Real Estate... What is worth buying?

So with all of these foreclosures happening and all of these houses becoming vacant squatter-homes, what are we to do with the properties now?

My family needs a place to live, we have rented for quite some time now, but we're sure that we're ready to own, as it would cost us far less in the long run and we would have something to show for our hard work. Our problem is, what do we buy? The market is FLOODED with affordable homes that need little to no work to be livable, but where do we draw the line with those that should be repaired/restored and made energy-efficient to those that are so far gone they really need to be demolished?

Any one of these houses we have been looking at could be repaired/restored AND made energy-efficient for approximately $5000. On that note, the majority of these homes COST(or have asking prices)at or around that amount. $10000 for a house is a steal, and we plan to do just that.

The banks feel that if they can make ANY profit off of these properties, then they have succeeded. I feel as though these properties are not only a threat to healthy citizens as they rot and grow deadly black mold, that it should be up to the communities to decide whether the house stays or goes, or whether they want it to be restored so they can further expand their community/neighborhood. That's sadly not how it works in the Louisville Metro system.

I have found so many properties that are in decent condition, but just need minor repairs, but the common problem I have found is the ROOF. Why can't anyone put a roof on a house properly/efficiently? (Gripe)

Well I guess we're left to compete with the investors on this one, and to hopefully win our bidding war with the greedy banks real estate auction wars. We will own our home, no matter how hard the system tries to set us up to fail.

Gulf in America... you hit a hole in one BP.

It has been since April 23, that's about a week short of two months, since the catastrophe in the Gulf of Mexico, and what has been done other than hair-brained efforts to "solve" this "problem" of oil being contaminated by all this salt water? Well the answer is NOTHING. The large corporations in charge of "cleanup" of this "spill" are trying to capitalize on this, not undo their faults(I use all these quotes because I don't personally feel they're accurate words, I would use words like "make good", "erupting volcano of oil", "cover-up", and "dispersed hurricane of tar balls".)

So what do we do you ask? How about just what the Honorable Mr. Obama suggests: Make change and take action through leadership, and organize the masses. I say we DRAW OUR LINE IN THE SAND. Let every politician who is in office that the Tar Ball Stops Here. If you care that your water, your air, and your food are all being poisoned by these money-hungry control-mongers (BP, Halliburton, the U.S. "National Guard"), then take a picture, of YOU drawing your line in the sand, showing a sign to OUR leaders that this is where it stops, and they take action now, heeding the words of the masses, not filling their pockets with corporate say-so. WE are the leaders, WE are the future, WE are the only power in our country, not them. THEY need to take action in regards to what WE want.

Please show me, show the world where your line in the sand is, or will BP be allowed to chip another "accident" into the bunker?

p.s. high-five bill maher. http://twitter.com/billmaher