I think I may have mentioned my cousin down in Georgia who lost her job with a landscape company about two years ago when Atlanta was experiencing that terrible drought. Well, she's never been able to find anything, even though she's done everything to think creatively, and to keep an open mind about what to consider as job options.
Well, she wrote me this morning that she's going to be moving. This was news to me, especially since she and I had had a long phone conversation about a week ago.
It turns out that she's one who is also being affected by the wretched housing market. She bought a condo about ten years ago that was assessed at $300 K a few years ago. At the time of that assessment, she had about $100 K in equity. Now, because of the dramatic decline in assessed value, combined with her job loss, she finds that this financial situation has been flipped upside down. Her neighbor, who's condo has a better view, has been trying to sell it for two years, with no takers. She recently dropped her price to $170 K, and still no interest! My cousin says that the condo/townhouse market in Atlanta is saturated, and that there plenty of newer condos around than the complex she lives in, even though hers is only ten years old.
My cousin has done everything to get her mortgage company to work with her, and has made many different suggestions to them. For some reason that baffles her, they won't help. This is crazy!! I thought that she was one of those homeowners who falls exactly into the category that is supposed to be helped right now.
She has no other debt, and owns her car. Unfortunately, she has just made the very difficult decision to walk away from the property, even though she knows that sooner or later it will recover. She's just run out of time, and will be moving in with a girlfriend temporarily...
In the meantime, her older brother (who is stubborn as ****) is making her nuts. He was recently diagnosed with prostate cancer, but refuses to do anything about it. He cancelled his surgery twice!
This cousin also lost her husband to cancer about 25 years ago when her son was only twelve, and she raised him on her own as a single mother. She's always been very responsible, and this all JUST SUCKS! Especially this time of year, and with her first grandchild on the way (a little girl).
She refuses to play the "victim" card, and says that she will deal with this, but what I DON'T understand is why her mortgage company won't work with her. Isn't that what they're supposed to be doing?
I am SO upset... She has so much on her plate right now (there's more, but I won't bore you), and she really doesn't deserve this too.
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"It is our choices that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities"
(Dumbledore to Harry Potter)
On, Moore, I am so sorry for your cousin and share your sympathy with her. It always seems that the most vulnerable are the last to get the help. Just last night Ted and I were talking about the huge car company guys that flew into DC in their private jets demanding help from the government and had no plan of action to offer at all. Does this not crystallise the problem nicely, or horribly, actually. The HAVES expect help, the HAVE NOTS that need it are refused.
Socialism has been a dirty word south of our border for a long time. It's a way of life here. People do fall through the cracks, certainly, but for the most part, we tend to help those that need it by using the tax dollars extracted from the wealthy. I snort to myself when I read about ball and hockey players, recruited from the USA, to come play for a Canadian team and all their disgusting belly aching about the taxes they have to pay on their bloated salaries.
Unfortunately for your cousin, she'll have to rely upon the kindness of friends and family to help her through this mess. It's extremely unfair, and IMHO, very wrong, but that is just one of the differences in our two countries.
Good thoughts and luck to your cousin. I wish I had a suggestion for her, but she probably wouldn't consider immigration if she has family there, and is expecting a new little one soon. Please keep us updated on her situation.
Just 50 some days until Obama takes the helm. Maybe he'll make the changes necessary to help those deserving souls and leave the fat cats to hang out and dry. We can only hope.
Thanks, KaeEll. She has put on such a strong face on this, but my heart is just breaking for her. She's one of those who did everything right, and yet she's another one who is left with this mess. As she said this morning, she's been living on her own for a very long time, and while she's very grateful to have a friend who's ready to take her in for a little while, it's going to feel very strange.
I don't know why so many people here are afraid to have the government oversee some of this stuff either. I think a lot of our problems began with the DEregulation of so many of our industries here, such as the airlines and the phone company. It's all a big mess!
How's your little guy, KaeEll? Did he get rid of his sniffles?
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"It is our choices that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities"
(Dumbledore to Harry Potter)
Yes, he is a GO for surgery tomorrow. They'll drop Vanessa off at school at 8:30 then head right down to Sick Kids, surgery scheduled for 11:35 tomorrow morning. I pick up Vanessa at 3:30 and bring her back here for dinner. I think I''ll make her grilled cheese sandwiches and home fries, cherry tomatoes on the side, a brownie for dessert. Nanny's comfort food, lol. Then Tony will phone me from Sick Kids when they are released to take Quentin home and I'll meet them in their driveway with Vanessa, if all goes well, around 6:30.
As it turns out, Sick Kids does 15 of these operations a day, so I think they are feeling pretty confident. My childhood next door neighbour is head of anaesthesiology there too. They have talked to him about the surgery and he's taken a personal interest. Good.
My d-i-l's mother was supposed to come up here for a couple of weeks to help with Vanessa as little Q will need 3 baths a day for a month. But she choked, so it looks like I'll be over there quite a bit for the next while, at least picking up Vanessa every day from school. That's not my favourite task as the school is in High Park, crazy traffic, and terrible parking. I have to get there a half hour ahead of time just to find a space, then trudge up a hill to the school, two flights of steep stairs, and park my butt on a teensy bench in wait. By the time the kids get their boots, hats and jackets on, then plod back down to the car, battle traffic, it's almost 4:45 by the time I get back to Tony's house, and another 10 minutes for me to get home. So it's a 2 hour process. Gah.
I'm recording some stuff from Treehouse for V to watch tomorrow. She isn't really allowed to watch TV, but this is special occasion. And it keeps her from wanting to get into my makeup. :)
I'll be thinking about Quentin tomorrow, and about you and Vanessa too! I'm sure that everything will go well...
That comfort food menu sounds perfect to me, by the way! Yum. But, I don't envy you the school routine.
I have many of my side dishes prepped, and in the fridge, and have been emailing back and forth with AD all afternoon with instructions for her to do her own thing out there in AZ. Now she'll know first hand how hard I work!! LOL... We're going to miss her here, but may set up my computer and camera at her place with Skype. That way, we can all pretend that she's sitting there.
__________________
"It is our choices that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities"
(Dumbledore to Harry Potter)
Moore, I'm so sorry for your cousin. I'll keep her in my thoughts and will have my friend add her to her prayer list at her church.
Kae, I hope Quentin makes it through his surgery okay! Many thoughts and prayers for him, too.
I'm going to bro and sil's for thanksgiving tomorrow night. All I'm supposed to bring is my famed sweet potato dish, LOL. If that's all I have to do, I'm okay with that! I'll also bring a snack or two as well. I'm planning on being up early to be at K Mart when they open at 7 in the morning for their Thanksgiving day sale. They are having a buy one get one free sale on board games, and Jack's been wanting some, since all we have here is Candyland and Chutes and Ladders. But as for Black Friday? I plan on staying far away from all the stores! I have to work, anyway.
