So you decided to sell your right-sized home in late 2007 and move into an oversized home in an estate area, right? Why? Because that was all the rage back then, I suppose.  But the problem is, you can’t sell your new place for anywhere near what you paid for it. Your mortgage is upside-down; there is a chance that your bank (or any other lender, for that matter) will not renew your mortgage because you are leveraged far too high, and you are likely worried about your job. Way to go, fucko.

"Well, it seemed like a good idea at the time."

I trust you’ve learned a lesson that just because you can buy something, it doesn’t mean that you can afford it. Always remember that equity is not real money. In fact, it is not money at all.  It is simply a means to allow you to access more money which by definition means you take on more debt.