Have to move out...

[LuLu]

I wouldn't be asking this if it wasn't necessary and since I trust all of you, I trust that you all can offer some sort of help or insight or advice or just, whatever.

 

My parents and I have recently been told by our landlords (who happen to be my aunt and uncle) that they are going to sell the house we've been living in for almost 25 years. After losing my job in '08 and having my grandmother pass away shortly after, my mom has been struggling to keep up with bills and whatnot. Her savings are now gone and she is the only source of income. I've helped her with my unemployment money and with any extra funds I've been able to raise by doing odd jobs for friends and neighbors, but since it's not steady income, it doesn't help for very long.

 

I took her to a lender last week, and while she qualifies for "some" assitance, it may not be available once she qualifies for a loan. Her credit score is a few points too low to qualify for one now (we had to buy another car last October so that's what brought it down), so she was told to work on bringing it up over the next 6 months and she should be ok. That's assuming the bottom doesn't fall out on us...again. That's also assuming they don't try to get us out of here before then. If they do, then I honestly don't know what will happen.

 

So here's what I'm wondering from you guys. I know this probably sounds petty and whatnot, but if I set up a website that asked for donations (sent to my PayPal account) in order to help us move out, do you think there are people out there would donate? It would go towards a downpayment on a house; or worse case scenerio, a deposit for an apartment (which would be hard considering certain aspects of my family). Any leftover money would be donated to a charity so that others could benefit as well.

 

What do you guys think? Do you think it's worth a shot? Or do you think my family is forever cursed and that we should just give up? lol

 

Thanks guys

[hazelnut]

You could struggle doing this lulu.

 

I know I would not donate on the internet to someone who told me a hard-luck story.

 

But I wish you the best of luck.

[Andavari]

Regardless of relatives owning the property and selling it I think there's a law that allows you to stay there for a number of months, i.e.; you can't just be told you have x amount of days to leave and be expected to be able to realistically comply to it. May wanna look into that law if it gives enough time to save up some money for a move. It sucks that's it's relatives involved though.

 

I honestly think the PayPal thing wouldn't pan out, that and since them paying people the correct amount is up in question. You'd possibly make more money with a yard sale and get to keep all the profit without some middleman vampire taking their share!

[LuLu]

You could struggle doing this lulu.

 

I know I would not donate on the internet to someone who told me a hard-luck story.

 

But I wish you the best of luck.

 

 

Yeah I imagine a majority of people out there would think the same way.

 

Myself, I've donated like that before. I try to help anyone I can...even now when I have nothing I do what I can for people. People tell me I'm too compassionate. Maybe they're right, but it won't stop me from helping someone out if I can.

 

Oh well, I can always go stand out on a street corner with a tin can. lol

[Andavari]

Yeah I imagine a majority of people out there would think the same way.

My PayPal comment is however a fact, not just a guess or random hearsay.

[LuLu]

Regardless of relatives owning the property and selling it I think there's a law that allows you to stay there for a number of months, i.e.; you can't just be told you have x amount of days to leave and be expected to be able to realistically comply to it. May wanna look into that law if it gives enough time to save up some money for a move. It sucks that's it's relatives involved though.

 

I will have to check that out, thanks. I'm just not sure if it would work in our favor since my uncle never had a formal rental agreement drawn up when we moved in. In other words...no signatures or anything ever took place. But we do have lots of cancelled rent checks and a nice piece of information that could be used as blackmail should it be needed.

 

I honestly think the PayPal thing wouldn't pan out, that and since them paying people the correct amount is up in question. You'd possibly make more money with a yard sale and get to keep all the profit without some middleman vampire taking their share!

 

I do plan on having a garage sale. As I've been packing up things, I've been setting stuff aside for it. Just not sure how much we'd actually get that way since we really don't have that much to sell. But it's worth a shot.

 

Thanks

[LuLu]

My PayPal comment is however a fact, not just a guess or random hearsay.

 

LOL that wasn't for you. I thought I had quoted Hazel in my reply but I didn't. I need to go fix that.

[fireryone]

+1 to the yard sale/garage sale idea (if you have stuff to sell that aren't in the "need" category).

 

Paypal idea may get you a little, but setting up a site from scratch where are you gonna get visitors from.

It would be easier if you had an online community already around you (this site is around piriform so a little harder),

Or maybe if you know a you-tube/internet star they could put a word in on there page an you may get something out of that....

 

Is it possible you both to get a partime/casual job so save a little faster or do you get more out of unemployment benefits...

[LuLu]

+1 to the yard sale/garage sale idea (if you have stuff to sell that aren't in the "need" category).

 

Yeah there isn't much of that, but what is there will put up in a garage sale. We've already sold some of mom's jewelry, but there wasn't much of that either.

 

Paypal idea may get you a little, but setting up a site from scratch where are you gonna get visitors from.

It would be easier if you had an online community already around you (this site is around piriform so a little harder),

Or maybe if you know a you-tube/internet star they could put a word in on there page an you may get something out of that....

 

Getting visitors was also a question I had. I'm really not sure. lol My idea had been to just put up fliers around town or something of that sort, but wasn't sure how well that work.

 

Is it possible you both to get a partime/casual job so save a little faster or do you get more out of unemployment benefits...

 

Mom already works full time and has been picking up whatever extra hours she can get...which is killing her. She's 68 years old and is not in prime condition anymore. I've been looking for a job since the very day I lost mine back in 08 and have gotten no where other than the odd jobs I get asked to do for friends and neighbors. But those are far and few between. And my dad is disabled and confined to a bed, so even he can't do anything.

[ident]

If this was the uk, they cant kick you out. 12years could claim squatters rights and he/she can do nothing, could even try to claim it for yourself if there was no contract

 

your donations thing wont work, sorry. It would seem as believable as this girl from russia "yeva" who is currently emailing me about her hardship and how much she wants to come to the uk to marry me. (yes i am playing along for the lol)

 

can you prove you lived there for the lengthof time?

[LuLu]

If this was the uk, they cant kick you out. 12years could claim squatters rights and he/she can do nothing, could even try to claim it for yourself if there was no contract

 

I wonder if we have a similar law here. I'll have to look into that, because that would be awesome.

 

your donations thing wont work, sorry. It would seem as believable as this girl from russia "yeva" who is currently emailing me about her hardship and how much she wants to come to the uk to marry me. (yes i am playing along for the lol)

 

You're probably right. But it was worth a shot.

 

can you prove you lived there for the lengthof time?

 

Yep sure can.

[ident]

Shame you dont live in the uk, could put you in touch with an amazing solicitor for this type of thing.

[login123]

Shame you dont live in the uk, could put you in touch with an amazing solicitor for this type of thing.

 

There could be someone like that on Lulu's side of the pond. A friend in the real estate business would know, as would maybe a friend in the legal business. Who is your ward/district/county elected representative, like a councilman, magistrate, etc? They might point you in the right direction. There is also the Veterans Administration for veterans, of course, and other government entities. The great thing about the government entities is that they are pretty much free.

 

Will keep thinking.

[rridgely]

Sorry your not having the best luck, but personally I think its wrong to try and claim "squatters rights" on a house thats owned by your relatives. They probably were helping you out by letting you live there in the first place?

 

If your dad is disabled does he not get some sort of disability that would be enough to get a cheap apartment?

Just keep applying at retail jobs and stuff, a couple of my college friends have been able to get jobs the last few weeks. (not glamorous and not gonna get you rich, but at least you'll be getting something.)

 

Are you guys getting any sort of government assistance?

I see tons of people standing on the sides of the roads around my area asking for money, but most of these people never try any of the government programs to help them get back on their feet first. There are government subsidized apartments everywhere.

[ident]

Sorry your not having the best luck, but personally I think its wrong to try and claim "squatters rights" on a house thats owned by your relatives. They probably were helping you out by letting you live there in the first place?

 

I wasn't suggesting squatting it. I did mention "squatters rights" but this was said with trying to gain more time in finding a new place to live. Going to organizations that help squatters can be very beneficial. Even if it is only to do with housing and not squatting. They are very helpful, friendly, and best of all free. Many in the uk are volunteers who really know there stuff. Who also in turn could help with rehousing.

[Tasgandy]

I wonder if we have a similar law here. I'll have to look into that, because that would be awesome.

 

 

 

You're probably right. But it was worth a shot.

 

 

 

Yep sure can.

LuLu, sorry to hear about your situation. I to do not agree with "squatters rights" often used here in Aus. especially as your relatives own the house, I guess they were charging you a "cheap" rental over that many years with not to many rental increases as would be the case in a commercial rental contract. Have you tried the "bucket and window cleaner" trick at traffic lights, a Mate of mine in Sydney did that, offered front windscreen wash & wipe for $2.00 a car, he normally worked from 7.00am to 6.00pm each business day (5) and racked in an average of $200.00 + per day. Work it our, that's only 100 car windscreens @ $2.00.......man that's $1,000.00 per 5 day week. He then teamed up with a Mate, each Guy did a street, swapped over when the traffic lights turned green, these two Guys did it for 6 months and then took of on a OS trip (haven't come back home to Aus. yet either). Only cost you several plastic buckets, detergent and a windscreen washer from your local Auto Accessory shop.

 

In Australia you could would try the Salvation Army, Vinnie's, Red Cross, local churches etc. for emergency housing and advice should the need arise. Try contacting your local Salvation Army at least, you will find them very helpful. Let's hope your Uncle will give you and your family time to organise alternate accommodation. If it was me I would front him and plead my case and ask him for more time, like another 6 months. I wish you all the luck, stay in touch if you can.

[LuLu]

There could be someone like that on Lulu's side of the pond. A friend in the real estate business would know, as would maybe a friend in the legal business. Who is your ward/district/county elected representative, like a councilman, magistrate, etc? They might point you in the right direction. There is also the Veterans Administration for veterans, of course, and other government entities. The great thing about the government entities is that they are pretty much free.

 

Will keep thinking.

 

I will have to look into that stuff, though the VA is out since my dad isn't a vet.

[LuLu]

Sorry your not having the best luck, but personally I think its wrong to try and claim "squatters rights" on a house thats owned by your relatives. They probably were helping you out by letting you live there in the first place?

 

Well, we can't claim squatter's rights, so no worries there. And no, us moving in when we did was never something they did to help us out. They were moving into a new house and were going to rent the place anyway but asked my mom and grandmother if they wanted to split the rent for it. So they did and we've been here ever since. I would go into detail about why they want to sell the place (and it has nothing to do with us), but this isn't the place for it.

 

If your dad is disabled does he not get some sort of disability that would be enough to get a cheap apartment?

 

Yes...he gets just enough $$ to make our car payment and pay for my internet service. So when you total that up, it comes to less than $400 a month.

 

Just keep applying at retail jobs and stuff, a couple of my college friends have been able to get jobs the last few weeks. (not glamorous and not gonna get you rich, but at least you'll be getting something.)

 

I do, everyday. But our job market is scarce here. People at Workforce have told me that with the way things are here, the only way anyone in Orlando is getting a job is if they know someone who can get us in. And sadly, I don't. But that doesn't mean I've stopped trying. I'm actually making an appointment to take the test for the 2010 Census stuff. Maybe that will pan out. Even though it's temporary, it's better than nothing.

 

Are you guys getting any sort of government assistance?

I see tons of people standing on the sides of the roads around my area asking for money, but most of these people never try any of the government programs to help them get back on their feet first. There are government subsidized apartments everywhere.

 

No government assistance other than dad's SS disability check and my intermittent unemployment checks. I've not been able to find anything that can help us, so if you know of programs please clue me in. Even the section 8 housing here has a 2+ year waiting list. The first thing they tell you when you apply is "you can apply but it doesn't mean you'll get in anytime soon". So that doesn't offer much help or hope either.

[LuLu]

LuLu, sorry to hear about your situation. I to do not agree with "squatters rights" often used here in Aus. especially as your relatives own the house, I guess they were charging you a "cheap" rental over that many years with not to many rental increases as would be the case in a commercial rental contract. Have you tried the "bucket and window cleaner" trick at traffic lights, a Mate of mine in Sydney did that, offered front windscreen wash & wipe for $2.00 a car, he normally worked from 7.00am to 6.00pm each business day (5) and racked in an average of $200.00 + per day. Work it our, that's only 100 car windscreens @ $2.00.......man that's $1,000.00 per 5 day week. He then teamed up with a Mate, each Guy did a street, swapped over when the traffic lights turned green, these two Guys did it for 6 months and then took of on a OS trip (haven't come back home to Aus. yet either). Only cost you several plastic buckets, detergent and a windscreen washer from your local Auto Accessory shop.

 

Yeah they frown upon that here...going as far as issuing tickets to people for doing it. And I can't afford to pay a fine for washing windows. lol

 

In Australia you could would try the Salvation Army, Vinnie's, Red Cross, local churches etc. for emergency housing and advice should the need arise. Try contacting your local Salvation Army at least, you will find them very helpful. Let's hope your Uncle will give you and your family time to organise alternate accommodation. If it was me I would front him and plead my case and ask him for more time, like another 6 months. I wish you all the luck, stay in touch if you can.

 

I never gave the Salvation Army a thought, but will look into that. Thanks for the suggestion.

 

As for my uncle...I've already told him where we stand on everything. What he chooses to do about it is up to him. But since we have been here for over 20 years, by law we're required to have no less than 60 (or was it 90?) days notice to move out when the time comes. And we can even appeal that if we need more time. And with the info I we have on him, he won't want to attempt anything stupid.

[Fluffy]

LuLu

I do`nt think you say why your Uncle is selling your home...is it because he is in financial hardship ? just wonderewd what his motivation was and if there was any way of putting him off until you and your Mom got back on our feet.

 

 

On making money I`ve used ebay quite a bit for somethings that ou get a better price for than a garage sale if there collectable and people collect all sorts !

 

take care

F

[Ishi]

That's a sad story. I agree with the yard sale. However in terms of jobs, I think many people in the US are suffering from unemployment.

 

However, you should know your expertise and maybe based from that you can get a simple job that does not require much rather than going to a lender and increasing the debt even further. Another tip is of course to be thrifty on the expenditure of things. Get only what's necessary.

 

There are also jobs in the Internet if you have the skills of course but there is no telling whether they are scams.

[LuLu]

LuLu

I do`nt think you say why your Uncle is selling your home...is it because he is in financial hardship ? just wonderewd what his motivation was and if there was any way of putting him off until you and your Mom got back on our feet.

 

Well, I won't go into detail so I'll just say this much. His daughter wants him to sell our house, her house (which he pays for) and his house to buy a million dollar home down in Sanibel and a new boat (which I think he has already purchased) and she's tired of waiting. There's more to it than that, but basically it boils down to her selfishness and her unrelenting need for him to pay for her every want and desire even though she's in her 40's and has a full time job.

 

 

On making money I`ve used ebay quite a bit for somethings that ou get a better price for than a garage sale if there collectable and people collect all sorts !

 

take care

F

 

I wish I had stuff to sell on ebay otherwise that would be my first choice. But we don't have anything that's rare or a collectible or anything.

[LuLu]

That's a sad story. I agree with the yard sale. However in terms of jobs, I think many people in the US are suffering from unemployment.

 

However, you should know your expertise and maybe based from that you can get a simple job that does not require much rather than going to a lender and increasing the debt even further. Another tip is of course to be thrifty on the expenditure of things. Get only what's necessary.

 

There are also jobs in the Internet if you have the skills of course but there is no telling whether they are scams.

 

Yeah I run across the internet jobs all the time...but like you said, you don't know if they're scams or not. And unfortunately, most I've found probably are. I did apply for all that Mystery Shopping stuff not too long ago, but was told they currently didn't need anyone in my area and would contact me should a position become available.

 

We are definitely thrifty, but we've always been like that. We don't buy something unless it's on sale or clearance or if it's from a discount store.

 

Oh well. Something will work out for us, I'm sure. Just another test from God to prove how strong we are as a family.

[Ishi]

Well there is a saying:

 

"Just do your best and God will do the rest."

 

Good luck...

[Andavari]

I wish I had stuff to sell on ebay otherwise that would be my first choice. But we don't have anything that's rare or a collectible or anything.

eBay is alright for stuff you have that you think is valuable, but if your item to be sold doesn't fetch much money it can really be a complete waste of time.