I thought I'd take a few minutes and blog about what's been going on with our
old house, the one we lived in for the last year and a half.
This is the
house owned by the hispanic couple, the one we were living in rent-free in
exchange for fixing the place up after the accident where the van went through
the side of their house.
Last Monday, the owner came back to check on
some things and he couldn't get in. The locks had been changed, and so his key
didn't work. There were orange stickers on the house that said, "THIS PROPERTY
WAS FOUND VACANT AND (in accordance with mortgage agreement, H.U.D. or V.A.
guidelines) HAS BEEN SECURED". A.P.P. 3/21/08 Winterized--Yes."
The
owner went to my dad's house and got him, and they went back over there. They
knew that the back window was unlocked, because they'd used that way to get in
before if they didn't have the key. It was still unlocked--as a matter of fact,
it was wide open. They crawled through the window and looked around. The
basement door was open and the light was on, and the back door was unlocked as
well. In hindsight, they think now someone may have actually been in the house
at the time, but they don't know for sure.
They left the house, thinking
that the people that secured it were gone, and called the police to make a
report. When they got back to the house next (I think Dad said it was the next
day) the house was completely sealed up. The windows, the back door, everything
that was not secure earlier was now secure.
The owners bought the house
on contract several years ago and paid it off in a few years. They have the
deed, and there are no liens against the house. They have paid their property
taxes, and there is no reason this house should have been secured. The deputy
sherrif that is helping them with the investigation double checked all records
and verified that there is no legal action against the house. After speaking
with an attorney, he told the owner that he has the right to break back in and
reposses his own house.
He was going to go in yesterday, but he didn't
show up. He may have slept the day away, since he worked all night the night
before.
Some of the advocacy groups my dad talked to think it may have
been bootleggers, trying to steal the house. They said sometimes they will take
over a house like that and try and intimidate the owners or try to extort money
from them by making them think they owe them money for a bad debt or something.
I didn't know it was possible to steal a house, but it looks like that may be
what's going on. The deputy sheriff also said that it very possible it's a hate
crime, because they are hispanic.
What's scary is that it appears they
were just waiting for us to move out. We were gone a month before they came and
took over. I don't know if they knew the owners, or if they are from the area,
or how long they've been watching this place. There's a possibility it was only
a mistake, but most of the people involved seem to think it was deliberate. They
left no contact information or paper trail, and no one (banks, title company,
realtors) are admitting to knowing anything about this.
The newspaper is
investigating this as well. I'll post a link when it comes out. I will also post
any further updates I find out about this.
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