/+2I've said it before, I'll say it again..Suicide is selfish.
      • Iztikeit, on 07/25/2008, -0/+1very and quite sad too.

        Existence is far more enjoyable than non-existence. Those who take their lives usually do so because of situations they put themselves in.
    • docbob84, on 07/25/2008, -0/+0Apparently it's doing alright for the poor as well.
  • rebelbruin, on 07/24/2008, -3/+18So sad...
    • Waterrat, on 07/24/2008, -1/+1 No suicide is NOT for the weak!!! You have NO bloody idea what you are talking about!
  • louiebaur, on 07/24/2008, -2/+9That sucks
  • jeana900, on 07/24/2008, -2/+10This is really so sad. I also believe she should have mentioned it to her husband.
    She may have been afraid to, because it sounds as if she had messed up a lot
    of money somehow. I could not have done this because of a house. I doubt if
    the insurance company will be paying off on this claim, and she may have died
    thinking it would but the only thing I see she accomplished was causing her
    loved ones even more grif.
    • Nothlit, on 07/24/2008, -2/+11Have you ever tried typing all the way up to the end of a line and seeing what happens? Miraculously, your words automatically wrap down to the next line... Try it sometime!
      • jeana900, on 07/26/2008, -0/+1Thanks for the information. Sorry if my typing annoys you.
  • monster24, on 07/24/2008, -2/+3but it does not need to come that bad. there are so many opportunities to avoid foreclosre..
    • schuder, on 07/24/2008, -6/+6Like leaving math and thinking things to men...

      But in all seriousness, heart goes out to her family. She's pretty dumb though.
  • thisisjeff, on 07/24/2008, -20/+1Kick ass. I bet the person reading the fax feels guilty as hell. I applaud this woman's stance. Human life is valuable yes, so she used the value of her life to protest. No different than the infamous monk who committed self-immulsion
    • awtripp, on 07/24/2008, -2/+5No different? Why don't you write me and the rest of Digg a little compare/contrast essay on the self-immolating monk and the woman who shot herself because she couldn't keep her house.
      • Coffeedemon, on 07/24/2008, -1/+3Ease off. He probably only knows that monk from the cover of the RATM album. Although I'd love to read the essay too.
      • thisisjeff, on 07/24/2008, -1/+1whats an RATM?
      • MaynardJK, on 07/24/2008, -0/+3"whats an RATM?"

        Rage against the machine.
    • DubiousDrewski, on 07/24/2008, -1/+3I just can't "applaud" this action or stance. It's just not right. I'm all for sticking-it-to-the-man when it's appropriate, but taking a life to do it is never right.

      She obviously had personal issues as well as foreclosure ones. There are many options to avoid foreclosure that don't include suicide.
      • diggitydoc, on 07/24/2008, -0/+4yeah, you could always PAY your mortgage, or at least not let it lapse for 3 and a half ***** years....
        i mean, just a suggestion...
      • djholybolt, on 07/24/2008, -0/+3that's a good ***** suggestion.
    • HillerMylife, on 07/24/2008, -2/+5Well, it is a little different. One woman was trying to pay off her house by scamming an insurance company, whereas the monk was protesting government-sanctioned murder.
    • Trifold, on 07/24/2008, -1/+5Protesting a totalitarian regime persecuting your religion...losing a house you couldn't really afford in the first place...yup, I see the correlation!
    • santaliqueur, on 07/24/2008, -2/+2The person reading the fax didn't feel guilty, because the mortgage company called the police. Of course if you had read any of the article, you'd know that.

      What's with idiots commenting on portions of stories lately? It's getting to the point where people see the headline, make up the rest of the story in their head, and then make comments.
      • xtinamo, on 07/24/2008, -1/+2Someone who worked at the mortgage company had to have read the letter that's how they knew to call the police. Said person may or may not have felt guilty. Of course you'd have to use common sense to know that.

        What's with idiots bitching about the stupid ***** that happens on the internet?
  • RoshanK, on 07/24/2008, -2/+5I can understand that she may have been in extreme circumstances and felt there was nothing left to do. My parents just bought a house and they wouldn't actually commit suicide, but there is definite pain in losing a home that you purchased and lived in. Think about it, all those mortgage payments, the broker fees, closing fees and such would be lost. But yes, a human life is worth much more.
    • Screwy1138, on 07/24/2008, -1/+2It's not much different than renting. I mean, it is, but not 'suicide' different.
  • Cuchanu, on 07/24/2008, -2/+27Foreclosure didn't kill her, she had other problems. It's a shame she would do this to her family and even the people at the bank probably feel like *****.
    • Solkre, on 07/24/2008, -1/+2Depending on the bank, those people might lose their jobs and do the same when they lose their house.
      • VeritasAequitas, on 07/24/2008, -0/+2Why would people at the bank lose their jobs? If she was being foreclosed on it's her own damn fault. And the bank people reported the fax to the police like they should have. They didn't just decide to foreclose on her house for no reason. And she had known for at least a year before the foreclosure, you have a period of time where you are given to make the back payments and such.
      • tomarocco, on 07/24/2008, -0/+1Agreed. Suicide is the most incredibly selfish act a person can commit.
      • WalkerTXclocker, on 07/25/2008, -0/+1@VeritasAequitas
        I think he was talking about banks going out of business i.e. IndyMac and the employees losing their jobs for that reason.
  • psdabfm, on 07/24/2008, -7/+7That's really sad, I guess we should bail out all the borrowers so nothing like this happens again ... NOT.
    • EricSchC1, on 07/24/2008, -0/+1Works for the banks and investment companies...even worse that the government has no problem bailing out corporations, large groups of people, making bad or selfish decisions, while a family or single potential homeowner has to make a lot of decisions based on desperation or lack of options at their disposal.
      • psdabfm, on 07/25/2008, -0/+1Why should I or any other tax payer be penalized because of the irresponsible actions of another (single person or corporation)
  • oldhick, on 07/24/2008, -6/+10Wow... Talk about self loathing. When any of you out there begin thinking that your house (or money in general for that matter) is worth more than your life, seek help. Life is precious and you can live just fine without a mortgage. You made some bad decisions and got in over your head... Let the bank take the house. Keep on trucking!
    • alex7575, on 07/24/2008, -0/+3Oldhick,

      You and I may not look eye to eye when it comes to politics, but I think that two logical minds cannot diverge that much after all...

      But then there's digg, you get dug down for basically saying what doesn't even need to be said.

      He's saying that life is more precious than anything in this, well, life. What did you want him to say?

      "Sometimes life is so hard, and kinda sucks anyway, suicide is often a good place to look..."?
  • nightofgrim, on 07/24/2008, -1/+3This hit me a little weird: a suicide note found next to Balderrama told her husband, John, and 24-year-old son to "take the (life) insurance money and pay for the house."
  • Meekus, on 07/24/2008, -2/+28http://digg.com/business_finance/Woman_kills_self_ ...

    Talk about a fresh dupe story...
    • CedEx, on 07/24/2008, -1/+0No kidding... it's really ***** up my RSS... I read the first story, and then check back a couple hours later and wonder to myself, "How come the RSS isn't updating?"
      • runtheplacered, on 07/24/2008, -0/+1ooh, darn! That should have front page! "Man kills himself because he thought his RSS didn't update"
  • lead2thehead, on 07/24/2008, -5/+6I guess she showed them.
  • KenSPT, on 07/24/2008, -23/+33Why feel sorry for her?

    SHE got herself into a house she couldn't afford and SHE killed herself.

    Personal responsibility folks, this is nobody's fault but her own ...
    • Wolfspirittt, on 07/24/2008, -18/+4That may be the case but now you are an ***** for pointing it out. We all make mistakes, sometimes we pay more for them then others, sometimes we blame ourselves for those mistakes, but in the end it was really just a huge misunderstanding that made this lady choose to end her life. Nothing is worth killing yourself over, but instead of pointing out the obvious it may have been more intelligent to feel sorry for her situation or just not say anything at all.
      • jabberwolf, on 07/24/2008, -1/+1"That may be the case but now you are an ***** for pointing it out. "

        I think you're an ***** for trying to ignore it.
        It should be pointed out and ridaculed so that people who think suicide will get them pity will think twice!!
      • EricSchC1, on 07/24/2008, -0/+2@ jw: You're an ass if you think she did it for "pity". To me, it sounds like her motive was guilt.
    • rrife, on 07/24/2008, -14/+3You're wrong, somebody forced her into the home and then they tried to force her to pay and when she couldn't they killed her.
      • KenSPT, on 07/24/2008, -3/+2How the hell do you know someone forced her into the home?

        Seriously, when is there any personal responsibility in this country? People need to know their limits and spend within their means. Just because you CAN get approved for a $500K home doesn't mean you HAVE to buy a house that expensive.

        I'm sick and tired of all these people who ALWAYS take the blame away from the consumer. You have to have a strong enough grasp on your financial situation to know what you can and can't afford, and you also have to be intelligent enough to understand the loan you get into.

        If it's an ARM, it's not a difficult thing to figure out. You have to go into that loan knowing that there's a risk your rate will skyrocket. If you don't want to take that risk, then don't, but if you do and you get put in a tough financial situation, it's your own fault.

        The bank didn't kill her, she killed herself. The bank did what they do, they went after someone who didn't make a payment and couldn't afford the house they bought.

        I've been in tough spots before, some my own fault, some the fault of others. I've never once put a gun to my head or considered slitting my wrists. For the woman to go that far proves that she was mentally unstable and had bigger problems than her dwindling bank account.

        I have no sympathy for her. Her family, yes, but her ... no.
      • myhandleondigg, on 07/24/2008, -1/+4@KenSPT

        you could have saved a lot of typing if you had realized this guy was being sarcastic
    • codeblue315, on 07/24/2008, -2/+5Why would they be the *****? It's your own choice to take your own life, not someone else's. When you boil it down and stop trying to put the blame on everyone else to make them look bad, the only person here to blame is her. Now granted, I do feel bad for her situation and what her family must be going through is something nobody should have to go through. On the other hand though, let's not get this confused, she did do this to herself, not the bank. Nothing is worth taking your own damn life over imo.
    • harris2004, on 07/24/2008, -5/+3that is totally wrong. I am sure she didnt take the mortgage to kill herself one day and pay the amount with her life insurance. She never taught the American economy would go down this far.
      • KenSPT, on 07/24/2008, -2/+11I get a kick out of so many people on this board, even when a woman commits suicide they try to blame everything else around her for driving her to that.

        There are always other options available. Maybe instead of blaming Bush and the economy, why not blame her for not trying to look for a Plan B, C, or D and instead opting to take her own life.
      • Kyrato, on 07/24/2008, -1/+1You Sir KenSPT, get a +digg
      • tomarocco, on 07/24/2008, -0/+3UPDATE: The economy is not that bad. It is all FUD.
    • VeritasAequitas, on 07/24/2008, -2/+10Yeah somebody forced her to go to the real estate agents office and look at houses, and forced her to sign the large novel of papers required to sign to buy a house and forced her to then not make the payments she said she would. And somebody pulled the trigger to the rifle that somebody took from her husbands cabinet and loaded. It's all somebody's fault.

      and by somebody I mean herself.
      • KenSPT, on 07/24/2008, -2/+5Thank you for bringing common sense to this thread ...
      • bjornski, on 07/24/2008, -2/+4Did banks do away with loan officers or something?

        I mean if someone was doing their job, when this woman said "I want a house worth this much", there is SUPPOSED to be someone there to laugh at her and say "not on your income".

        Where were they?
      • KenSPT, on 07/24/2008, -1/+2No, it's not the loan officer's job to tell the woman what she can/cannot afford, it's their job to see if there's a bank that would be willing to lend the woman the money.

        If a bank is willing to allow them to borrow the money, it's not the loan officer's fault for putting the woman I the loan, it's the woman's fault for agreeing to it. Whether you want to say it's immoral to allow a woman to get into that situation is irrelevant, at the end of the day the woman has to sign her name on the dotted line and agree to borrowing the money.
      • bjornski, on 07/24/2008, -1/+3Hey, if the bank is foolish enough to give money to someone they KNOW can't pay it back, they should get burned on their "personal responsibility" too.
      • Kyrato, on 08/02/2008, -1/+1Do you need someone to hold your hand bjornski? Help you make loan? Go doo doo? Make all your life decisions for you?

        Personal responsibility.
        NEVER blame someone else for your own decisions, it is just plain cowardice.
    • Locnar, on 07/24/2008, -1/+2Pretty easy seeing things that way when your not in her shoes.. Not saying I understand her selfish act of offing herself. But sometimes life becomes complicated.
      Not all the people out there that lost there homes were greedy or stupid.. some had bad luck or a life change. It happens..
      I myself was blessed with a son that my wife and I were never suppose to have. And between my misjudgment of finances in the past and the huge amount of hospital bills not to mention a bad economy I lost my home.. BUT.. I move on and will buy again . Its a very humbling experience that educated me respecting money.
      • KenSPT, on 07/24/2008, -1/+2Life's tough, it doesn't mean you should kill yourself.

        You're a good example, you took responsibility for your problems and will persevere and move on in life. She tried to blame everyone around her for her woes and thought killing herself would get back at them; all she really did was force her kids to spend the rest of their lives without a Mother.

        Zero pity.
      • EricSchC1, on 07/24/2008, -0/+1@ KenSPT: I do agree with you for the most part, but I think guilt and hopelessness or hope that an opportunity would present itself to her family was a bigger motive than pity, least of all pity from a total stranger like you. Was she wrong for the decisions she made? Yes, but we do in fact live in a world where good, honest people get swindled outright or indirectly by perfectly legal means. Worse still, we live in a world where big companies get bailed out by the government all the time for making bad or selfish decisions. Its harder to catch a break, being a private would-be homeowner, who's motivation is to provide a nice place to live for their families than it is a large group of already wealthy people motivated by greed.

        Does that mean she's right in thinking this was the only or best option for herself? No. Is it really that easy to find oneself as lost and confused and hopeless, all things considered? Absolutely.
    • RungeKutta, on 07/24/2008, -2/+2"Why feel sorry for her?"

      Wow, human much?
      • KenSPT, on 07/24/2008, -2/+2I'm sorry, should I cry a river for the woman because she put herself into a house she couldn't afford and then, instead of taking responsibility for her actions, opting to blow her brains out?

        Yeah, let me break out my Kleenex.
      • Iztikeit, on 07/25/2008, -0/+2You shouldn't cry but you shouldn't point out how much you don't care.

        Some things just shouldn't be said. Only children think they should speak what's on their mind at all times.
      • RungeKutta, on 07/27/2008, -0/+1@KenSPT

        When did I say you should take such an extreme point of view? Did I say you should even cry for her? No I didn't. Did I imply that? Don't think so. Did I say you should really do anything for her? Nope.

        I guess since you're too much of an android, I'll have to explicitly spell out that maybe you could have some sympathy for her. But I'm sorry I assumed you were a normal human that had empathy. If this is the case, then maybe you need to take your cold and/or hateful ass to therapy.
    • Spoomeister, on 07/24/2008, -0/+3Wow, that's ***** cold.

      I mean, you're right, but it's still cold.
  • carbonatedh20, on 07/24/2008, -1/+7All that over a house? Geez.
  • mayra1201, on 07/24/2008, -8/+2Tragic story, but people it's a dupe! It was on the front page less than 12 hours ago
  • l4stgunslinger, on 07/24/2008, -11/+5Wtf.


    Care to look at the front page before you submit a story?


    BURIED
    • Nothlit, on 07/24/2008, -0/+6While you are correct that this is a dupe of the other story, to be fair, this was submitted before the other one made the front page.
    • bjornski, on 07/24/2008, -0/+1Not aware how Digg works, are you?
  • zadadka, on 07/24/2008, -5/+4Deja Vue !

    Oh...sorry, no, my bad.......just another dupe.
    • Alegoo92, on 07/24/2008, -1/+1Déjà vu. It means "already" and then the past tense form of the "to see" verb.

      I'm sorry I just really like language.
      • zadadka, on 07/24/2008, -1/+1Yeah, thanks...I know....sorry for my extra "e" and lack of acute and grave.
        I just figured the majority of diggers wouldn't be able to cope.
      • getbuzy, on 07/24/2008, -0/+1Deja Vu means been there, done that.
  • sodabeast, on 07/24/2008, -2/+11How about buying a house you can actually afford in the first place?
  • VideoGameMatt, on 07/24/2008, -6/+3Buried for already being on the front page today.
    • bjornski, on 07/24/2008, -0/+1Even though there's an interesting discussion going on, that other people are taking part in, since I saw this once before, I'm going to do my part to make sure that NOBODY else gets a chance to see or comment on it.

      Idiot.
  • bestsoccerdog, on 07/24/2008, -4/+8She brought it upon herself. She shouldn't have taken out a loan that she couldn't pay off. It's that simple. I'm sorry for her loss, but these people need to think about all the harm they are doing to everyday taxpayers by trying to buy a one million dollar house on 25k a year income, and not being able to pay it off. We suffer the consequences. There's no one to blame but herself.
    • Alegoo92, on 07/24/2008, -2/+6I know. Everyone's making it seem like it's the government or Wall Street's fault that so many houses are foreclosing, but it's the idiots that buy a house they can't afford on a short term mortgage, hoping to make profit on it when they sell.

      Still this woman must've had some problems before committing this tragedy.
      • kingmanic, on 07/24/2008, -0/+2It's the idiots fault their in debt.

        It's wallstreets/bankers fault that the real estate market was driven up to unrealistic prices and we have mass foreclosures and real estate collapse.

        Idiots on their own wouldn't cause as much damage to the economy. Each individual case is an idiot being responsible for his own financial pains but the economic collapse is due to the greed of corporate America.
    • santiago1, on 07/24/2008, -1/+3"trying to buy a one million dollar house on 25k a year income,"
      Heh, Welcome to the Bay Area!
    • bjornski, on 07/24/2008, -0/+2Any loan officer worth his pay wouldn't have signed that mortgage.

      But we don't have loan officers anymore. We have commissioned salespeople.

      Set up bad mortgage, wrap it up with good ones, pass it on to someone else.

      Nobody bothers to check numbers anymore.

      Yes, this woman was a ***** idiot for signing up for it. But again, where were the gatekeepers?
  • trollick, on 07/24/2008, -8/+3I, for one, do think that people who cannot do simple math to figure if they can afford stuff should kill themselves.
    • santaliqueur, on 07/24/2008, -1/+2For how many? Oh, one. Got it.
    • docbob84, on 07/25/2008, -0/+0Dude there's so many people out there that should kill themselves. People who cannot do simple math are only the tip of the iceberg.
  • melonhedd, on 07/24/2008, -8/+4Should have paid her bills.
    • docbob84, on 07/25/2008, -0/+0I hope after all that she at least remembered to pay her life insurance bill.
  • curtisag, on 07/24/2008, -6/+5Friends don't let friends dupe stories. That's a life lesson worth learning.
  • eurodele, on 07/24/2008, -7/+5Well, either this poor woman "got herself into a house she couldn't afford" all by herself, or she desperately wanted a home (as most people do) and was sucked into paying an exorbitant price on ridiculous terms by her friendly neighborhood mortgage-banker crooks, who probably convinced her that it was perfectly safe and that she was never going to own a house by any other means. After all, the housing bubble could never have collapsed had these lying, thieving criminals not previously inflated it beyond all reason in their never-ending attempts to prey on the public.
    • mike17032, on 07/24/2008, -4/+1Either way, one less deadbeat we have to bail out with our tax dollars.
      • eurodele, on 07/24/2008, -0/+1Your attitude sucks. The woman may have been able to afford her house payments before the rising prices of things like food and gasoline started eating into her budget. A recent survey found that as average income has decreased, expenses have risen far more rapidly, amounting to double-digit inflation. Few were in a position to foresee it.

        The bankers who foreclosed on this woman's house were among those few. The only reason that the useless Federal Reserve is even supposed to exist is to regulate the money supply so this kind of inflationary headache doesn't occur. The lesser banks have been functioning just as irresponsibly, as we see every time one of them collapses and gets bailed out at taxpayer expense.

        If you're going to dump on some poor suicide victim, don't forget to dump on the bankers as well. Most of them have never done an honest day's work in their usurious lives, and many people think that they should be put in labor camps and reeducated on basic virtues like hard work and compassion. Such feelings are on the rise, and history tells us that they can eventually turn ugly.

        You may want to be careful not to get yourself lumped in with those perceived as responsible for this kind of unfortunate event. Just a word to the wise.
      • EricSchC1, on 07/24/2008, -0/+2Yeah, we only use our tax dollars to pay out the poor old rich men running companies like Bear Sterns! ***** the public, lets save the preciously fragile corporations.
  • rrife, on 07/24/2008, -6/+2Wow two people in the same day.
  • blackdude, on 07/24/2008, -9/+3Was she Japanese?
  • GorgarFanClub, on 07/24/2008, -8/+2Funniest thing I've seen since yesterday.
  • bicyclethief, on 07/24/2008, -1/+13Apartments aren't that bad.
  • c4m320n, on 07/24/2008, -2/+2I live in a small town in Ohio and recently one of the business owners here was found dead at his car dealership with an 8page letter. He shot himself due to the economy, I guess he wasn't making money anymore and decided to end his life because of it.
    • Kyrato, on 07/24/2008, -1/+1Sell the car lot and invest in a company that IS doing well. Did people shoot themselves during the depression due to the economy? No.. they didn't have money for bullets.

      We aren't anywhere near there yet folks, use some common sense.
      • bjornski, on 07/24/2008, -1/+2Yeah, I'm sure he could have gotten a job at WalMart without issue.

        Right?

        There's not going to be a hell of a lot of money in selling luxury items pretty soon. Well, unless you're WalMart.

        The American economy does nothing but subsist on foreign-made products now. Nothing is being created here anymore. Everyone is just adding a few percentage points to the cost of an item they buy when they sell it to someone else. It's still all made in China.

        Our economy is *****. Expect to see more of these stories in the future.
      • EricSchC1, on 07/24/2008, -1/+3"Did people shoot themselves during the depression due to the economy?"

        Actually, a lot of people DID commit suicide during the depression...not by shooting themselves, however. Guns and bullets cost too much at the time.

        History: your friend and mine.
      • Kyrato, on 07/27/2008, -1/+1Me :"No.. they didn't have money for bullets."

        Eric: "...not by shooting themselves, however. Guns and bullets cost too much at the time. "

        Did you even read my whole post yah parrot? I know people killed themselves, but not the really poor people. It was the marketing analysts, lawyers, businessmen. The people who couldn't imagine becoming poor.
  • legendxx, on 07/24/2008, -9/+5Not really sad at all.. I have no sympathy for those who choose suicide. Even if they're trying to make a point.. they are taking the easy way out and trying to be noble about it. I hope everyone joins me in celebration that the world has one less nutcase. For all you sensationalist, government/american-hating diggers out there.. this has nothing to do with the condition of the housing market. If she was willing to kill herself over a pile of wood and nails.. I don't doubt there were other crazy things she was willing to do over much less.
    • shutter54, on 07/24/2008, -1/+0I abhor narrow-minded people like yourself. You go on my "I have no sympathy for people like you when you have troubles" list.
      • legendxx, on 07/24/2008, -1/+1If you're going to insult someone for being narrow-minded, at least have the decency to argue your side. Until then go off into your fairy-tale land where it's possible to make everyone in the world happy.

        I'll have all the sympathy in the world for her b/c of her financial troubles.. until she takes the easy way out and commits a cowardly act.
  • mrzack, on 07/24/2008, -9/+1good, one less worthless eater.
    • bjornski, on 07/24/2008, -0/+1Sieg Heil!
    • bjornski, on 07/24/2008, -0/+1I'm HOPING you're smart enough to get that reference, mrzack.

      For some reason, I think it's lost on you.

      People have had your mentality before, and it didn't work out well.
  • pwnerofnoobs, on 07/24/2008, -9/+2Pics or it didn't happen.
  • brokencode, on 07/24/2008, -5/+2That's pretty lame.
  • NJank, on 07/24/2008, -3/+3hmmm... wonder how this will affect the auction price.
    • getbuzy, on 07/24/2008, -0/+2And over here we have a lovely...

      nevermind
  • darkne55, on 07/24/2008, -2/+9I'm tired of seeing all the comments on these economy stories lately saying like "shouldn't have bought a house you couldn't afford" or "don't get credit cards if you can't afford them" and the like. Some people buy stuff when they can afford it, and then ***** happens and they have a hard time. Gas, food, etc is going up right drastically and some people are starting to have a hard time or even losing jobs. They're doing everything they can to make it through but occasionally its "so we can eat this month, we're going to have use credit cards" Not everyone blows their money and lives a lifestyle they can't afford.
    • jokerhl, on 07/24/2008, -0/+6Exactly right. All it takes is losing your job and there are none to be found. I imagine there are quit a few working in the mortgage business going through this also.
      • Antialias, on 07/24/2008, -2/+2I'm not saying it's super easy to find a job, but unemployment is currently near historic lows. There are plenty of jobs. Granted you might not get as high paying a job as you had, but it's better than nothing.
      • kingmanic, on 07/24/2008, -0/+4Or Medical bills. One of the leading causes of bankruptcy in the US. More so then losing their jobs.
      • bjornski, on 07/24/2008, -0/+3@Arntialias

        Yeah, nothing like losing a job that pays well. It's NO PROBLEM to take another one that pays half as much! We don't need minimum wage laws, we should be able to pay people EVEN LESS as the costs of everything keep climbing! Yeah!

        Nobody should have to pick up 2-3 jobs just to afford a place to sleep.

        But hey, as George said to the woman with 3 jobs. "That's uniquely American".
    • purkel, on 07/24/2008, -0/+6Americans have just accepted that being in debt is the normal way to live. Most people dont have a choice and have no other options. But the problem lies with banks and our society as a whole forcing people into debt. Perhaps things will change now that everyone is getting burned and banks have got their asses kicked. Basically our entire nation had it wrong by going into so much debt.
      • bjornski, on 07/24/2008, -0/+2They'll change, but not for the better.

        Welcome to American feudalism and serfdom.
    • paynomind, on 07/24/2008, -0/+9I'm in the middle of it right now. I bought a house WELL under what the snake-oil mortgage salesperson tried to get me in. I could comfortably pay every month ontime. I didnt have any money in savings because child-support is killing me. But, bang, the company I worked for shut down and it took me 3 months to find a job, and 3 weeks after I started to get a paycheck. Now, I'm 4 mortgage payments behind. No idea when they come to sell the house out from under me. I'll be able to make a payment with this friday's check, but it will only be one payment. I didnt buy too much house. I didnt fall for their games. I just worked for a company that wouldnt let us in the front door one random monday morning. I did as much as I could correctly. I'm not gonna shoot myself, but I do feel pretty damn miserable about the whole thing.
      • rschmidt1300, on 07/24/2008, -4/+2I can't reconcile the idea of feeling that you could comfortably afford to buy a house while at the same time having no money in savings. Did it occur to you that you could lose your job and may need to get by on savings for awhile? You should contact your mortgage company and let them know what is going on. They will most likely be willing to work with you rather than foreclose if they knew your situation.
      • Kyrato, on 07/24/2008, -0/+2Cheer up man, just keep working hard and doing what you do and I'm sure things will work out for yah. Good Luck!
      • Linzee82, on 07/24/2008, -0/+3I don't know if you've done this or not, but talk to your mortgage company and see what they will do for you. Explain to them that you lost your job and it took you three months to find another one. I'm sure they would be willing to grant you a forbearance on the account for a few months. This should get you up to speed with your payments and avoid foreclosure.

        Another big problem that some people are getting themselves into is that they don't want to speak to their mortgage companies and admit that they are having financial difficulties. Mortgage companies don't want your house. They want you to be there and be able to make the payments to them. Bottom line, call them up and see what they can do. You might be surprised.
      • bjornski, on 07/24/2008, -1/+1Insured for fire?
      • lacsapper, on 07/25/2008, -0/+13 months and 3 weeks out of a job puts youe 4 months behind on your mortgage payments? Then your statement that you could "comfortably pay every month on time" isn't really true. Being "comfortable" with your payments means having a good savings that will cover unexpected loss of income (such as job loss) for the expected amount of time it would take you to recover. If you lost your job and immediately can't cover 3-4 months of payments, then you aren't in a comfortable situation.

        It makes me laugh (sorry, callous, I know) when people living paycheck to paycheck think they're doing OK. Savings, people, *SAVINGS*! Quit spending $$$ on what you don't need and sock it away for a rainy day. Get a second job *now* to build up your savings for those rainy days (or months). It's amazing how much you can sock away if you just discipline yourself!
  • MusicMagi, on 07/24/2008, -5/+0good thing she had that high-power rifle close by so taking life was nice and convenient...........
  • spamcrusher, on 07/24/2008, -2/+3People commit suicide daily for a variety of reasons, many financial. This woman is not the first person to do that, nor will she be the last. The media is just making this story front page because of our current housing woes. Politicians will use her as an example on why billions of dollars should be spent to help rescue these people. I feel for her family, but this story is hardly unique and sadly is played out daily.
  • gametavern, on 07/24/2008, -6/+1committing suicide because you lost a house? Gimme a break. ITS A HOUSE.
    • Iztikeit, on 07/25/2008, -0/+1Thank you. The only house one really owns is their body. And it's the only one worth owning.
  • firesphotons, on 07/24/2008, -1/+10Wow you people are cold hearted, you never know what life has in store for you. Many of you arrogant posters riding high may face broken futures. I certainly hope someone with a heart reaches out to you instead of saying something as course as good riddance to a nutcase.
    • lacsapper, on 07/25/2008, -0/+0Yes....and No. I'm guessing that most of us have mixed feelings and have a hard time understanding why someone would take such a drastic action...and how someone could be so utterly *stupid*. Taking one's life instead taking responsibility for one's actions. We see so much each day of people shirking responsibility, of people making foolish decisions, of people expecting (even demanding) that others bail them out of their own poor choices (over and over and over again) that it is hard not to feel anger over it. I agree that many people are put into these situations due to the uncertainty of life...and despite good planning/preparation. But the vast majority (in my opinion) are in this situatation because they were too ignorant to reasonably plan for some downturns in life. People living paycheck to paycheck assuming that because they can make that month's payments they're doing OK, rather than saving for those rainy days...those are the people who make me angry.
  • nekaidesigns, on 07/24/2008, -1/+10digging up comments with at least a modicum of compassion. Geeks are a ruthless lot.
  • purkel, on 07/24/2008, -0/+1this isnt the first time ive heard of someone committing suicide in order to give their family insurance money... ive heard of plenty of businessmen who've done it also.

    Yes the foreclosure rates are very sad, but this article is just a piece of Sensationalism in the media. Sad story tho.
  • auntazalea, on 07/24/2008, -1/+5I have great compassion for her and her family, having made financial mistakes in my youth and having tried to fix them without my husband finding out, I remember the horrible hopelessness and desperation which finally drove me to acknowledge my alcoholism. Now with 15 years clean & sober I don't seem to have that terrible need to put up a front to the world and pretend everything is great. I can ask for help and acknowledge mistakes. Nor do I ever throw stones because I remember that hell and I am just grateful I didn't do what she did.
    My condolences to her husband & son.
  • Singletrackmind, on 07/24/2008, -3/+1Balderrama.

    Anyone else find that funny?

    The name, I mean. Not the situation.
  • n99nyrwg, on 07/24/2008, -6/+1She's not going to get a second shot at financing her home now.
    • WiretapStudios, on 07/24/2008, -2/+2The mortgage rates are mind blowing aren't they?
  • DigitalBrian, on 07/24/2008, -6/+1That is SO "Desperate Housewives"
  • topgigmedia, on 07/24/2008, -1/+4Sad truth - America needs this housing crisis to help force the rock-bottom needed to find the true collective incentive to repair this nation. Many are crying, "poor me!", instead of really looking in the mirror, figuring out what is important in their life and learning from their mistake(s). I am tired of the whining, especially by people that went out and bought 2 of the biggest gas guzzlers they could find, a house they couldn't afford (that even they could figure out they couldn't afford if they spent 5 minutes crunching numbers), filled with "stuff" they charged on credit cards that they never had any intention of paying off. I am sick of this "poor me" attitude when I work hard, carry little debt and make payments on time because I paid attention to what I was spending. Now people like me have to pay for the irresponsible whiners which I am fine doing as long as some lessons have been learned.
    /rant
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