[marys]

I'm writing from our new house. After arguing with Countrywide for several hours on Monday, 10/13/08, I was completely frustrated. They had told me that now that the bankruptcy issue was resolved, they had to basically start over again, reviewing our offer, getting a new appraisal, getting investor approval, etc. to determine if they would sell us the house. The process would take about 6 wks; if expediting was successful, maybe as little as 3 weeks, just to get approval. In my arguments, I tried to explain that property values had fallen, not risen, and that their appraisal from June/July was certainly not going up. Blah, Blah, Blah -- all the same logical arguments that get nowhere. Nothing doing, just a wait.

I had asked for the name of the investor. (They must give this info, by law, but can require the home owner --- or his authorized rep --- to send a written request.) I was prepared for the written request to be demanded, but surprisingly, they told me Bank of NY. So I called BNY's head of investor relations (listed online under corporate directory.) Of course, the person I reached (the actual head of dept.) on a bank holiday --- Columbus Day --- of all times (must have been in the office sans secretary) who was very surprised to get a call from a potential buyer across the country. Anyhow, he of course explained he was the wrong person to talk to but said if I sent an email, he'd direct it to the right person the next day (after the holiday.) So I sent an email.

Then, Monday evening around 6:30, I got a call from the seller's agent telling me she had just received an approval letter by fax. No call saying it was coming, no nothing. I had been given a firm "no" as explained above, and here it was, out of the blue.

We decided to move quickly, me not believing it could be right, and planned to close that Friday (4 days notice that we are accepted, to then move.) And believe it or not, it all went smoothly and we moved in officially on 10/17.

Here I am now, in my dream home. And the sellers were able to get a short sale done and finish up this sad part of their own.

So the message to those reading is this:

1) When you read everyone's messages of frustration and think your situation is different and will take only a couple of weeks, think again. Make a plan for 4-6 months wait. If you aren't willing to do that, find another house.

2) Be persistent. I use that word instead of some others that don't sound quite so nice. Call every single day until you talk to someone. Be VERY friendly on the phone, never yell, never berate, never forget that the person on the other end is just doing their job, looking forward to going home at the end of the day, and never forget that they have a couple hundred files on their desk just like yours, representing people just like you who also are in a hurry, in dire straits financially, or whatever it is that you think sets you apart. The only thing that can actually set you apart is persistence, profesionalism, courtesy, friendliness, and follow-through. When you are asked to provide something, get it done that same day or within no more than 24 hours. Follow up with a call to make sure they got it.

3) Don't take "no" unless you clearly see why or unless there is no choice. This applies to "wait" messages. Contact another person, keep looking for other contacts. Don't give up.

4) Make it your job -- no one will care about your case as much as you do, so do what you can to pitch in and help. Ask what you can do to help move things along. Do the homework for them. Make sure everything you provide is in perfect order so that your file is an "easy" one.

5) Good luck!

--Mary