If I were that 76 years old man, I would have paid my property tax. Then I would not have lost everything dear to me through my own inattention or procrastination.
Sure, the story is sad, but it could have so easily been avoided. How many demands for payment did he ignore?
I’d have just killed them.
It could have been avoided if the house was in TX..If you're over age 65, they don't kick you out of your house for not paying your property tax..
The debt accrues with interest..If you don't pay it, and you die, your heirs can pay it. if they wish to retain the property.
Sure, the story is sad, but it could have so easily been avoided. How many demands for payment did he ignore?
From the article: Coleman, who struggles with dementia...
Not unusual for people o old age to forget or mismanage.
I know one guy was on a wheel chair and the same happened to him because he missed the hearing as there was no handicap ramp. That is right, somehow courthouses get away without them. He committed suicide.
I once went to a hearing. When I checked why I lost the claim, the record indicated I had skipped it.
Government is evil. It does not repurchase lives, it lies and destroys them
People need to get a grip about what is going on.
Don't be analytical and actually think about the facts.
You're supposed to work yourself up into a lather, put on your internet tough guy mask and boast about how you are morally entitled to commit murder if you don't pay your bills.
Clearly you think this whole "conservatism" thing is about taking personal responsibility for your own actions.
It's obviously about rehearsing childish revenge fantasies in your head instead. Don't you get it?
I wouldn’t put it beyond the city sending those notices “accidentally on purpose” to the wrong address.
Wells Fargo just spent 3+ years grinding down a dude in SO Cal who they foreclosed on BY MISTAKE which they admitted, but then wouldn’t undo. The guy died IN COURT as resolution was about to come to him.
He probably doesn't know since he's battling dementia.........
Sure, the story is sad, but it could have so easily been avoided. How many demands for payment did he ignore?
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At least 2 years worth .. that’s the shortest period in the US , many states are as long as 5-7 years ... also he ignored the legal notice and being served by the sheriff about the foreclosure being scheduled .. at that time he could have paid the $134 plus interest (usually 12-18% a year) and been OK,, if he was notified with 30 days he could have paid the bill by holding a garage sale, or simply writing a check when his SS check came in.
Did you read the article?
"But under the watch of local leaders, the program has morphed into a predatory system of debt collection for well-financed, out-of-town companies that turned $500 delinquencies into $5,000 debts — then foreclosed on homes when families couldn’t pay, a Washington Post investigation found.
As the housing market soared, the investors scooped up liens in every corner of the city, then started charging homeowners thousands in legal fees and other costs that far exceeded their original tax bills, with rates for attorneys reaching $450 an hour.
Property owners in the District risk losing their homes over relatively small amounts in unpaid property taxes. Here’s a look at the process:
If you don't pay your taxes, the District sells a lien for the tax debt to an investor, usually a company. The investor gets a lien.
Families have been forced to borrow or strike payment plans to save their homes.
Others weren’t as lucky. Tax lien purchasers have foreclosed on nearly 200 houses since 2005 and are now pressing to take 1,200 more, many owned free and clear by families for generations.
Investors also took storefronts, parking lots and vacant land — about 500 properties in all, or an average of one a week. In dozens of cases, the liens were less than $500.
Coleman, struggling with dementia, was among those who lost a home. His debt had snowballed to $4,999 — 37 times the original tax bill. Not only did he lose his $197,000 house, but he also was stripped of the equity because tax lien purchasers are entitled to everything, trumping even mortgage companies."
Still taking the "noble" view that you wouldn't have been in a position like his?
Garage sale, bake sale, anything sale. The amount of money isn’t the problem here.