America's Money: In their own words

Buyer, 50, Brighton, Mich.

It wasn't until I was 47 that I bought my first home. A life in retail management made constant moves a way of life. I guess it was a dream home, made possible by an inheritance after the passing of both of my parents.

Things change and we need to sell our house in Michigan, which is now worth much less than what we paid for it. My partner and I have been living apart for six month and a daily phone call keeps our lives connected in a manner that used to take place at the dinner table.

We are selling because the majority bread winner has had an excellent opportunity in Wisconsin. We were lucky to have enough to buy a condominium there. What happens if the 22 months of inventory of houses in Michigan never improves? Every day I ask myself, how much will we lose on the house?

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