[OP deleted]

[minzy]

Eeek. A chapter 13 bankruptcy might let her keep the house but that still requires monthly payments which would be tough without income.

[af1212]

Is anything about this COVID-related? I know for a while there were some programs to help people keep their homes who had been impacted by COVID.

[lolalolalola]

Here you can dial 211 to be connected to local social service organizations. Does your town have anything like that?

[noodleoo]

Is she elderly? You could also try your local council on aging for support.

You are a good person to try to help her.

[imojoebunny]

If your willing to get into it, finding out if she has equity in her house, and how much, if it would be enough for you or an investor to help her come out of arrears to avoid foreclosure, and sell, which would give her money to rent a place, which is probably more realistic than owning, given her struggles. If she has no equity, helping her connect with resources is useful. It sucks, but her dog is probably not going to be able to go wherever she is going to go, unless she can get income and a place soon (it is really hard to get housing after a foreclosure), so help in finding a place for him that she can feel like he will be safe, could be a very helpful thing in allowing her to move forward, she might in time be able to take him back. Sadly, I went to grad school with a similar lady. There is only so much you can do. My grad school friend did end up getting disability, and was able to keep her house, but it was her family who bailed her out of the deep debt, that she got into before she was able to get SSI and insurance through the state. There is no agency that is going to help her with $30K in back payments. It is only luck that my friend had a house she could afford on SSI, and I won't lie, her house is in rough shape now, and she doesn't have the money to maintain it.

[scout8]

I really doubt that the foreclosure process is going to take such a short amount of time. That is usually a long process. Hopefully, legal aid can help with that side of things.

I would also encourage her to meet with a real estate broker. She will probably make more money if she can sell on the open market rather than selling directly to an investor or one of those house/cash people.

[imojoebunny]

Oct 21, 2021 22:38:02 GMT -5 dr.girlfriend said:

Oct 21, 2021 21:01:03 GMT -5 imojoebunny said:

Sadly, I looked at the criteria for social security disability and I don't think she would meet, and I don't think she can really make the case that this is due to COVID since it seems like she sought the forbearance well before then.  She's in her mid-50s at my best guess, so probably not eligible for services aimed at the elderly.  Honestly, the whole situation is so puzzling to me.  She seems eminently employable  I keep repeating "her decisions are not my decisions" but it's so stressful even from a very distant perspective, I can't imagine what she is going through or how hopeless she had to be feeling to let it get to this point.  

It is hard to know what is goes on in people's minds.  I have met plenty of people who just got stuck, sometimes from job loss, a relationship that went south, health crisis, substance abuse (addicts don't always look like people think), or some other difficult event, and couldn't find a path forward.   I hope she finds her way to a new and satisfying life.  

[Gato]

LL Bean has a ton of job openings right now; one is for remote call center work. It’s at minimum wage, but where I live that’s $15 an hour. Might she try applying for call center jobs in high-wage areas? It won’t help her keep her house, but it will keep a roof over her head.

Good luck to your neighbor; that’s a sad situation to find yourself in, and a not uncommon fate for unmarried older women.

[flygirl]

I think you can offer her some suggestions of places to go which may provide assistance but it sounds like she just stuck her head in the sand for way too long.
My friends MIL was like this-they lived a somewhat lavish lifestyle with a fancy house, fancy car and luxury vacations, The whole family thought they had tons of money from selling their business but when FIL passed away, the house of cards collapsed. MIL was so in denial that any suggestion to cut back on her lifestyle and sell vehicles was just met by a “I don’t want to do that.” For like 6 months she refused to do anything and then they had her meet with a financial advisor and he explained how soon she’d run out of money…and it wasn’t pretty. Does your neighbor have anyone that she can see to discuss selling and trying to keep her equity vs lose it all? Some people just need someone to start the process for them.

[atarianna]

I would be so cautious of the quick buy with cash people, they are known to take advantage of others without a care in the world. Can she talk with the bank about an extension of some sort with the intention of selling? The bank will usually be on board because they do end up getting their money and don’t have to tie up their own resources to do it.