Yesterday, I told you that we received a sign on our door from the Detroit Land Bank Authority that we had three days to call their number or we risked our home being seized.
We called twice. No one answered.
So I sent over some documents, Rebecca took this afternoon off, we gathered up some paperwork, contacted a bunch of people, and tried not to collapse under the weight of another straw on the camel's back.
I called the land bank today and sat on the phone answering and asking questions. The woman told me their attorney would call in 5-10 business days with instructions. I asked if I needed to fill out forms, if I needed to get money together, what I had done wrong, if I could see my file, if they're going to try to take my house. She repeated that the lawyer would call in 5-10 business days. I told her that my demolition day is scheduled for fewer than 5 business days from now. She said I could keep working on the house. I tried to explain to her that I don't want to work on a house if they're going to take it away. She told me that she can't give me any information, nor is there a website or other set of documentation that explains protocol.
At this point, this process is starting to seem pretty undemocratic.
I've been suspicious of the land bank for a while now, but that's another post.
So I started googling. I was trying to figure out how to establish occupancy, because I've read that an eviction is harder than a seizure. We wouldn't really be squatters, since we have the deed and have paid for the property and so forth, but I thought it might help. (It didn't really.)
Then Rebecca filed our property transfer affidavit and principal residence exemption and changed her Secretary of State address to our house.
I called two different lawyers to see what I should do. I can meet with one of them on Friday, and I think he can help if it comes down to it, though that's another set of fees that can't go toward actually REPAIRING this house and then occupying it, which I'm pretty sure is supposed to be the land bank's goal.
And then, I contacted a friend who works for the land bank, and she was able to pull our records. She confirmed my suspicion: the neighbors had filed a nuisance complaint against the previous owner for neglecting the property. That's fair. They had been mowing the lawn and pruning the trees for him. He hadn't done any repairs in a long time. The garage is falling down, and there was a pile of trash in the backyard.
My friend is pretty sure the complaint will either be dismissed or that we'll have to agree to rehab the property (which is what we did when we took out a renovation mortgage, so I guess that's fine). I wish the land bank would have actually looked at the property, though. It no longer looks like a nuisance.
It looks like it's in process.
Just like most of us.
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