May 18, 2011

The House Auction

Over the past few weeks, we've caught several cars driving by our house really slowly. When the drivers see us, they get skittish and speed away.

Understandably, this all has made us sort of nervous and pretty much convinced that an organized crime ring is casing our house.

As it turns out, people have been casing our house...not because they want to rob it but because they want to buy it.

Yesterday we got a letter in the mail from an attorney's office in Tallahassee informing us that our house is going up for public auction in two weeks.

Me no likey Bank of America.

We bought this house via a short sale from BoA back in December. Based on the content of the letter and to whom it was addressed (the home's former owners), we figured out pretty quickly that the bank didn't tell all of the necessary parties that they sold the property. Hence, the auction.

Bank of America assured us that they'll get everything cleared up before the auction date. Mmm hmmm. I totally believe them.

What should I wear to the auction? Of course I'm going to attend. With all my screaming kids.

52 comments

Niki said...

I worked for B of A for six months. They are just as "scatter brained" as an employer. I never did open an acct with them. I saw how many unhappy customers they had...

Beanz said...

Oh, WOW...

Anita Wells said...

hope you tell 'em the kids are included.

Heather Stickle said...

Great idea! One time at Girls' Camp, someone took the campsite our level-three girls wanted. So a couple of them started singing an obnoxious camp song. The other group left soon after that!

craftyashley said...

HAHA! Include the kids in the sale!

Sarah said...

http://consumerist.com/2011/05/the-golden-and-silver-poo-trophies-are-in-the-mail-to-bp-bank-of-america.html

Crista said...

Oh my. Hubby says to "lawyer up" and go after the title company and BofA. Course, he's sue happy since his brother is an attorney ;).
I hope everything works out for you.

Anna said...

Niiiiiiiiiice. I bet that just made your day!

Kellee the Caffeinated said...

OYE!!!

Mom of 12 said...

Since I also have MY home loan with Bank of America that scares me a little bit...maybe I better pull out my paperwork and read all the fine print.
Sandy
www.twelvemakesadozen.blogspot.com

Kerrie (and Jason) said...

Where are all those snakes in the pool area when you want them?

Samurai Mom said...

Maybe you can show off the rats in the attic!

Duda Capucci said...

Oh, man! You are so amazing!

Christina Bond said...

My home is mortgaged with BoA...took us nearly 6 months to close on our home because the kept losing our paper work...

Kerry Ann @Vinobaby's Voice said...

Eek! Gotta love the superior and slick business practices of BOA. That's why they make the big bucks.

Well, at least you know if you ever want to sell people will be interested.

Good luck.

tarichuck said...

Oh Lordy. I agree with the others who suggest you announce at the auction that the kids are included. Oh and don't forget that you have rats and the yard is a snake magnet. Fine selling points!

Jennifer said...

Our home loan is with BoA, too. The day before our closing, I called the loan officer to make sure everything was in order. Turns out that when we changed the original closing date to two weeks later, she assumed that we wouldn't close and hadn't sent the paperwork to underwriting. Without our very aggressive Realtor, another very aggressive admin. at the lawyer's office, and a miracle, we wouldn't have closed. They are an absolute disaster. Some friends used BoA a few years ago and their loan has been sold and re-sold so many times they don't know where to send the check every month...I wish I had listened when they advised us not to work with BoA.

Christine said...

Crazy! B of A short sales are the worst! We gave up on our nightmare of one. Hope it all gets worked out.

Susan said...

Our morgage is with BoA too. I called 2 days before closing and they'd lost all our paperwork! Thankfully, that was back before kids when I was organized, so I'd made copies of everything and had good records... doubt that would happen now!
We're sticking it out in a house we're outgrowing because I'm terrified of the selling/buying/moving process.
I hope everything gets worked out!

April said...

Make a sign for your front yard notifying everyone that the house is not for sale and a big mistake....or have some fun with it.

Put a chalk outline of a dead body in the drive way with ketchup blood stains.

Or make a sign declaring the house haunted.

I'm sure you can come up with something...

Karen said...

OMGosh.....the comment about the chalk outline was hilarious!

Kim said...

Bank of America has an awesome track record for this kind of thing. Sarah linked to Consumerist and it could be helpful and/or depressing.

Gabrielle Mappone said...

I think you should threaten to sue them for humiliation since all those ppl are casing your house! I bet there will be no issue then!

Gabrielle Mappone said...

I just read the other comments...chalk outline in driveway- love it! Kids are up for auction, too! Great! Go with it...then take a nice photo from across the street- get in all the details and Wham! great Christmas card photo!

Amanda said...

BoA. oh my. when i moved to Seattle and set up an account with them they gave me a number. after depositing my first paycheck into that account i learned they had just given me the account number of someone else with my first and last name! needless to say i withdrew all my money and switched banks.

A. said...

While that sucks and hopefully it is cleared up soon, I actually LOVE Bank of America. Never had any issues. In fact, when I first opened an account I was asked if I would be attending college (I wouldn't have to pay a maintenance fee if I was) and I said no and the lady just said, "We'll pretend that you do" so I got a campus edge card and don't have to pay maintenance, which is good because up until now I have never been able to keep a balance of $700 (automatic free maintenance).
Just the other week I gouged my card and called for a new one and got it a few days later in the mail.

Jenny P. said...

I'm not sure I have ever known anyone to have so much fantastic luck when it comes to one house. Swingers, and now this? Awesome.

The Mommy Therapy said...

That's crazy!

Definitely put the kids in the mix, primed with a healthy dose of sugar and possibly caffiene.

Can you find that snake again too?

Christine said...

I have had an checking/savings/line of credit/credit card with them and every bank they have been for the last 20 years and have never had a problem. I have had to cash large checks and have been able to have it done with no holds.
I guess I am glad that I have never had a mortgage with them, that is scary stuff!!!

KSK said...

Omigoodness!!!! What a nightmare! (and after reading all of your comments, they've lost my business... not that I ever would bank with them anyways!)
I checked out the rest of your blog--I'm your newest follower :)

www.kskspot.blogspot.com

SharePoint Web Hosting said...

Nice blog!

Moxie-Dude said...

Oh my. That brings "no news, is good news" to a new level. What a scary experience! Although I'm sure that it will all come out okay (since you did buy the house, afterall), it's still something to worry about. Good luck!

Emily Heizer Photography said...

OH. MY. FRAKING. COW. You have got to be kidding me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Please post a sign in the front yard or something stating there was a processing error or something, for all of our sakes?! (And the chalk outline with the ketchup, for good measure) But seriously, that is ridiculous! What the freaking hell!

A mother heart said...

I think I would contact a lawyer and get them to at least write a letter to the bank so they know you're serious...I've heard too many scary stories about this stuff happening alot and people being dragged through the mud on a bank mistake.
Also, maybe you should put a sign in your yard saying that it's NOT up for auction for all those nosy people casing the joint.

Anonymous said...

What exactly would she be able to sue them for.....

Lisa said...

Holy crap!! Oh no, that is terrible. Our mortgage is through B of A. I have heard mixed things about them. This makes me nervous.

Fingers crossed that they clear this up asap! P.S. wear something slutty. :)

AlsoMean said...

you should wear a bikini, and lie on a chaise lounge in the front yard
the chalk body outline also sounds promising!

Jennifer said...

Please, please, PLEASE do the chalk outline!!

The Galloping Gobets said...

ABSOLUTELY take a voice recorder with you EVERY TIME you go to the bank and discuss your loans. When you go to the Auction take your video recorder, hand it to one of the kids and tell them to make sure and tape mommy and any person mommy speaks to. You can't use it in court but you can use it in negotiation. It also makes the other person VERY sure of what they say!
"This call is being recordered for Training Purposes"

Anonymous said...

My husband and I bought a short sale from BofA in 2009. It took over six months of "paperwork" and "approvals" we were told, but when it finally came down to it, we learned that the paperwork had sat on someone's desk for the past 6 months untouched! It was a total nightmare. I hate BofA and will never bank with them!!

Anonymous said...

Bank of America is the definition of incompetency. They are a complete nightmare! It takes over an hour and getting switched to over six people to get a home loan question answered. They are untrained and unorganized. I have very bad feelings and words for them.
Sorry you are having to deal with them. Good luck!

Ashley Ferris said...

I once had a mortgage with them. I lived in Lapel, IN which is in Madison County....They put the address as Madison, IN and then proceeded to tell me that I didn't physically live in said house and that was a violation of my FHA loan...so they pooled all my payments I was making into a fund and told me they were going to foreclose on my house...It took several months to convince them that I lived in the house...in Lapel, IN not Madison,IN...Months later I see that I am in the paper for back property taxes because when BoA withheld my payment to the mortgage, they also did not send in the payments from escrow...talk about a mess!

debisblog said...

To give all the details of our BofA nightmare would be waaay too long of a posting. Just know that we did EVERYTHING we should/could for a successful closing on a short sale purchase. It took 8 months for them to process a FULL CASH purchase. Finally, after closing, funding and I had deed in hand, did I go to work! We did $40K in renovations only to have them come back 5 weeks later and TAKE THE HOUSE BACK!!! I lost my $40k, plus so much time and frustration! This was a paperwork error on their part! My senator says I all I can do is get a lawyer. The lawyer says it will cost me tens of thousands of dollars fighting a giant with unlimited resources. My heart goes out to you. Lesson Learned: Do not trust BofA to use common sense or fair business practices!

Liz said...

Oh. My. Gosh.

Erin Starks-Teeter said...

Wow. I want updates on this.

LisaC said...

I'm way late on this topic but... I have my mtg w/ BOA and noticed this month that they started charging $67 / month for disability insurance. When I called I was asked if I signed up for their special promotion at closing a year ago - I remembered then that they wanted me to sign that I got a year free and then had to call to cancel (like the old record clubs) - I had refused. When the man looked up my paperwork, he goes 'oh, yeah, you checked the box "declined" - makes you wonder how "declined" becomes "accepted" in their weird world!

Patty said...

Hope you get the highest bid!

Lisa said...

What a NIGHTMARE!!! It seems like a large and reputable company like that would dot their 'I's and cross their 'T's. I hope they get the situation recified for you.

Jennifer Shabdue said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Lawbag said...

I hope you got an attorney. Don't trust BOA to straighten out their mess. Read this article: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/43299097
It's about a couple who paid cash for a foreclosed house and then got a notice of foreclosure from BOA even though they didn't have a mortagage. Took them 18 months, including going to court, to get it settled. They got a judgment for attorneys fees against BOA and then BOA WOULDN'T pay. Hope it all works out for you, but don't make the mistake of trusting BOA.

mom2mlg said...

I have been a regular reader for about 2 years and have three kids under the age of 4 and see a lot of your posts as my future...

My family all lives in Florida and I grew up there so your comments about Floridians really cracks me up and when I read this post it seemed about right.

I thought that this BOA article might make you feel a little better: http://www.insideadvantage.com/catalog/product.jsp?categoryId=13&productId=2662

Enjoy! And keep up the great work!

Anonymous said...

Bank of America attempted to put a foreclosure on our home. We own the house (paid as agreed) and never even had a mortgage with BoA. What a mess that bank is.