Donate to help keep us from homelessness.

Hi, I'm Karen. I am working to keep my house from being sold at a foreclosure auction.

My husband passed away in December, 2009, leaving behind a mortgage in his name only. While I was not legally responsible for paying my deceased husband's debts, the credit union told me they could take the house. I couldn't take over the loan, and I couldn't access it, but I made arrangements to have my bank send a check every month. At some point it had gotten behind, but I didn't think one month would make a difference. It turns out it was already two months past due when my husband died, and when my payment was late on top of the two months it was already past due (which I didn't know until recently) plus the late fees that have been accruing for the last 14 years, the house went into foreclosure. The payoff for the mortgage is $41,000. I have tried to get a home equity loan, but I do not qualify even though there is more equity in the property than what is owed. The credit union has agreed to reinstate the loan (still in my husband's name, of course), so I could make payments, but I need to pay what is currently past due: $9,783.21. (There are additional attorney fees not included; I can deal with them later).

Even though Tom was in the Navy, he never converted his SGLI to VGLI, so there was no insurance except for what Norfolk Naval Shipyard paid out. That covered other bills that were left behind. My income was slashed by a significant amount and I struggled to make ends meet, but I scraped by. I am in a better place income-wise now, but years of juggling finances have finally caught up.

I am hoping to raise enough money to reinstate the loan, and hopefully when I am back on my feet I will qualify for an equity loan to pay off the rest, and maybe make some much needed repairs. I am setting the goal for the amount of reinstatement, and I have started a separate account just for this purpose. If anyone is willing to help, I would appreciate it.