RISMEDIA, August 3, 2010—Back before Homeland Security began tracking such things, many undocumented immigrants have made Arizona their home, buying houses using an ITIN number or a fake social security number. Right or wrong, these people are invested in our community. They pay taxes. They’re hard working. They’re current on their mortgages. But many are walking away from their equity out of fear of deportation.
Gail Buck, a leading REO broker in Arizona, and author of the blog titled: “NAHREP Members: You Don’t Want Arizona’s Climate of Hate in Your Town,” which was published on NAHREP’s blog, is urging individuals who live in the 20 states considering legislation like Arizona’s to come together and protect their communities.
“Latinos around here live in fear,” said Buck. “They don’t like the hostile climate and don’t want their children to grow up in this environment. Many of them are leaving the state and moving to Colorado, returning home to Mexico or considering a move to other neighboring states,” she adds.
“Their exodus is causing a chain reaction and leading to losses for local businesses that rely on their consumer purchases. The housing market is no exception. Arizona is one of the leading foreclosure states in the nation. We have more empty housing than we can fill. We don’t need more problems that make properties harder to sell.”
Bucks experience of the immigrants who come to this country is that they are hard working, family-focused people who are in search of economic opportunity. Some of them work seven days a week and juggle multiple jobs to provide for their families.
The blog garnered responses that are passionate and interesting on both sides of the issue with several real estate industry voices replying.
