No guarantee when housing meltdown will end

DEAR BENNY: My son and his wife own a house. Just before the housing market downturn, they moved 1,000 miles away to pursue a much more lucrative-paying career for him. Since then they haven't been able to rent the house, and if they sold it they would lose $30,000 to $40,000. Even though he makes great pay, they are barely squeaking by having to make that house payment and an apartment payment. Because they have kept up with the payment their credit rating is still excellent. Is there anything they can do to unload the house without taking a big hit on their credit rating or losing a lot of money? --Janice

DEAR JANICE: What is the loan to value (LTV) of your son's house? Is there any equity left or is it "upside down"? That means that the mortgage is higher than the current value of the house.

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