Some people volunteer at the soup kitchen.... Others at the homeless shelter, etc. I help individuals save their homes or at least ease them out gently. I am very good at this and most people appreaciate my help. I gained my knowledge through my early entry into the short sale market (2007) I have learned how to reach the correct people at banks. I have taken my knowledge and I try to put the client and the lender together to work a loan modification out for my customer. I never take money and I choose my cases. I always sort of figured as long as I am selling a home a month I can afford this work which is also important. Once in a while I am just helping them lose their home with dignity (not a shortsale).
In early June a woman called on a rental. I was on vacation but she had recieved foreclosure notices on her home. She is on SSI disability and she swears she paid them. I talked to her for about 20 minutes and suggested she stay in her home until the foreclosure. I also volunteered to work with her and try to prevent the foreclosure. I asked her to call me on Monday when I would be home from vacation and we would set up a time. Time passed and she didn't call.
Fast forward to Tuesday (7/19) and she called me and wanted help. She lives in Caldwell, a town 30 minutes away from where I live. I ask her if she can come to Boise and she says she can't because she doesn't drive. I ask her if she has email and she doesn't. I ask if any of her friends have email and they don't. I take a deep breath and volunteer to go to her and bring my printer/copier. I ask her to find reciepts and we agree to meet at her home on Thursday 7/21/2011. I pull all the deeds, foreclosure notices, etc.... Anything Title- One can give me and drive to Caldwell. I am five minutes late because the exact entrance to her street is hard to get to.
It is a property surrounded by busy streets and very near the railroad tracks. The yard has trash and furnature strewn all over it. I knock on the door and she is NOT HOME. I call her and she doesn't answer her cell. About 10 minutes later she calls me back and rudly asks who this is. She says she couldn't find the papers I wanted so she went out. I suggested that we meet anyway because I could get started without the receipts. The phone rang and I needed to take it so I asked if I could call her back in a few minutes. She said yes. I called her back and she didn't answer. I left a message saying I would stay in Caldwell for 30 minutes please call me back. I went to the gas station then a cafe for a meal. I read over the deads and realized that whether or not she had paid the bills I could help her. It was a small second mortage and at most she owed $800. She was upside down in the first. This would actually be easy (even without the money order receipts). I make busy work in Caldwell by visiting an apartment complex I manage for my step mother. I visit with 3 of the tenants then at 12:30 PM I get into my car and drive towards Boise. Just as I am leaving town she calls. I tell her I have read her documents and know I can help her can we meet while we I am still in town. I remind her I don't charge for this. I also tell her if we set up another meeting (after I leave Caldwell) she will have to come to Boise. She tells me she is at her mothers home. I suggest I go to her mothers home. She tells me she is too busy baking pies.... At this point I inform her that I have done several hours of work on her behalf and drove to Caldwell to meet her. I will only meet her on my terms in Boise. She says she might give me a call.
I think I just had to vent..... If pie baking is more important then saving her home perhaps she doesn't deserve to be a homeowner....Also she knew I was driving in to meet her and she should have been there. I just don't get it. Hopefully, my next pro-bono case will want my services. I also had put off paying clients a half day to handle her case.
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