Jane Powell, the author, not the actress!

I have been collecting letters to send to the Public Relations office at GMAC- I don't know if they give a damn about bad PR at this point but one should leave no stone unturned (or no stern un-toned- that is a joke for the benefit of some of my old friends...). People signed letters at the benefit and also at the Arts and Crafts Conference, but I thought that those who were not at either of those places might also like to have the opportunity. Now, clearly one could compose a letter of their own, but who has time for that? That's why online petitions were invented. I would certainly encourage anyone so inclined to write their own letter, but for everybody else, I am providing a lovely pre-fab form letter, because the banks SO like to send form letters, I thought we could return the favor. So copy and paste at will, add your own comments as desired, and mail off to the lovely Susan Fitzpatrick (which reminds me of another really bad joke...) ASAP.



February 17, 2012

Re: loan # 0601691236;  2708 Sunset Avenue, Oakland, CA94601

 

Susan Fitzpatrick
Ally/Global Communications
1100 Virginia Drive
Fort Washington, PA 19034

Dear  Ms. Fitzpatrick,

Modify Jane Powell’s mortgage now!

Jane deserves a permanent modification of her mortgage currently serviced by GMAC. Her historic home in Oakland requires a good steward to return the home to its former glory. A responsible hard working individual who is burdened with a serious disease, Jane should not lose her home to the high cost of her combined medical and mortgage costs.

As a nationally known author on the subject of restoring homes like the one she currently owns, modifying Jane’s mortgage would send a clear public message that GMAC is not just another heartless mortgage company. I, along with many others, am aware that she has spent years trying to work out a reasonable modification with GMAC, and to this point no agreement has been reached.

Step up today and permanently modify her mortgage to terms that will benefit both sides.

Sincerely,

 

The benefit succeeded beyond my wildest dreams! We had over 300 people- the line to get in stretched down the driveway. There were people I hadn't seen in twenty years- people I went to high school with, former neighbors, current neighbors, clients, and many people I didn't know, who had seen the story in the SF Chronicle or the Oakland Tribune, or had gotten a forwarded email from somebody, as the whole thing kind of went viral. A good time was had by all. The silent auction was a huge success, and we also had a "Buy It Now" table of less expensive items, and most of those were purchased. I sold quite a few books, including two Linoleum books, which always makes me happy(let's just say the Linoleum book has a very narrow audience...). We're still counting the money, but it was way more than I even thought possible.

I want to thank everyone who came, everyone who donated, everyone who helped out- I have the most awesome, amazing friends that anyone could ask for.  One of the hardest things about the whole fraudclosure/mortgage mess is that you feel very alone, even though you know millions of other people are going through the same thing. The banks and the media have tried very hard to demonize homeowners in order to deflect blame from themselves- we are supposed to feel ashamed of our inability to pay our debts. ( see comment on previous blog entry- nothing like kicking people when they're down)

By the way,  the attorneys general settlement announced last week- complete bullshit. A get-out-of jail-free card for the banks. No one goes to jail, they get almost total immunity from prosecution, maybe a select few homeowners get help (the settlement doesn't apply to loans owned by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac, which are the majority of loans). The terms haven't even been announced, so basically they've signed on to a concept, not an actual settlement. Thanks for selling us out, Kamala Harris.

Individual thank-you notes will be going out later- possibly not until I get back from the Arts and Crafts Conference next week. Right now I'm completely exhausted.

Help noted author/community and preservation activist Jane Powell save her landmark home from the Bank!

Our friend, Jane Powell, needs your help. She’s behind the 8-ball--a chronic and expensive disease, a major fixer for a house, and underwater with a huge mortgage with out-of-reach monthly payments, that the bank refuses to modify. But if we all pitch in, we CAN make a difference!

Jane Powell is probably best known for her informative, witty, and passionate writing about restoration and renovation--the big picture philosophy behind preserving historic bungalows and buildings of merit in general, combined with nuts and bolts expertise.

Her best-known books include Bungalow Kitchens and Bungalow Bathrooms, in addition to countless articles for The Old House Journal, American Bungalow and other publications. Jane has given lectures around the country and actively participated in preservation efforts locally, including serving as President of Oakland Heritage Alliance.

All the while, Jane has been battling lymphoma, pitted against the well-documented problems of the expensive, difficult health care system. Her part-time job qualifies her for coverage by an HMO, but Jane can’t afford many of the additional out-of-pocket medical expenses. 

She acquired Sunset House in 2002. This one-of-a kind Arts & Crafts treasure from 1905 came with years of deferred maintenance. Jane succeeded in getting Mills Act protection for the house (and some property tax relief), but she’s obligated to make ongoing, expensive repairs.

Jane has been trying, with all of her writing and persuasive ability, to get a loan modification, even lobbying representatives of GMAC, the lender, in person in Washngton, D.C. But the bank just demands more paperwork, and stalls, as Jane falls behind in her payments....

Keep Jane Powell and Sunset House together! It’s tragic that so many people have been separated from their homes by heartless banks and lenders--let’s make a difference on this one! Here’s how you can help:

ATTEND: A fabulous event at the “Sunset House” Feb. 12, Sunday, 2-5 p.m. This house was featured on the 1996 Arts & Crafts House Tour sponsored by Oakland Heritage Alliance and the Berkeley Architectural Heritage Association, built by architect/contractor Jesse Matteson for his own family. Sunset House was the cover story of the Nov. 2006 American Bungalow magazine.

Hosted bar, good food. Silent auction with objets d’art, consults, autographed books, massages, and fine collectibles. Check out the Restoration Comedy section of Jane’s blog, JanePowell.org, for the latest auction items. Cash, checks, or credit cards accepted.

Live entertainment: Sharon Knight (Celtic-inspired music--to hear a sample of their music & for more info, go to: http://sharonknight.net/music-neofolk-romantique.html), and other performers.Surprise guests.

Singles $25/couples $40 (no one turned away.) Sunset House, 2708 Sunset Ave., is east of Fruitvale Ave., at Lynde and 27th.

MAKE A CALL OR WRITE: Jane has been involved in negotiations (fruitless so far) with her lender, GMAC Mortgage.  Tell the bank to modify her mortgage to reflect the true value of the house and reduce her huge, and unaffordable, monthly payments.

GMAC contact info: Nicole Nesby ("relationship manager")                             1-877-928-4622 (option 5, then ext. 236-8552)                                                                1- 866-709-4744 (fax)                             
P.O. Box 780                            
3451 Hammond Avenue                            
Waterloo, IA 50704-0780

GMAC's CEO: Michael A. Carpenter      
200 Renaissance Dr.     
Detroit, Mich. 48265

GMAC Public Relations--ALLY
Gina Proia, VP/Chief Communications Officer
(646) 781-2692

MAKE A CONTRIBUTION: Contributions to help Jane with her mortgage can be sent directly to her at 2708 Sunset Ave., Oakland, Ca. 94601. Or click on the DONATE button to your right.

TELL YOUR FRIENDS/ASK FOR ENDORSEMENTS/LEND YOUR NAME: Oakland Councilperson Nancy Nadel; Becky and Michael O’Malley, Berkeley Daily Planet Editor and Publisher, and Lesley Emmington, Save Strawberry Canyon, are early supporters of the ad hoc Friends of Jane Powell group. Sign on!

For more information, and to RSVP, Robert Brokl/Alfred Crofts, (510) 655-3841, broklcrofts@earthlink.net.

Press contact: Ralph Kanz, (510) 535-9868, rkanz@sonic.net

Well, as expected, GMAC requested more documents for the loan modification. First, they wanted a Profit and Loss statement with ONLY business income and expenses, and only for the last three months. Here's the deal- like many people with sole proprietorships, I have my whole life in Quickbooks. This is wrong, as my sister, who has done accounting for many years,  likes to point out.  So besides the income from books, lectures, and writing, my P&L also has rental income from my house, my employment income, the generous donations to the house made by relatives, friends, and readers, etc. To have it all in one place works for me, but apparently not for GMAC.

I spent an entire afternoon re-classifying all the stuff not directly related to the business, and duly faxed in a new P&L, along with more bank statements reflecting the rental income (with circles and arrows and a paragraph on the back explaining what each one was to be used as evidence against me...). Yesterday I called to make sure they had received the fax. They had. But they still couldn't deal with the new P&L- they wanted it broken down into three individual months. My suggestion that they might have mentioned that little detail when first making the request did not go over well.

I have ostensibly been assigned a "relationship manager"- I was even given an actual telephone extension for this person. Yet I have never spoken to her, and whoever answers the phone assures me they are on her team, but I am starting to think she is imaginary, kinda like the guy you get when you call tech support who tells you his name is Chris when you know damn well it's Sanjiv. So far it seems exactly like the same customer service roulette I dealt with the last time. They are all very nice, which merely makes me suspicious.

In other news, some friends have gotten together to put on a benefit for me and the house (the two are kind of inseparable)- they're calling it "Friends Don't Let Friends Lose Their Houses." It will take place the first or second Sunday in February, here at the house. There will be food, entertainment, a silent auction (possibly to be accompanied by an online auction if someone can get that together). Still in the planning stages- I will post updates as things progress.

And some lovely end of the year linoleum from the 1937 Armstrong catalog (sorry they're sideways- didn't have time to rotate them properly)

I spent yesterday cleaning the gutters. Luckily my roof isn't that steep so it doesn't involve ladders- instead, I sit on the edge of the roof and scoop debris out of the gutter with a special tablespoon, left to me by the previous owners. The reason for the tablespoon is that the gutters are rather narrow. They are the original redwood gutters, and except for being badly patched in a few places with other pieces of wooden gutter whose profiles don't match, they are in remarkably good condition. Usually I hang Christmas lights from the roof at the same time I'm doing the gutters, but I'm not feeling terribly festive this year, not to mention I can't afford the electric bill for the lights.

It's kind of a tedious job but what I realized while I was up there is how much I enjoy working on the house, taking care of it. After I finished the gutters I pruned some redwood branches that had grown too close to the roof, then went inside and sanded the floor in the green bedroom some more. If I hadn't had to stop for dinner, I probably would have kept going till midnight.

In other news, GMAC has received my loan mod package, and they have actually assigned me a "relationship manager", as promised. They said to call once a week- apparently they're not allowed to call me- something to do with my bankruptcy. I expect the requests for more documentation will now begin.

At least I finally got my car back.

Also, I was contacted by someone with a BBC radio show- they want to interview me about linoleum!

Today I sent my second loan modification package off to GMAC. It took me more than a month, with help from my friend Alison, to assemble it. It has the loan number on every freaking page. We put it in a notebook with tabs for every single document and an archival photo of the house on the front. It was accompanied by a suitably humble hardship letter, which Alison had to rewrite for me as she felt mine was too snarky. Really? Moi? Gist of her letter: "Please, please, please give me a loan modification and I promise I will pay it faithfully forever and ever!" Gist of my letter: "You destroyed my income, my retirement, the value of my house, and my sanity- the least you can do is give me a fucking loan modification!" My mother was fond of saying, "You can catch more flies with honey than you can with vinegar," to which I usually responded, "Why would I want to catch flies?" One might add, if you really want to catch flies, dead meat works much better than honey, but I digress. We went with Alison's version. We also included, for all the good it may do, a copy of the chapter about my house from Nancy Hiller's book, A Home of Her Own, as well as a copy of my C.V. (that's Curriculum Vitae- a fancy form of resume on which you get to list everything you've ever done. Used mostly in academia, it makes you look far more awesome than you actually are.) We'll see what happens. According to the GMAC website, they will assign you a "relationship manager" for your loan mod- maybe this means it won't be another round of "whoever answers the phone at customer service" roulette.

There was a lot of discussion about whether to include the CV and the book chapter- would it make the house look too good? Would it engender sympathy or disgust? Would it make the application stand out or would it cause it to be rejected simply for not fitting into their stupid parameters? Eventually I decided the whole thing is a crapshoot anyway.

In other news, thanks to contributions from viewers like you, plus a small royalty check (buy more books!), I have managed to scrounge up enough money to pay the property taxes, which are due this week. The "donate" button is to your right- even small amounts are welcome!

And, of course, linoleum.