What makes a person trash a foreclosing house?

[Miss Peregrine]

:confused:

 

Our neighbors are losing their house and they are stripping absolutely everything out of it. Light fixtures, appliances, ALL the cabinets, toilets, etc. They are basically leaving an empty shell.

 

The neighbor said the bank screwed her over. Yet she hasn't payed to live there in almost a year.

 

I just don't get it. She is supposedly an environmentalist yet she is creating all this waste.

She had her boyfriend cut down a majority of the trees in her yard(we live in a national forest) Many of them were over 100 feet tall. :(

I am really disappointed in her (lack of) character.

 

I just don't understand.

[kat19]

Maybe she is hoping to sell some of the items for money.

Seems weird to take everything and even cut down trees.

[Sophia]

I was shocked when my husband told me how common this is.

 

I've had to tour some of those houses with him when he gets called in to bid repair work and it's just unbelievable.

 

These (were) beautiful houses in really nice neighborhoods.

 

I don't get it either.

[Hockey Mom]

I would call the police. That house isn't hers anymore, and she's not only vandalizing it, she's stealing from it too.

[SevenDaisies]

It's terrible that people can't take personal responsibility for their mistakes. If you make your payments, the bank won't take away your house. The truth is, the bank is getting screwed. They are going to end up with a house in ruins, that was probably already worth less than what was owed.

[Hockey Mom]

It's terrible that people can't take personal responsibility for their mistakes. If you make your payments, the bank won't take away your house. The truth is, the bank is getting screwed. They are going to end up with a house in ruins, that was probably already worth less than what was owed.

I don't know that I agree with that. Having been one of 'those people' who had to work with a bank in an effort to save our house, the bank is definitely not the one getting screwed. We were lucky. Our house sold. But the bank was pushing us to foreclosure. And it wasn't because we didn't work hard enough, or mismanaged our money, or bought a "McMansion". We lost 80% of our income. And the bank, despite us never being late on ONE payment in 8 years, didn't want to work with us.

 

That doesn't excuse what the OP neighbor's doing to her home though. I can understand the frustration though.

[happypamama]

Sadly, this is not uncommon. Some people feel a need for revenge or something. The first house we bought was a foreclosure -- they said that the father of the family died, and the mom and teens just let the house go. A thermostat was bad, so the heat didn't work; instead of calling an electrician (who fixed it for us in a few minutes; we only called a professional because the mortgage company required it), they used kerosene heaters, which resulted in kerosene stains all over the stairs and a scorched wall in the master bedroom. A fixture in the upstairs shower was missing, so water poured into the floor, damaging the dining room ceiling. And so on. Heartbreaking on so many levels.

[Joanne]

It's terrible that people can't take personal responsibility for their mistakes. If you make your payments, the bank won't take away your house. The truth is, the bank is getting screwed. They are going to end up with a house in ruins, that was probably already worth less than what was owed.

 

There are thousands of people who have been/are being foreclosed on where this is not the case.

 

I won't give yet another summary of my story, but I made a $1275 payment every month last year and am still being foreclosed on (the Making Homes Affordable program is, to say the least, a mess).

 

To answer the OP, we didn't trash our house. In fact, I cleaned a lot of it. However, I do know the serious, sustained and pervasive weariness that accompanies sustained financial and housing stress. I can see how an otherwise sane, courteous person with principles would trash a home.

[Ohdanigirl]

There were a lot of foreclosures here last year, and we saw a lot of this. So I guess you can say it is an international trend.

 

Danielle

[Gooblink]

I would call the police. That house isn't hers anymore, and she's not only vandalizing it, she's stealing from it too.

 

Absolutely.

 

On the other hand,

 

We looked at a foreclosure last week that, honestly, I can't even begin to describe. It was horribly sad. I don't even know that the people trashed it for revenge - it was abandoned and ransacked, vandalized and had windows and doors left open so there's tremendous water damage, to boot. The reason it was so sad is that there were peoples' possessions left behind - clothing, electronics, family photos, kids' toys, shoes...some of the stuff even looked new. I can't imagine the heartache that left that mess.

[Jean in Newcastle]

We've had houses trashed by renters who were evicted. They took a sledge hammer to the plumbing, peed and pooped all over the carpet, punched holes in the drywall. . . Just lovely.

[Ibbygirl]

We've had houses trashed by renters who were evicted. They took a sledge hammer to the plumbing, peed and pooped all over the carpet, punched holes in the drywall. . . Just lovely.

 

:eek: That's unbelievable! I really don't understand that behavior. That must have been a horrible day for you.:grouphug: Yikes!

[FlockOfSillies]

My house's previous owners took most of the kitchen cabinets when the bank foreclosed. My 9-foot-wide kitchen looked soooo spacious! Sixteen years later and I still don't have a "matching set."

[Jean in Newcastle]

:eek: That's unbelievable! I really don't understand that behavior. That must have been a horrible day for you.:grouphug: Yikes!

 

Fortunately we found out and turned off the water to the house before it flooded too badly (busted pipes tend to spray everywhere. . .). And doing a walk through wasn't so fun. But we took copious pictures for insurance and the insurance company paid for repairs.

[Ibbygirl]

Fortunately we found out and turned off the water to the house before it flooded too badly (busted pipes tend to spray everywhere. . .). And doing a walk through wasn't so fun. But we took copious pictures for insurance and the insurance company paid for repairs.

 

Were you able to do anything about the former tenants? I mean, that surely seems like you could press charges against them for vandalism or destruction of private property in the least? I'm truly sorry. That is such despicable behavior. :(

[Jean in Newcastle]

Were you able to do anything about the former tenants? I mean, that surely seems like you could press charges against them for vandalism or destruction of private property in the least? I'm truly sorry. That is such despicable behavior. :(

 

We reported it to the insurance company and the Sheriff but I don't think anything came of it. They were evicted because they were months behind in rent. Then later we found out that the place was used as a drug/party house:eek: I think these guys were not afraid of someone coming after them for vandalism. . . We were the landlords but lived in another city so we didn't know what was going on. We ended up fixing up the place and then selling it.

[Ibbygirl]

We reported it to the insurance company and the Sheriff but I don't think anything came of it. They were evicted because they were months behind in rent. Then later we found out that the place was used as a drug/party house:eek: I think these guys were not afraid of someone coming after them for vandalism. . . We were the landlords but lived in another city so we didn't know what was going on. We ended up fixing up the place and then selling it.

 

Ugh!! That's awful. I don't blame you for selling it. The man who owns the townhouse next door to mine is always renting it out and it just seems like the endless parade of psychos over there. We just got new neighbors in (again) this week. Hopefully they'll be good. I get tired of all the near misses with the renters next door.

[Audrey]

:confused:

 

Our neighbors are losing their house and they are stripping absolutely everything out of it. Light fixtures, appliances, ALL the cabinets, toilets, etc. They are basically leaving an empty shell.

 

The neighbor said the bank screwed her over. Yet she hasn't payed to live there in almost a year.

 

I just don't get it. She is supposedly an environmentalist yet she is creating all this waste.

She had her boyfriend cut down a majority of the trees in her yard(we live in a national forest) Many of them were over 100 feet tall. :(

I am really disappointed in her (lack of) character.

 

I just don't understand.

 

I'm not condoning the actions, but she's hurt. She's angry. She's taking it out on something she actually can control. I'm not sure why that's so hard to understand. :confused:

[Heather in Neverland]

I'm not condoning the actions, but she's hurt. She's angry. She's taking it out on something she actually can control. I'm not sure why that's so hard to understand. :confused:

 

And while I would never do that... here in Malaysia kitchen cabinets, toilets, etc. are NOT consider part of the house. Usually when you buy a house they do not have these items and you have to install them.

 

Now taking a sledgehammer to the pipes is something entirely different.

 

I have a friend who went through some really tough times...the bank would not work with her and she lost her house. Just a year before that her dh had installed all these beautiful custom cabinets in the kitchen. They didn't "trash" the house, but they took the cabinets with them. And they installed them in their new house.

[jld]

I'm not condoning the actions, but she's hurt. She's angry. She's taking it out on something she actually can control. I'm not sure why that's so hard to understand. :confused:

 

And this would not have had to have been this way at all. The gov't could have been pro-active and more on the side of homeowners than banks. Paul Krugman has written about this.

 

Very sad, and very unnecessary.

[LidiyaDawn]

 

Our neighbors are losing their house and they are stripping absolutely everything out of it. Light fixtures, appliances, ALL the cabinets, toilets, etc. They are basically leaving an empty shell.

 

 

 

I would call the police. That house isn't hers anymore, and she's not only vandalizing it, she's stealing from it too.

 

I don't understand how she's "stealing" -- it is her house... they're "losing" it, but right now it still belongs to them, doesn't it?

 

I've never owned (we rent) but don't you own the stuff INSIDE your home (and the things in your yard for that matter, although I hate to see trees cut down for spite)? Aren't your kitchen cabinets YOURS, to do with whatever you like?

 

And, for that matter, if I own a house and decide that I hate 'that ugly wall over there' and smash it up.. well, it was MY wall.

 

I'm not talking about the ethical implications/etc of this... just legal.

[Renee in NC]

I had a friend who was foreclosed on. Later, in talking to someone who had gone to look at it, he told me, "They took the kitchen cabinets when they left." Uh, no, they didn't. Someone *else* broke into the house and took the cabinets! Why would you steal cabinets out of a 15 year old trailer?

[amy g.]

I would be careful about calling the police.

 

When we sold our last house, we paid for salvage rights, and we did take everything even if it was nailed down.

 

One neighbor was a complete lunatic screaming in our faces and repeatedly "turning us in".

[hillfarm]

I don't understand how she's "stealing" -- it is her house... they're "losing" it, but right now it still belongs to them, doesn't it?

 

I've never owned (we rent) but don't you own the stuff INSIDE your home (and the things in your yard for that matter, although I hate to see trees cut down for spite)? Aren't your kitchen cabinets YOURS, to do with whatever you like?

 

QUOTE]

 

No, you do not own a house unless you have paid in full for it. When we "buy" a house here in the States, the bank actually buys it and the buyer then slowly purchases it from the bank, with monthly payments over time. When all the payments have been received, then the bank will give the new owner documentation showing that they then truly own the house.

 

If you look at the contract buyers have with their banks, most of them note that within a certain time of a payment not being made, they agree, at the bank's discretion, to leave the home, surrender whatever payments have been made to that date, and are usually legally liable for the remainder of the loan amount which the bank gave to the seller back when the buyer took posession of the house. There are also occasionally other provisions, such as if the house is used in a crime (drug manufacturing), etc. Then the bank will resell the house to get their money and profit out of it.

 

IMO, many Americans have forgotten that home ownership is a privilege not a right and that the banks don't come looking for people at gunpoint to make take out a home loan. In many countries, you don't get a house until you can afford to pay for it in full. No such thing as a home loan.

 

Yes, many of the banks have practiced some very inappropriate lending here lately, but again, none of them forced anyone to take out a home loan. We Americans have developed the belief that we deserve to own a home and many have entered into unwise deals with banks to do so.

 

Sometimes the banks have broken their agreements with people who deserved much better treatment. But the bottom line is that the buyer signed the contract with the bank. If the bank goes against the signed agreement, the buyer has the opportunity to sue them. If the buyer doesn't keep the agreement, then the bank has the option of kicking them out of the house.

 

Situations where the buyer actually paid for and installed stuff is one thing. But for anyone to damage property they don't own is completely and totally wrong in my book. Being mad at how the bank is handling your non-payment of your loan is no excuse to damage their property. Depression, anger, or draconian enforcement are no exceptions. The buyer felt they had to "own" a house, signed the agreement, and then in some way reneiged on it. What exactly did they expect the bank to do?

 

A loan from a bank is not like a verbal agreement with your Grandma. The bank doesn't care whether you only missed a handful of payments. They don't care whether you fell behind due to medical bills or the loss of a job, or even the loss of the wage earner. They are a business and the buyer has a business contract with them. If a person doesn't like that arrangement, then they are free to rent until they can save enough monety to buy a home, to go talk to Grandma for the money, or to do without a home and just rent for the rest of their lives. We have the right to NOT own a home. IMO, more people should have exercised this option instead of the one they did.

[angela in ohio]

When we were house hunting, every one of the homes we saw that had been a foreclosure was trashed. Things spray painted on the walls, holes in the walls, pipes ripped out, siding torn off, etc.

 

I think the feelings comes from a lack of understanding of what a mortgage is, how collateral on a loan works, what the roles of the borrower and lender are, etc. Over the years, we've come from a place where few had mortgages (and those who did worked to quickly pay them off) to a place where most have them, and I don't think many understand anymore how it all works.

[LidiyaDawn]

Hillfarm -- how is it that people can just go about renovating and stuff then? I have some friends who just bought a place (I'm in Canada, so I assume our mortgages work pretty much the same as you guys) and the very first thing they did was gut the kitchen -- they wanted it totally different. Cupboards, size, flooring, lighting, you name it. Other people knock down walls. Change windows. Change out lights. Let their teenager paint his bedroom black. :tongue_smilie:

 

note: I never said that destroying the houses is/was 'right' in an ethical sense or anything.. I was just wondering about the legal side of it... and how far that goes as well. If you buy a home but you don't "maintain" it - who sets the standard? Does the bank say "you'll do such and such maintenance on your home each year" or things like that? What if someone lets a roof get leaky?

 

It's a world I'm completely unfamiliar with, so...

[Tess in the Burbs]

we lost our home to foreclosure and we didn't trash it. However, I wish I had gotten my washer/dryer after the bank screwed us over. I wanted my dishwasher too, but oh well. I couldn't get back there in time before the auction. We had left it all to sell the house. Yes, the bank screwed us over. But we didn't trash it. Thinking back on it I do wish we had taken everything out with us when we moved....including any new fixtures/curtains.

 

However, if she is truly trashing the house they can potentially come after here depending on what state she is in.

[Renee in NC]

we lost our home to foreclosure and we didn't trash it. However, I wish I had gotten my washer/dryer after the bank screwed us over. I wanted my dishwasher too, but oh well. I couldn't get back there in time before the auction. We had left it all to sell the house. Yes, the bank screwed us over. But we didn't trash it. Thinking back on it I do wish we had taken everything out with us when we moved....including any new fixtures/curtains.

 

However, if she is truly trashing the house they can potentially come after here depending on what state she is in.

 

We didn't trash ours, either. We cleaned it up and took the appliances, but *we* had purchased those items separate from the mortgage (we built the house and had the appliances before the house.)

 

The only thing the bank "did" to us is refuse a short sale. They had a real estate agent come in and do an appraisal, which came back $24K over the short sale amount (basically what we had paid to build it.) The bank wouldn't sell at the lower amount and foreclosed. A month later, the same couple put a contract on the house for the same amount of the short sale offer. The difference? Now the agent who had done the appraisal that came back ridiculously high was the agent and *she* got the commission (and changed her initial appraisal)!:glare:

 

So, the bank cost themselves a whole lot of money with the foreclosure that could have been avoided. Also, the things we hadn't taken yet were stolen within a few days of her visit for the appraisal.:glare:

[Julie in CA]

If you owe the bank on your mortgage, but then don't pay, or pay less, or pay late, and they foreclose on the home, how are you getting screwed? :confused:

I don't understand why people feel that the bank is somehow obligated to do anything other than the terms that *both parties agreed upon*.

 

Lest anyone should be upset by my question, please know that it is sincere, and not a criticism of anyone in particular. I'm just trying to see and understand both sides.

[Joanne]

If you owe the bank on your mortgage, but then don't pay, or pay less, or pay late, and they foreclose on the home, how are you getting screwed? :confused:

I don't understand why people feel that the bank is somehow obligated to do anything other than the terms that *both parties agreed upon*.

 

Lest anyone should be upset by my question, please know that it is sincere, and not a criticism of anyone in particular. I'm just trying to see and understand both sides.

 

Trashing foreclosed on homes predates the current situation.

 

Currently, however, there are thousands of homeowners who did not get into their homes under questionable lending, who hit hard times and who tried to work with the government's program of keeping people in their homes. This program is a dismal failure; epic. There are senate hearings, lawsuits, stays on foreclosures regarding this issue. My story (which I won't recount here) is just one of many where the homeowners tried, desparately, to resume payments according to the stated program. For example, the payments I made EVERY month last year? They were not applied to my mortgage.

 

It is not as simple as they didn't pay, they are getting foreclosed on.

[Julie in CA]

My story (which I won't recount here) is just one of many where the homeowners tried, desparately, to resume payments according to the stated program.

So there was never a missed/late payment according to the original mortgage agreement, or is it that the government program was supposed to make the bank willing to overlook the original breaking of the contract?

[Pam Wilhelm]

If you owe the bank on your mortgage, but then don't pay, or pay less, or pay late, and they foreclose on the home, how are you getting screwed? :confused:

I don't understand why people feel that the bank is somehow obligated to do anything other than the terms that *both parties agreed upon*.

 

Lest anyone should be upset by my question, please know that it is sincere, and not a criticism of anyone in particular. I'm just trying to see and understand both sides.

 

 

I don't know whether "screwed" is the right term.... probably abandoned/forsaken/sold-out/etc.

 

We tried to sell our house.... unemployment/relocation/etc.... the county devalued our house by over $70,000 within one year.... suddenly we were upside down and couldn't sell the house. We tried to get a modification but MetLife kept giving us the runaround. They finally told us to foreclose...and we did. Up to this time we weren't late.... not once! We left the house immaculate!

 

We feel jilted.... but life goes on. We have bought a better house with a much better mortgage... we love our new life. Going through what we did sucked big time...and we will do all we can to not get in that place again. Although, given the times, I don't see where what we did was wrong...except possibly trusting our government when they offered to help. boy.... that's a joke.

Edited February 11, 2011 by PamInMN

[Joanne]

So there was never a missed/late payment according to the original mortgage agreement, or is it that the government program was supposed to make the bank willing to overlook the original breaking of the contract?

 

The mortgage did get delinquent.

 

I don't agree with or like the phrasing of the second part of your question. It is not accurate and therefore I can't answer.

 

On a more practical level, it seems beyond stupid to not honor a contract offered by the bank to a client who had been making payments monthly, and timely, for over a year.

[DawnM]

Our neighbors forclosed. They kept coming back and stealing EVERYTHING out of it.....light fixtures, stove, sinks, etc.....they stripped it.

 

The previous "owner" said he put that stuff in so it was his. I wasn't about to point out to him that he took out someone else's money to buy it and so it wasn't paid for by him! But he was indeed steeling.

 

I think people are angry that they have to foreclose and think they are screwing over the banks by doing this. They are really hurting everyone!

 

Dawn

[Parrothead]

If you owe the bank on your mortgage, but then don't pay, or pay less, or pay late, and they foreclose on the home, how are you getting screwed? :confused:

I don't understand why people feel that the bank is somehow obligated to do anything other than the terms that *both parties agreed upon*.

 

Lest anyone should be upset by my question, please know that it is sincere, and not a criticism of anyone in particular. I'm just trying to see and understand both sides.

There have been incidences of questionable banking practices. I've read about some of these on news sites. Not all foreclosures are being done illegally by any means, but enough that it has made news.

 

Google illegal foreclosures.

[Julie in CA]

I don't agree with or like the phrasing of the second part of your question. It is not accurate and therefore I can't answer.

That's why I asked the second part--because I don't *know* what's accurate. There certainly was no insult intended, and I'm sorry that I blundered into inaccurate phrasing. Would it be possible for you to rephrase it in a way that makes sense to you, or maybe someone else can chip in and answer that part of my question? I'm trying to understand what role the government played that would have circumvented the original loan agreement.

[Julie in CA]

Google illegal foreclosures.

I'll try that. Thanks!

[Tess in the Burbs]

I'm just trying to see and understand both sides.

 

we had 2 offers on our short sale. we were upside down and had to move away for a job. But the job was 30K less than dh had been making.

 

We were screwed b/c we had 2 offers at one point. the bank denied the short sale. said they wanted the buyers to pay all closing costs and 20K more. they walked away. the bank wouldn't do the other offer b/c they then wanted money from us and said in a threatening way if we didn't pay the amount being asked the first time they would triple it each new offer got. Threatening people is screwing them over. it all got denied and they foreclosed on the house.

 

it went to auction and got much less than our offer had been. where is the logic in that? why not take our short sale offer and make a little more? They just don't want to work with homeowners. I guarantee you they are getting gov't money for letting it go to foreclosure but they are messing with people's lives! Our buyers waited for 4 months and still had no home. we had a closing date and everything and I still got an auction notice I had to rush to get stopped. Didn't matter. They took it 2 months later anyway. It's what they wanted. They never planned on allowing us to sell the home.

 

The bank turned down an offer to foreclose so they auction for less money....something is screwy all right.

[justamouse]

Julie, read this

 

http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/matt-taibbi-courts-helping-banks-screw-over-homeowners-20101110

 

Yes, it's Rolling Stone, but Matt Taibbi is an incredible reporter.

 

That's Illegal Foreclosure in a nutshell. And it's happening everywhere. Banks make more $ foreclosing on your house than they do allowing you to sell or refinance and they make it impossible for you to do anything to save yourself.

 

Foreclosure has nothing to with people buying McMansions and defaulting on their properties. That may have been, but not anymore.

 

If I were faced with a foreclosure like that I would take everything that I was legally able to take.

[JeneralMom]

Well, I don't agree with trashing the structure of the home, or cutting down the trees, but things like appliances, ceiling fans, window treatments, light fixtures (by this I don't mean the wiring, but things like chandeliers)that you paid for and installed in the house are not part of the mortgage and are still her personal property.

Edited February 11, 2011 by jenr

[BarbecueMom]

We went through a foreclosure when I was 15. I somewhat trashed the house. I was angry, immature, and depressed. I wrote all over the walls in black marker. I poured the cat's litter box out on the downstairs carpet. Friends and I went back the day after we moved out and threw eggs at the house. When the bank pulled a trailer into the carport to clear out the stuff we couldn't take, we took the Christmas lights off the roof and tied the trailer to the carport beams. I'm sure there's more but I can't remember it.

 

As an adult, I wouldn't do that, but I have so much anxiety due to that experience I'm not sure I'd survive another foreclosure.

[Murphy101]

A skewed perception of reality.

Misplaced vengeance/anger.

A sense of entitlement they haven't earned.

Some people are just like that when confronted with anything they don't like.

 

This has nothing to do with the current housing market, it was that way when I was in elementary school and my dad had a side job cleaning foreclosed homes and getting them ready for sale.

[Ibbygirl]

Julie, read this

 

http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/matt-taibbi-courts-helping-banks-screw-over-homeowners-20101110

 

Yes, it's Rolling Stone, but Matt Taibbi is an incredible reporter.

 

That's Illegal Foreclosure in a nutshell. And it's happening everywhere. Banks make more $ foreclosing on your house than they do allowing you to sell or refinance and they make it impossible for you to do anything to save yourself.

 

Foreclosure has nothing to with people buying McMansions and defaulting on their properties. That may have been, but not anymore.

 

If I were faced with a foreclosure like that I would take everything that I was legally able to take.

 

:eek: Wow! I just finished reading that article. I feel sick to my stomach now. I knew about the corporate greed on some level, but I had no idea how pervasive it was before reading that article. The level of greed and corruption is just astounding! I keep waiting for heads to roll for those who were culpable, but to my knowledge no one has been prosecuted yet. I guess that's the whole point of the "rocket docket" to avoid prosecution. This is shameful. Completely shameful. :(

[AngelBee]

There are thousands of people who have been/are being foreclosed on where this is not the case.

 

I won't give yet another summary of my story, but I made a $1275 payment every month last year and am still being foreclosed on (the Making Homes Affordable program is, to say the least, a mess).

 

To answer the OP, we didn't trash our house. In fact, I cleaned a lot of it. However, I do know the serious, sustained and pervasive weariness that accompanies sustained financial and housing stress. I can see how an otherwise sane, courteous person with principles would trash a home.

:iagree:

 

:grouphug:

[Kari C in SC]

The house we live in now was a foreclosure. It was in rough shape, but not horrible. They did take appliances, light fixtures and the copper coil for the AC. We thought for a long time that the previous owners did the stripping. Fast forward to last month, the two houses across the street are foreclosures. A "clean up" company was sent to clear them out. Amazingly, BOTH houses are missing similar things including the AC coil. We are in the process of buying one of the foreclosures as a rental property. Our realtor said that many of the clean out companies strip the houses down as well. Afterall, the bank really doesn't see what they haul out. So, now we get to replace another ac system in another foreclosure. I try to look at the positive side as a buyer - we get a lower price because so much is missing. This has worked out well for us with both of our purchases.

[shinyhappypeople]

When my SIL and BIL lost their house, they stripped it of the upgrades - ceiling fans, light fixtures, kitchen sink (left the old one), shutters... oh, gosh, I can't remember it all. It wasn't vindictiveness, it was just taking the things they'd bought with them.

[Miss Peregrine]

When my SIL and BIL lost their house, they stripped it of the upgrades - ceiling fans, light fixtures, kitchen sink (left the old one), shutters... oh, gosh, I can't remember it all. It wasn't vindictiveness, it was just taking the things they'd bought with them.

 

That's understandable, sure, but these people removed the countertops.

 

No, I don't understand.

[tex-mex]

There are thousands of people who have been/are being foreclosed on where this is not the case.

 

I won't give yet another summary of my story, but I made a $1275 payment every month last year and am still being foreclosed on (the Making Homes Affordable program is, to say the least, a mess).

 

To answer the OP, we didn't trash our house. In fact, I cleaned a lot of it. However, I do know the serious, sustained and pervasive weariness that accompanies sustained financial and housing stress. I can see how an otherwise sane, courteous person with principles would trash a home.

:iagree::iagree::iagree:

We lost our home to foreclosure over 2 years ago. I felt it was my responsibility to make sure the home was pristine, clean, and in good working order for the future buyer. It was a gorgeous home!! But to my dismay, I saw our former home sit in a "shadow" inventory for the last 2 years and never sold or marketed. Which was sad. I know the bank winterized it so the pipes would not freeze and such. But it broke my heart knowing no one would live in that home -- it still sits there in a lovely neighborhood with no for sale sign. Shocking. But there are a lot of foreclosures in our area in shadow inventory.

 

Having been through that foreclosure process, I can see why some people destroy the house as a way to get even with the bank. I do not agree with it. But can empathize with the stress and emotional heartache of having a bank not work with you in saving a home.

[Murphy101]

The house we live in now was a foreclosure. It was in rough shape, but not horrible. They did take appliances, light fixtures and the copper coil for the AC. We thought for a long time that the previous owners did the stripping. Fast forward to last month, the two houses across the street are foreclosures. A "clean up" company was sent to clear them out. Amazingly, BOTH houses are missing similar things including the AC coil. We are in the process of buying one of the foreclosures as a rental property. Our realtor said that many of the clean out companies strip the houses down as well. Afterall, the bank really doesn't see what they haul out. So, now we get to replace another ac system in another foreclosure. I try to look at the positive side as a buyer - we get a lower price because so much is missing. This has worked out well for us with both of our purchases.

 

It completely depends on their contract.

 

When my dad did it, he wasn't paid much, but his contract with the bank stipulated that he could take pretty much anything not nailed in. Appliances are not normally considered part of the home then or now. It has to be disclosed in the contract. We have always had to buy appliances when we purchased a home and none of them were foreclosures. Light fixtures were often replaced, so he got those too. Clothes, furniture.. You name it. The bank doesn't do garage sales or care about interior, so its cheaper for them this way bc they don't pay much for the clean out expecting that the crew will recoup from the cleaning sometimes.

 

Copper wire is often taken off the ac is often removed bc otherwise it will be stolen and sold for drug money. Its better to remove it than to have it yanked out and the ac trashed. It is a HUGE problem here. Lots of newly built homes don't put any copper wiring in until they really have to bc it will be stolen. Some even steal it from the base of street lights and public utility boxes.

 

Almost all foreclosures look like that. It is one of the many reasons they tend to be a much cheaper buy.

[beansprouts]

We went through a foreclosure when I was 15. I somewhat trashed the house. I was angry, immature, and depressed. I wrote all over the walls in black marker. I poured the cat's litter box out on the downstairs carpet. Friends and I went back the day after we moved out and threw eggs at the house. When the bank pulled a trailer into the carport to clear out the stuff we couldn't take, we took the Christmas lights off the roof and tied the trailer to the carport beams. I'm sure there's more but I can't remember it.

 

As an adult, I wouldn't do that, but I have so much anxiety due to that experience I'm not sure I'd survive another foreclosure.

 

I think this puts the behavior into perspective. You were a child, and you behaved like a child. As a mature adult you would not respond in the same way.

 

A skewed perception of reality.

Misplaced vengeance/anger.

A sense of entitlement they haven't earned.

Some people are just like that when confronted with anything they don't like.

 

This has nothing to do with the current housing market, it was that way when I was in elementary school and my dad had a side job cleaning foreclosed homes and getting them ready for sale.

 

What she said.

 

FTR I have read the articles, and the injustice is horrific. I am very sorry that so many people have had to go through this. I appreciate that you all behaved respectfully even in dire circumstances. The world can take everything I have, but I refuse to let them change who I am.