Personal Finance Problems (Credit, Real Estate, Debt)
By MaryK56
@MaryK56 (26)
United States
March 26, 2010 5:09am CST
I am in search of advice and possible solutions, if at all possible. Just like many other Americans, I am feeling a financial squeeze, and I am not sure what the best path would be for me to take to get back on more solid ground. First, some background:
I inherited a very old, frame house in 2007 that also has an adjacent lot and in need of repairs ("AS-IS"). I also live in a very low-income, depleted area where most homes have already gone into foreclosure, and/or selling very low. My home, a multi-family 3-unit, was once worth about $250k, was listed for $150k, and is now at $119k. I have been trying to sell the place on/off--at least 3-times--since I inherited it, but have had no takers. I was really hoping to sell by this year so that I could have a fresh start in a new and better direction. However, I am now struggling just to make ends meet.
I have a lot of credit card debt now, paying on a $56k HE loan (2 yr.), and my income is not allowing me to save any kind of money. In fact, my savings are being depleted and I am basically living paycheck to paycheck now. My property taxes for the house AND lot average around $4600/yr., and I won't be able to pay them at all after this year. I know that I will likely have to face bankruptcy at some point, though I would like to avoid it if I possibly can.
Though I have not checked it yet, I believe that my credit score is probably low due to a couple of late credit card payments and a couple of NSF's at my bank since last November. Before that, I never had any problems, and always paid my bills on time. (NOTE: auto-payment timing and overdraft fees caught me off guard, and now I'm paying for it.) What the credit card companies did with increasing rates and lowering limits have only made matters worse for me.
OK...I live in a home that I REALLY can't afford to keep at all--not on my salary. I really wanted to move to a condo or get a trailer to live in. However, I have three family members--2 on disability & unemployed and 1 going to trade school--staying in the place since they all are basically homeless. My credit isn't that great and I don't know what to do anymore. I know what my choices COULD be at this point, but I'd like to hear from someone who might see a better way for me to deal with this mess. What would you do if you were in my shoes, especially concerning the current economic situation and outlook?
1 response
@marinarovi (1318)
• Argentina
26 Mar 10
I don't know anythig about finances, but if you tried to sell the place that many times and had no takers, couldn't you rent it? At least so it pays its own taxes and won't be an extra burden for you so you can sell it in the future, I mean.
@MaryK56 (26)
• United States
26 Mar 10
You know, I'd love to that, but the place needs a LOT of work that I can't afford to do. Since I am watching every penny that I have right now, there is really no way for me to fix it up. Only one unit of three is available, and it's only a one-bedroom and the walls, floors, and bathroom plumbing are issues. If someone was REAL handy, I could work something out, but have not found anyone interested.