Help with Underwater Mortgages

Welcome to my inaugural blog post, which I am launching concurrent with the roll out of my “new and improved” website, www.brianaripley.com.

My Objectives

My objectives in starting this blog and website are multiple: 

  • Act as a reliable source for important developments affecting the “distressed” property market in the San Francisco Bay Area;
  • Inform and educate property owners, and the professionals who advise them, on matters affecting the strategies they develop, and the decisions they make, regarding their properties;
  • Facilitate a conversation on how we can all work collaboratively, with each other and with lenders, to achieve better and more predictable short sale results.

About Me

A little about me:  I have been practicing law in the Bay Area since 1983.  In 2007, the primary focus of my practice shifted to “underwater” real estate following the meltdown in the state and regional economies.  Since that time I have counseled over 1,000 property owners on issues relating to their real estate investments.  I have presented dozens of seminars and workshops for real estate and financial professionals on how to succeed and thrive in this challenging new economy.  As a result, I am now considered among the region’s most knowledgeable and experienced experts in the field of “distressed” real estate.

The Focus

Each week I will share my perspective on “what’s really happening” in the underwater property market.  I recognize some of my comments may ruffle feathers.  But I believe it is critical that as a community we bring real clarity to the table, foregoing both the “doom and gloom” rhetoric pervasive in the media and the “Pollyanish” optimism too often prevalent among industry commentators.  Armed with accurate information and an attitude of cooperation among all the players, we can move beyond merely surviving these difficult times by building a community of like-minded professionals who are succeeding and thriving in the face of adversity.