Our First Move part 2

Welcome back, I hope I haven't kept you in suspense for too long. ;) I left you last Friday with the end of our repayment plan. We couldn't make the last payment on time and we wanted to try and split it up so we could keep going. We had two payments left and we would be all caught up and back to making our regular payments. I called the mortgage company to see if we could split up the remaining $2400 for a couple of months and they said
no. Just wait until you can pay it.

So September slipped by, there was no paying it, October slipped by and there was still no way that we could make it. So, we took November and December to try and figure out what to do. We talked to our realtor who was absolutely LIVID with how the mortgage company was treating us and she said there really was no way that we would be able to list it and sell it in time. We only had to make $54,000 in order to repay the mortgage company, but we'd have to list it for higher in order to find a new place. It was just highly unlikely PLUS we'd have a lot of remodeling to do in order to qualify it for certain financing.

So when January came around, I started working with them on a loan modification. (Homeowners facing a major financial hardship that could lead to a foreclosure may work with a lender to get a loan modification — sometimes called a mortgage modification, workout plan or restructuring — which will change the terms of the mortgage loan so the borrower can afford the payments. - from Zillow.com) I called a billion times, faxed a million and three sheets of paper at least twelve thousand times...We were hopeful. It seemed the best way to go.

We had done a lot of praying about it and we were really feeling led to fight it out. We felt that perhaps God was trying to teach us to better care for our things and to take pride in what he had provided for us in the very beginning. Our focus was upward rather than outward and we had hope.

When we got our taxes back we poured everything we had into fixing up the place. The basement was in the process of getting partially finished and we updated the kitchen IMMENSELY. New cabinets and counter tops, a built-in breakfast nook - we poured blood and sweat into it. We were excited about the prospect of getting everything fixed up and really making a home out of it, like we had failed to do before.

Not even the same kitchen!!!!!!

A photo posted by || kayla j nelson || (@theaccidentalnomadlifeblog) on May 12, 2013 at 5:11pm PDT

It was July and we had just finished the nook, painted it and I had filled the empty benches with our board games. I went out to the mailbox on July 14th, hoping to find a birthday card with $20 in it or something exciting - it was after all, my 24th birthday.

And we have a table!!!!!!!!!!!

A photo posted by || kayla j nelson || (@theaccidentalnomadlifeblog) on Jun 30, 2013 at 7:43pm PDT

Instead I found a letter from our mortgage company stating that our home would be on the sheriff's sale on September 4, 2013. Why do I remember the date so clearly?

September 4th is our anniversary.

So on my birthday I learned that our home would be sold out from under us on our anniversary.

I called my dad and he encouraged me. I was so frustrated. I had just spent the last six months working my butt off on our modification and spent a billion dollars to fax however many sheets. We were just waiting on our final call back to see if we were approved. Yes. It took THAT long to just get looked at to see if we qualified.

There were a ton of hoops that I had to jump through in order to even remotely qualify to be looked at. The people that were constantly parking in front of our house and taking pictures didn't help things any. 

I had just finished faxing our final updated packet (because after 3 or so months your information became invalid and you had to update it all over again) and a couple of days later we got that letter.

I was completely crushed. I had worked so hard to try and get them EXACTLY what they wanted and they continued the process on us.

I called the mortgage company and the lady that I talked to said, "picture the modification and the foreclosure as two trains on train tracks. One keeps going faster while the other might be slower."

Well, that right there just said we were doomed.

Andrew and I began looking for places to rent. We weren't going to do it any more. If we were going to have to move out, we were going to do it on our own terms and we were leaving.

The lists and packing have begun!

A photo posted by || kayla j nelson || (@theaccidentalnomadlifeblog) on Jul 16, 2013 at 12:00pm PDT

I stopped answering the mortgage company, I ignored all of the paperwork that came in the mail. I was done. I was defeated. I was scared.

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If you are going through a foreclosure right now, take heart. It's not the end of the world. It will affect your credit for up to 7 years and you might have to just rent until then but it's ok. Foreclosure is not something to be ashamed of. You don't have to be afraid, like I was. You'll make it. There is hope and there ARE amazing people out there looking to be a landlord to someone that just wants a place to live and is willing to work hard to pay rent every month. (Rachel, you and Jason ROCK.)

Have you dealt with foreclosure before? Did you end up losing your home or were you able to save it? I'd love to hear your experience. It's nice to know we are not alone in our circumstances.