Let the Fun Begin

You three readers may recall, I have a home in some state of foreclosure limbo. Two years ago the bank called the second mortgage due (was it two years ago, really?) and then played games with us when we tried to renegotiate. This went on for six months, with them making empty promises and us begging them to fix this.

There was no reason to call the loan due. Everything was always paid on time. I still do not understand why the did it. While we were negotiating they would ask for updated financial statements once a week. They would want Bliz and Diamond Jim to sign these financial statements (which was silly because our books change once a month when we pay the bills). They asked for mountains of redundant paperwork. And then, they asked for my daughter's bank account information. That's where we drew the line.

Halfway through this nightmare, the tenant in the home moved out. She left it in reasonable shape, but to make it ready to move in always has a cost. We didn't' want to make it ready, not knowing whether or not the bank would work with us. After all, why paint and spiffy just to have the bank snatch it from us.

By the time we ran out of money and patience was precisely the same moment the Asset Manager called me and said, "Guess what! We approved your loan" (that you didn't need to disapprove six months earlier). it was too bad. his timing couldn't have been worse. For the first time ever, we didn't have a mortgage payment. I told him so too. Sadly, he didn't believe us. During that phone call he actually pulled up Marty's credit and said to me, "If your credit is so good, why are you telling me you can't pay this loan." Guess what, it is more than a year later, and Marty's credit isn't so good now.

That was April 2015. Through some negotiation, the Asset Manager did agree to let us short sell. By July we had brought him six full price cash offers, all of which the bank rejected. We then asked if we could do a deed in lieu of foreclosure. This guy actually responded with, "I don't know how to do this," and then sent us a letter saying no.

So the home sat vacant. Once in a while we would hear from someone at the bank. Marty Sunshine even talked to their lawyer once who didn't believe our story until she called the Asset Manager for herself and was floored when he confirmed our allegations. The lawyer told Marty in confidence this was all the bank's fault, but there was nothing we could do about it now.

Last February the Asset Manager shluffed us off to some no-nonsense pit bull who told Marty if we didn't pay up immediately they would foreclose, sue us, attach a lien to our rental homes and garnish his wages. That is all standard of course with a foreclosure, but it didn't change matters. Marty told her there was nothing we could do anymore. And that is the absolute truth. The woman promised--promised--we would be sued (and loose) by June. So far, nothing has happened.

And that was the last we heard from her until yesterday. To be fair, my name and contact information is not on this mortgage. Other than the one call to the Asset Manager early on, nobody at this bank has been willing to speak with me in any way, shape or form when I called to negotiate. Only Marty.

So, imagine my surprise when my cell phone rang yesterday and it was that woman from last February. The woman called, told me she had been talking to Marty recently (news to him) and was in the process of telling me all sorts of ugly things about threatening to foreclose when I cut her off. I told her I was with someone (Marty) and I would call her back. And then I hung up and blocked her number like a big fat coward. The woman has not called my home number since nor Marty's cell number.

I am guessing I didn't win any friends with my uncouth move. I panicked, I admit it. Now because I didn't speak to her, we are closer than ever to a foreclosure notice. At least it will come to an end sooner than later.