IT IS IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER THAT THIS
FORECLOSURE WAS NOT THE RESULT OF
DEFAULTING ON A LOAN OR A MORTGAGE OR A
LAND CONTRACT; THERE WAS NO OUTSTANDING
BALANCE DUE ON 1960. IT WAS A TAX LIEN
FORECLOSURE FOR NOT PAYING ONE YEAR'S
(LESS THAN $2000) WORTH OF PROPERTY TAXES.
My complaint all along hasn't been "Poor little me,
look how they done me wrong," because I did
deserve a severe financial beating for my
carelessness.
My complaint is at the sheer stupidity and wanton
wastefulness of what Doug Gale has done:
Without the expertise or imagination to do other
than employ this standard tactic, the result was the
despoiling of a unique facility I had created to serve
the public through my work and the destruction of
the singular focus of my family life with my
daughter.
FORECLOSURE WAS NOT THE RESULT OF
DEFAULTING ON A LOAN OR A MORTGAGE OR A
LAND CONTRACT; THERE WAS NO OUTSTANDING
BALANCE DUE ON 1960. IT WAS A TAX LIEN
FORECLOSURE FOR NOT PAYING ONE YEAR'S
(LESS THAN $2000) WORTH OF PROPERTY TAXES.
My complaint all along hasn't been "Poor little me,
look how they done me wrong," because I did
deserve a severe financial beating for my
carelessness.
My complaint is at the sheer stupidity and wanton
wastefulness of what Doug Gale has done:
Without the expertise or imagination to do other
than employ this standard tactic, the result was the
despoiling of a unique facility I had created to serve
the public through my work and the destruction of
the singular focus of my family life with my
daughter.
As always, comments and corrections are welcome,
especially if you or someone you know has had any
experience dealing with tax lien "investors". Share your
story:
especially if you or someone you know has had any
experience dealing with tax lien "investors". Share your
story:
Last revised 08-26-09
All blue highlighted text links to
additional notes and information
All blue highlighted text links to
additional notes and information
"Just because something is
legal, doesn't mean it's
right..."
legal, doesn't mean it's
right..."
Here is why...
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
Flickr site of photographs of
1960 S Maple by John Baird:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jo
hnbaird/491830437/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jo
hnbaird/494269401/
1960 S Maple by John Baird:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jo
hnbaird/491830437/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jo
hnbaird/494269401/
Here is the bare bones summary of this dispute as it
was as first presented:
was as first presented:
1. I failed to pay my 1995 property taxes and they became delinquent.
2.Destiny 98 TD, under then current Michigan law, purchased the tax
lien to that property, 1960 S Maple, Ann Arbor, MI.
3.I failed to redeem the property during the prescribed period, not for
lack of funds, but in oversight.
4.Destiny 98 perfected their claim with one exception which, for lack
of case law, is open to judicial interpretation. Similar exceptions in
the past have proved fatal to claims such as Destiny 98's. However,
in court, the rulings went against me.
5.The compounding irony of this situation was that Destiny-98's
stated plans, if they prevailed in taking over the property, were
impossible to realize in a practical or profitable manner. A competent
real estate appraiser could have determined this quickly with readily
available, publicly available information, all of which I had forwarded
to Destiny 98 early in the foreclosure process.
Yet they persisted in pursuing my eviction and dispossession for a
marginal profit at large effort rather than accept an offer to settle for
an amount commensurate with what might be netted by flipping the
property.
(To date, August 2008, all predictions of what would occur have
materialized and Destiny-98 ultimately sold the property, without
offering me an opportunity to counter, on the local market at a
substantially lower price than they had initially insisted it was worth,
$80K versus $300K.)
6.In sum, they appear(ed) to be acting primarily for spite or in
protecting their own egos rather than in a business-like appraisal of
the property's true potential. This is, of course, speculative: I cannot
fathom their true motives. (This comment was written before I
learned of this process)
2.Destiny 98 TD, under then current Michigan law, purchased the tax
lien to that property, 1960 S Maple, Ann Arbor, MI.
3.I failed to redeem the property during the prescribed period, not for
lack of funds, but in oversight.
4.Destiny 98 perfected their claim with one exception which, for lack
of case law, is open to judicial interpretation. Similar exceptions in
the past have proved fatal to claims such as Destiny 98's. However,
in court, the rulings went against me.
5.The compounding irony of this situation was that Destiny-98's
stated plans, if they prevailed in taking over the property, were
impossible to realize in a practical or profitable manner. A competent
real estate appraiser could have determined this quickly with readily
available, publicly available information, all of which I had forwarded
to Destiny 98 early in the foreclosure process.
Yet they persisted in pursuing my eviction and dispossession for a
marginal profit at large effort rather than accept an offer to settle for
an amount commensurate with what might be netted by flipping the
property.
(To date, August 2008, all predictions of what would occur have
materialized and Destiny-98 ultimately sold the property, without
offering me an opportunity to counter, on the local market at a
substantially lower price than they had initially insisted it was worth,
$80K versus $300K.)
6.In sum, they appear(ed) to be acting primarily for spite or in
protecting their own egos rather than in a business-like appraisal of
the property's true potential. This is, of course, speculative: I cannot
fathom their true motives. (This comment was written before I
learned of this process)
At this time, 1960 lies empty, slowly being allowed to decay, being
used by her present owner simply for dead storage.
If you wish to help, please e-mail me and I will keep you up to date
on the progress of my attempts to re-acquire 1960 and anything
that might be done towards that goal.
used by her present owner simply for dead storage.
If you wish to help, please e-mail me and I will keep you up to date
on the progress of my attempts to re-acquire 1960 and anything
that might be done towards that goal.
For a brief
summary
go to this
link...