In November of 2005 after eleven years of working towards our ultimate goal of buying a single family home our dream was realized. Having owned two properties before this made us feel so proud. We had done it, we started at the bottom and with hard work and dedication we saw our dreams fulfilled. Well, that was what we thought.
Soon after we realized the loan we signed for was not the loan we got. By the time we realized this is was too late the loan had been sold and reassigned to another financial institution. We realized this was going to be a tough road for us but we were determined to make it work until our payments ballooned and double from one month to another. Our dream, our reality was soon shattered!
For years we tried over and over again to get the bank to work with us but they wouldn’t. So the years passed and our property went into foreclosure and the anger started to build up. The frustration of how this could have happened, the questioning of one’s self as to how start’s to eat at you inside. It’s stuff that can destroy families, it brings with it a lot of anger, sadness and an overwhelming feeling of helplessness to know that your family’s home is lost and there is nothing you can do to change it. It’s heartbreaking.
About two years ago we started trying to short sale the house, it was a very hard reality to swallow. We signed several contracts but they fell through. And we started to lose faith that we would never get through this. The longer we were here the stronger my emotions became, hope became despair, dreams became lost, then there was fear, anger and sadness. There was a lot of fighting, yelling and crying on my part. Little by little it was destroying me and the need to get out, to move on and start over started to overpower those feelings. Then I started to realized a few things; I believe everything in life happens for a reason. The state of Florida is not the greatest state for services for children with special needs, the waiting list for the medical med-waiver program is YEARS long. As Sophie grew I started realizing leaving FL was looking like a good option.
Maybe we were never supposed to be here permanently, maybe this home was never supposed to be mine if not for this brief time. When Sophie was born my husband had just taken a 50% pay cut and I had to quit my job. If we had not been in the house in this precise situation we would not have made it, call it a blessing in disguise. Having hit financial downfall helped teach us a lot. We will not walk away from this wondering if this will ever happen again we will walk away with tools to do better next time around. We will walk away stronger and wiser.
Nine months ago we signed a shortsale that seemed promising but after four months just as our approval was coming in the buyers walked. Another family wanted it within a couple of days so we pushed on in hopes that this time it would work. I was desperate to see an end to this. I wanted out of this house that had brought me so much pain but the endless wait was overwhelming.
My shortsale to make matters worse was the most stressful and time-consuming experience my realtor and the title company had ever experienced. It’s as if something just kept trying to destroy the whole process but we did not give up. There were hundreds of email exchanges, phone calls and documentation requests amongst my self, the tittle company, my realtor and the bank. But we did not let up, we pushed and pushed. And finally it was all approved two weeks ago but not without complication, of course. It took another two weeks to resolve the newest challenge. But we got it resolved!
Yesterday we closed, we did it! As I sat in my car on the way to the closing I felt the tears start to flow down my face, I could not help it. I was not sure if I was sad or happy or maybe a bit of both. I made it through the closing fine but I was extremely nervous through the whole process. As I signed each document it felt as if one by one the dreams I once had started to float away.
When we walked out into the hallway to leave it hit me, this huge surge of built up emotion; it’s done, it’s over and I could start to breathe again. I cried seven years worth of tears in several minutes. The reality was that this was no longer my home. That the dreams I once had there were gone forever. That I could finally close this chapter in my life and start over. Then I realized, I was scared. Was I really ready for this? It took me a few minutes and after a hug from my realtor and some words from my husband I pulled myself together. This was what I had been wanting for quite some time and I got it.
So now it’s time to move forward but I will forever have many memories here. We start our new lives with a move from Florida to North Carolina where we will make a new home. Where we will meet new people, make new friends and rebuild our dreams once again. Many times along this journey I felt helpless and almost lost my faith but I know now it all happened just the way it was meant to happen.
Thank you to the tittle company “First International Tittle” and my realtor Sally Nunez for your dedication to help us get this done!
Good Bye what was once the De Leon home!
