i feel sorry for you. new builds suck for this reason alone. not to mention everything else that comes with a new community.
i would think long and hard about this, if you don't do it correctly i'm pretty sure tehy can garnish your wages until the difference is paid, etc. is the house in both your names or just yours?
by crime going up do you mean like on your block or columbus in general? where do you think you will move that you will be able to get away from crime completely? helll i live in bexley and some shit got stolen out ofmy cars a month back,it happens everywhere but i still feel bexley is a damn safe community and appreciate the schools they offer.
do you have any idea how much negative equity you owe? how long have you been in your house and what other debt do you have?
i would consider buying whatever large items you want BEFORE you start defaulting on your house, be it a new car, etc, whatever if you had thought about it,because if you go through with it you'll get raped for years on loans/interest/etc.
good luck.