Having been in the business the past few years, I've heard first-hand numerous of why the real estate market is in a slump, as well as many suggestions for how to fix it.

There's no denying that foreclosures are at an all-time high, and the government, mortgage companies and individuals all share the blame. But, if we're serious about cleaning up this mess, my sales experience suggests that the mortgage companies should be more diligent in their efforts.

In all the foreclosure and short-sale transactions that I've worked on recently, the mortgage companies seem to lack a serious desire to get these repossessed properties off their books. The never-ending line of uninformed phone reps, inexperienced listing agents and out-of-town attorneys that one has to deal with to help these companies out of bad debt have no motivation to expedite the process. And, the "process" so is almost so tedious that it discourages owners from the process altogether.

I understand that these companies are overwhelmed with requests and bank-owned properties right now, but if they're serious about cleaning up, it would seem they would hire capable people to answer the phones, process the requests in a timely manner, and not make the same mistakes again.