bubble gum ice cream & fannie mae

18 months ago, we moved to bend, oregon. we moved here to set down roots. little did we know, the home we rented, and paid our rent on time. every month. was in foreclosure. thank you to The Palmers. thankyouverymuch for making my family's life during this holiday season complete and utter hell.

do i have your attention yet? read on. it gets better.

i have never once in my life not paid my rent. i have never once in my life not taken care of a home. a home is where you hang your heart. and there have been times, when our life has been so financially upside down due to health issues and other unforeseen circumstances, when we could barely eat - but then rent, somehow, someway, always.got.paid.

i have also never owned a home. i understand things happen. drastic things happen that cause foreclosure. i get that. it has happened to close friends. and there were godforsaken reasons why in some of those cases. but you rehabilitate. but when you throw a remodel and business into a home that causes it to go up for auction for $456,000 when the value is only $140,000 on auction day? that's just plain foolishness. and then when you leave the home, rent it out to unsuspecting tenants, neglect to tell your leasing agent it's in the last stages of foreclosure? that's of poor character that i pray on judgement day? you really lose your shorts for, because palmer's? what you've done? is just low and callous and if you knew the grief you have caused for this family? you'd have thought twice about putting this home up for rent, so you could afford rent in another home. i see your beautiful camper you now have. and the new vehicles parked in front of your home. and your business i hear from the realtors that are now showing my home for sale, is thriving. i am glad you are doing so well. maybe word will get to you how you have made my family suffer through the foreclosure of your home. oh, and i'm sure when this home sells, you will benefit, as you will likely be hired to inspect it. fabulous.

when the home foreclosed, fannie mae offered two options to us: cash for keys - get out and we will relocate you. or a 12 month lease. the 12 month lease lowered our rent $250 and we didn't have to move. when you have a 7 year old, really not a good idea to uproot. we chose the lease option and lower rent. 90 days before the lease was up, i contacted the leasing company to ask what the next steps were, because the lease was up right near the holidays. i did not want to be in a jam and not know what our options were at the last minute. i'm a smart business woman and wanted to be prepared.

i never. heard. a. word.

until november 14th. and my lease was up november 30th. and oh, i tried. every single day. i would wake up, first task - email leasing agent. call leasing agent. got voicemail every day. never a call back. on the 14th, we were told our lease was up, they raised our rent nearly $300 and fannie mae would not renew and we had 60 days to vacate. merry christmas to us. had i known this prior when i began asking 90 days before, i'd have vacated end of october and broken my lease.

fast forward to december. we have had three different property management companies assigned to us by fannie mae in less than 15 days. we have had to show the home 8 different times in the last 5 days. we have been accused of being non-cooperative and it has been suggested by the managing sale broker that we be evicted due to non-cooperation. EVICTED. AT CHRISTMAS. yet, we've shown the home 8 times in the last 5 days.

tonight, there were 2 showings scheduled. this would make 10 showings with a non-cooperative us. the two realtors never showed. we left to take kennedy for bubble gum ice-cream to celebrate her A+ report card. (go kennedy. we are so extremely proud of you peanut butter. you never cease to amaze and rock our socks off with your brainiac abilities!!!)

we came home to find someone had shoveled a path past the garbage cans, to the garage, to the gate, INTO the backyard, around the deck, ONTO The deck, through the yard. someone entered my property. i have to say, this has crossed the line. bend police department dispatch was a complete asshole for telling me, i "should be thankful that someone was likely doing a random act of kindness by shoveling my drive and i should feel blessed this time of year." (this is a QUOTE. NO exaggeration.) excuse my french? but fuck you BPD dispatcher. if you only knew. this is NOT a random act of kindness. this was someone invading our privacy snooping on my property without our permission. this was someone who was lucky my german shepherd happened to be on a playdate tonight. because if he wasn't? add a lawsuit against me to this exceptionally shittastic year, as max would have eaten whomever tried to enter my property.

i am beyond words at this point. what makes this hardest for me - there is a billboard on reed market that says something to the affect - "been foreclosed upon in 2011? you may be entitled to a credit from oregon state gov!" are you frigging KIDDING ME? foreclosed UPON???? does this mean I AM ENTITLED to the credit? because i AM the one foreclosed UPON. NOT the Palmers. they did this to US. WE are the ones suffering now. because we signed a lease. in a home. and had no idea it was being foreclosed.

i am writing because i'm angry. not because i want a woe-is-me-response. not because i want to hear oh shell, it will be ok. i always land on my damn feet, yes. we will be fine. we are having trouble finding a home. the right home. one within budget. one that is dog friendly, that is not a dump. and, i want our story to get out so people will know that tenants rights are never considered. and anyone that has been to our home, know - we are amazing tenants. i have had to retain an attorney, and that is draining more money that we simply don't have to spend right now. it will be a miracle if we are able to pull of christmas for this little one that we have.

and - oh - i almost forgot to mention, the Palmers? I will continue to pray for peace for the both of you. so that you can be right within your souls. that maybe in 2013 you will stop using this address for your business, and for your son's mailing address that was in afganistan. the packages you continue to have shipped here, i will no longer take your phone calls and allow you to pick them up here as i've done for the last 12 months. i have had your UPS account flagged so that they will no longer deliver here for anyone in your family. i am done being your personal delivery service. how sad a life you must lead full of lies. i will keep praying for you both. because MY heart is filled with that much kindness, even though it is rippled with sadness each day not knowing how much more of my privacy can be violated. anyone that knows me, and knows me well, knows i am an accomodating, cooperative, and generous soul. it is well within my soul.

peace and be good.