Foreclosure Up Front and Personal

Today we help move a friend from her home.

A victim of a chain of circumstances she had no control over, she's the one who must suffer the anxiety, uncertainty, and humiliation of losing her home. Thanksgiving found all her belongings strewn across the front yard. People driving by on the busy side street could see everything once secure behind locked doors. Some stopped by to take things, thinking it was some sort of unsupervised yard sale.

She obtained a week's delay because the mortgage owner fraudulently claimed the eviction notice had been served.

So three men, three women, and four children moved what they could back into the house. We were finished in about three hours.

But what to do long term?

We spent the next day obtaining some very good legal advice.

But the opinion was nothing could be done.

The judge at the subsequent hearing said the same thing.

We began looking for a home for her and her children with no money, no credit, and basically no time. Even if we found the home, where would get the help to move her?

Our deadline for being out of the house was this weekend.

My wife found a house. I contacted the real estate agent for an appointment. At the showing, the agent took a real liking to our friend and did everything she could to help her. We were concerned it might take as much as a week to get the approval from the owner.

He said he would rent it after talking with the agent for about a half an hour.

Because of the lack of a good credit rating, he bumped the rent up a little and wanted two months down, certified check.

When she got home there was a check waiting in the mailbox with more than enough money to make all the payment and then some.

While I was making other arrangements to get some money together, the phone rings. It's one of the neighbors. She tells me there were several who wanted to help but didn't know how. I told her we're moving out today and anyone who wanted could show up a one this afternoon.

Later in the evening, the certified check is handed over, the lease signed, and the keys given to our friend.

My wife thinks this is all a miracle.

I think she's right.