Please, stop this nonsense. I lived in the most expensive housing market in the country at the Time... Silicon Valley in 2000! Even in that insanely overpriced market I found properties in nice neighborhoods at well under median price, they needed work, but the amount they needed was nowhere near the equity stake! I am so sick of you don't understand what its like... I do, I've been there! I've seen it!... ain't nothing in DC area that didn't exist in Silicon Valley in 2000. Studio APARTMENTS were 2000 a pop there!
You always have the option to MOVE if you think housing is too expensive where you live! No one forces you to live ANYWHERE... you choose to live in an overpriced market, you are the one making that decision. MOVE! This is america... find a job in a market where reality still exists.
You aren't a flipping victim... just unwilling to do what it takes.
So you bought in 2000? Did you rent an apartment in 2000 and were able to save enough to buy a house? I'm guessing the answer is no. So your solution is simply move. Well, I don't know about you, but there are MANY reason people choose not to move.
BTW, I'm not a victim. But I can appreciate how things have changed in such a short period of time.