Maryland Reporter, May 19, 2020: A decade after the Great Recession, home values in some communities remain underwater
The Great Recession that fueled a mortgage and housing crisis more than a decade ago has faded from memory for most Americans. But not for millions of homeowners – mainly in rural and minority communities – who continue to struggle with depressed home values and underwater mortgages.
And now, worries of a new recession brought on by the coronavirus crisis could compound their troubles.
“COVID is going to introduce a period of lower demand for housing,” said Jason Richardson, the director of research and evaluation for the National Community Reinvestment Coalition. “This is important, since it is this demand for housing that supports home values,” he said, adding that within a few months he expects areas where home values have been depressed for years to see values fall even further.
So far, the national housing market remains in good shape.
