Since you mention the figure of $42,000.00 here is an anecdote about a loss of around that amount.
A young couple who I worked with bought a house in late 2004 in Wildomar. It was a very deluxe house, around $700k. Their intention was to have it be an investment.
When the husband got a new job out of state they put it on the market and after almost a year of listing it they managed to sell it themselves a few months ago. They did so after borrowing $40k from their parents to cover their loss.
I figure they were lucky to get out and only lose $40k, but still, that is a lot of money to burn.
