[Cob] barely on topic and only if you squint

[Sabrina Free]

Hi All,
I went to the foreclosure auction on my hopefully future house today.  How
it works is that it is now owned by the bank, and the owner has a redemption
period to come up with the money if he wants to keep the house.  If he
doesn't, then the bank puts it up for sale. I just wanted to go out of
curiosity and to be sure that is what happened.  As I said before, but not
sure where, the house is red-tagged by the city, has been empty for 3 years,
was a rental before that for a while.  I am not taking some little old
lady's house, or a family.  I do know that I am benefitting from somebody
elses problem, but I did offer to buy the house from him before it went to
foreclosure and he didn't respond to me or a realtor.
However.
The people who were at the auction, for the most part, a few bankers, a few
lawyers, and some out and out leeches.  One guy was telling the two "new"
people (me and a guy who had already put an offer on a house where the
people were losing it) how to become "investors".  He was telling how old
people don't open their mail, so don't get their taxes paid, then you go in
and get some certificate for paying the taxes on their house, then send the
old people all the legally required stuff, knowing they don't open their
mail, and bingo you own their house.  There is more to it than that
probably, I was so focused on not punching him it was hard to listen.
But I repeated back to him, "Ok, so you get the certificate, you get their
house knowing the whole problem was caused by them not opening their mail in
the first place, and then what?  You kick old people out and turn the home
they spent their life in into a rental?  Don't you think that is rather
slimy?"  I am not the most tactful woman on the planet and have found a lot
of people don't like it, and that was the end of the conversation
basically.  He mumbled something and walked away.
When I started researching natural building back in 1994 or 95, I didn't
really care a whole lot about the big picture.  I just knew there was going
to come a time when I would not be able to afford a mortgage payment, and
wanted to make sure I would still have a place to live.
Since being on this list (a really long time with not much talking) I have
learned so much, and would have to say that my whole outlook on housing has
changed since the day in 1994 when I first heard about straw bale houses,
which was my first introduction to natural building.  Additionally, my whole
opinion on housing and mortgages, and what people "do" with their money has
changed too.
I just now realized, that after reading your posts for oh, going on ten
years, and reading your books, and buying books from you, though we have
never met, and I have barely spoken, I consider you folks good friends, and
excellent mentors.  I am barely recognizeable as the same person I was when
first on this list, and it just now dawned on me why.  You honestly have
changed my entire outlook.
I really thank you,
Sabrina Free, future cob wall builder (hopefully that qualifies the post
enough to be on topic) :o)