Taking it one day at a time...

Wrapping one's mind around the game that mortgage lenders play is super tough to do.

We have decided to start looking for another place to live, pack our home, and be ready just in case Wells Fargo actually is continuing to lie to us this time, and the miracle we pray for is not meant to be. We will rejoice greatly if we get to stay - but are going to follow the Boy Scout motto and "Be Prepared" - just in case. LOL

To document where we are at - I called W.F. again yesterday. They FINALLY have assigned our case to a processor - something they promised would take only 24 hours back on the 13th (yes... 2 weeks ago). We have called and harassed them over and over about it... but we got the same answer: There is nothing we can do until you have a processor assigned. HUH. Funny how they want our info and docs YESTERDAY, but can drag out something as simple as handing someone a file for 2 weeks!! That leaves us 2 weeks and 3 days until the Sheriff's sale date and the loss of our home. Nice.

So I asked if I could speak with our new processor. Nope. There is no number listed for this new person who holds our family's home in their hands - could you call back in 24 hours - that will give her time to review your file. Maybe they will have a contact # for her for you then. Really?? Are they going to give this new person a whole new phone line just because OUR file is now in their hands? *sigh* Right. Stall. Delay. Lies.

They want our house.

And really... why wouldn't they? Our second mortgage has charged off their portion. There is no value in the house for them because of the housing market. So W.F. (our 1st mortgage) now has a home that we owe about what it is worth. PLUS - they get their government kickback for "having to foreclose", they get a tax write off, they get the $20-30k in interest we have paid since we lived here, AND they get to sell our house. Duh. They have NO desire to help us keep our family's home. And they have set us up.

We have been trying to modify for over 2 years now, since the economy slowed and we were trying to keep afloat with our business JWD Electric. March of last year, they said we were approved, but needed to make "trial payments" for 3 months to prove we could handle the amount. We were completely faithful in paying those trial payments - for EIGHT months!! We would call and call and get no response. Then they would want our paperwork all over again because the dates were passed 30-60 days old. So we would send them again. Next they called Jes and asked for some obscure paper from our 2nd mortgage company. He explained it to me the following day... but I had no idea what they were talking about. I called. And called. And called. No return phone calls to clarify. So... near the last day I could send the paper they wanted, in desperation, I sent a copy of our 2nd Mortgage statement. We received a letter stating we did not return the correct paperwork in time and that we were now declined. I called up, rip roaring mad, and was told that really... we had not qualified because we were not behind on our payments. HELLO?? I asked for clarification, which they gave, saying, we were now declined for the last type of modification, but if we missed a payment we would qualify for another type. We could in no way catch up the $6k we were now behind (due to the trial payments that were less than our regular mortgage payment) - so we missed a payment to qualify for their next program.

The following month we received notice that in 7 weeks time (Jan '11) our home was going to be sold at auction. We were in foreclosure. Wells Fargo had taken our ONE missed payment, added it to the 8 months of trial payments, and counted us as 9 months behind! Wha...??? We fought and argued with them. They no longer would accept payments because we were in foreclosure.

I had a stroke the first part of December.

Our sale date was looming. W.F. kept telling us to not worry - they were still working out a modification for us. But we were leery. We checked into our options, between physical therapy sessions, and realized that if our home was sold at auction, we would have 3 days to get out, in the middle of January, a family of six, with my recovering from a stroke. We were SICK. We trusted. We waited. We prayed really hard.

2 days before the sale date, when they told us they had NO answers yet, but they "might" be able to stop the sale - we filed for bankruptcy. It froze the sale of our home. But it also cost us Jestin's business, his work truck, many of his tools, our family's camping trailer and our credit. Wells Fargo had given us no choice. We found out later that they STILL would not have had our modification done and we truly would have had to move in the middle of winter.

So we worked hard with them - gave them every paper they needed. Then Jes got a job.

We were informed they needed 3 pay stubs to be able to process a modification. (ugh) So... on May 3rd, when I had 3 stubs in my hot little hands, I faxed them to them. And I called and called and left messages. No responses. I wanted to be sure they had received them and that we were good to go. No answers.

On May 13th... Friday the 13th at about 2 pm... I received a knock at my door. It was our sweet mail lady. She had certified letters for me. Our home is slated to be sold on the June 14th. Officially 31 days away. To qualify for ANY options to stop the sale (other than being at the whim of them "possibly" processing our modification) we needed 30 days. Honestly - they gave us 30 days and 10 hours (3 hours if you go by business hours). And it was a Friday afternoon. They had tricked us. Again.

I called and yelled. (Imagine that though... now we have been served and painted into a corner I can get an answer on the phone??) I was told they "never got the pay stubs". When I called BS and told them I had a fax confirmation right  in my hand - suddenly he looked and sure enough! There they were! But now we would have to wait for our case to be re-opened and assigned to a processor. And as I mentioned previously... you can see how well that has gone over!!

SO. Where does that leave our little family? It leaves us looking out for OUR best interest and being prepared.

This week has been H.A.R.D. I can't even describe it.
I would rather have another heart surgery or a stroke... then take my family down this path.
But... here we are.
We will get through.
One tiny baby step at a time! :)

The whole house has been cleaned up and organized to take photos of each room. This little home of ours is full of great memories and I wanted to preserve them. The only rooms left to document are the upstairs hallway and the laundry room. Then I will post them on here.

I have packed 2 boxes. (I know... tons huh?) Now that I am done getting my photos taken of the house... I can start being serious about it. And maybe find the emotional ability to look for a rental as well. Wish us luck!!

And... if we happen to get to keep our house... I will get to "move into it" all over again! ;)