venting session
Find a Conversation
| Tue, 10-10-2006 - 10:52pm |
I hope you all forgive me for ranting but I must let some of this out before I have a nervous breakdown.
Good news is that after two years since unloading the slug, the courts finally say they are going to finalize the division of property. But after speaking with a friend yesterday, the actual cost to me really sunk in. Over 20k. And to make it worse, my lawyer told me yesterday that the courts need me to hire an appraiser for the house at 2k more, plus attend a court session at perhaps another 1k for her and the judge to split, just to tell me that I can have the house finally. I don't have it. I just don't. I am 500 in the hole already, had to take out a loan to pay off my lawyers' previous firm when she switched firms (they wanted all accrued fees immediately) and am struggling just to figure out how I will manage my bills, let alone Christmas.
It is made more sad by the fact that that pinhead took off over a year ago, disappeared without any forwarding address, and skipped out on paying his own lawyer. I don't think she ever even tried to sue him for the money. So he never paid anything for the legal fees. He hasn't challenged anything since the beginning of last year. My argument to the court was that he left me 70k in debt, left me with a bunch of cheap 10 year old furniture not worth 1000 all together, skipped out on child support, and stole 30k of investments without waiting to see if it would be divided in the divorce. It never was. My estimate was that he owed me 15k of that, not to mention if he should have paid me half the debt that I have on my shoulders now. And certainly not to mention the now over 17k in child support he owes.
I just don't understand why they want me to hire an appraiser now? He isn't challenging it because it is the house that the 70k of debt is on. The mortgage is 70k more than the resale value of the house. I couldn't sell it without having even more financial problems. The courts know that but my lawyer claims they have to know for sure. At my expense? She even suggested I go after that &#$( for the money but at the cost of hiring another lawyer and probably never getting anything out of him. I feel like there is something fishy going on with my lawyer. I worried that she thinks I am rolling in money and can just toss it out. And perhaps I have the 'special' rate for legal advice that is reserved for those they can squeeze it from. So far she has been successful with the some 20k in fees.
But I don't make such good money. Much of it has gone to her in the last two years. And then part has gone to other people who have unfortunately successfully scamed money from me. First there is the (&&^#$ who took the 30k. Then the phone company who I recently found out has been charging me for two broadband internet connections over three years time (trust me it is a slim chance to get it back), finally the mortgage advisor who was managing my money and with whom I am in the hole for nearly 8k. He assures me it takes over 3 years to start to get my money's worth but I am becoming more skeptical now after 3 years. It might put this all into more clear context to say that I am a US citizen living in another country and so a great target for fraud and misuse. I just don't know what to do. I am going to go further into debt just to buy my son's winter clothes he needs and meanwhile all these people are still trying to bleed me for what is no longer there.
Thank you for letting me cry about it here.

Hey there.
Karen ~ wildlucky4me ~
Just FYI...I am a Real Estate Appraiser and $2,000 for an appraisal of a residential property is pretty much unheard of where I'm from(NY). The average would be $300 to $400.
Just wanted to let you know...maybe you should check into that further or make some calls to appraisers in your area.
Chris
Chris,
I know what you mean. It is certainly outrageous. Unfortunately this is europe and they tag on an appraisal fee of 0.65% the value of the house here. Kicking and screaming didn't help at the bank either, and they just explained that this is officially what the government allows them to charge. It's too bad I couldn't hire one from the US.