Not long ago, I happened across a pretty nice neighborhood with well kept lawns, attractive entryways and manicured shrubs. There was a real sense of pride in the “curbscape” of one particular street, in fact it was obvious that these homeowners realized how vital of a role landscaping played in the value of each and every home on their street. However, as I wound around the curve I came to a house that looked completely out of place. This particular house wasn’t smaller and it wasn’t painted an odd color, it was visibly different in the fact that it was a real eyesore.

I got out of my car and approached the house. The front lawn was completely black, absent of any signs of watering in quite some time, and the blackened grass crunched beneath my feet as I approached the front door. I waded through a pile of old fliers and telephone books that had been distributed on more than one occasion and then took notice of the porch lined rotting plants. How could this house reside in a neighborhood amongst the obviously well cared for homes? Does this neglect not border on the criminal or at the very least break several city ordinances? I continued around the back through an unlocked fence to find more of the same – trash, weeds and an array of dead plants. This house was obviously vacant and neglected but nonetheless, someone still owns it.

I returned home and did a quick search on the property and found the owner to be none other than our own beloved government backed Ms. Fannie Mae. How is it that Ms. Mae can carry on with her property in such neglect while blatantly disrespecting her neighbors? How is it that she isn’t held liable for breaking civil ordinances and racking up penalties in the thousands? Basically, what gives her the right to drag down the market comparables in the neighborhood resulting in decreased home values for her neighbors?

Let’s face the facts, when the government wants to sell a home, they’ll do it their way and without consequence, and the neighboring community will feel the effects. We can all thank Fannie Mae for taking a leading roll in leaving discarded properties to rot away in communities across the country. With no great surprise, Fannie Mae tops the LenderOffender list.