House Scavengers

I am, as usual, relaxing at the end of the work day by watching my favorite real estate porn, House Hunters. A few months back the New York Times commented on the ways in which real estate shows were adapting to the crash of the housing market. No more of those ubiquitously optimistic "Flip this House" series. I find it very disturbing to see that in House Hunters, they show cases where a home buyer is getting a home in foreclosure. This is mentioned as an asset, because the price is low, and a liability, the house is a "fixer." Never do they discuss the situation of the persons left homeless. In one episode, a couple cracks jokes about a series of stuffed animals scattered throughout a "bargain" home in short-sale, which the broker helpfully explains is when a bank is selling a property in foreclosure. Those were kids' toys, where are those kids living now? Needless to say, it kills my buzz. And then in a new series called "For Rent," because few can afford to buy and on "My First Place," you often see foreclosed properties being bought as "starter homes" by young couples who are willing to put in the elbow grease necessary to fix up "abandoned" homes.