Alone, broke and target of profiteers

[Liberal_in_LA]

Alone, broke and target of profiteers
A vulnerable man who many would call a hoarder has been living without heat or utilities in an affluent North Seattle neighborhood, where neighbors worry about his welfare and strangers have been circling in anticipation of King County foreclosing on his home for unpaid property taxes.

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Alan, 59, inherited this house free and clear after his father died six years ago. That makes him fortunate. But now he's broke and alone. He owes $4,100 in back utilities, more than $26,000 in property taxes and about $25,000 to the IRS. Unless he pays his 2008 property taxes — some $7,800 — by month's end, he faces foreclosure. That makes him desperate.

Strangers have been circling the neighborhood recently, photographing Alan's neglected house with its peeling trim, mossy blinds and rotting curtains. They know there's a good chance that King County will foreclose on the property to collect back taxes. For those real-estate investors, Alan's plight is a business opportunity.

One pony-tailed investor — a man who once bought an apartment building on the cheap from a 90-year-old woman with dementia — befriended Alan and appeared close to buying his house until a family lawyer warned Alan to stay away from him.

Meanwhile, neighbors are trying to get Alan help so that he can safely stay in his house.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2014732775_vulnerable10m.html

[dkf]

1. $7,800 for one years property taxes? Crazy.

[Liberal_in_LA]

2. house is in expensive area

[pnwmom]

4. Still very high for a house assessed at $495,000 in N. Seattle.

[pnwmom]

3. That sounds like a factual error.

It struck me when I read that, too -- almost $8K for a 2 bedroom house in North Seattle?

So I checked the taxes on the house we owned in N. Seattle twenty years ago. It's got an assessed value of about $380K and taxes of less than $4K. So it doesn't make sense that a house assessed at under $500K would have taxes of almost $8K.

[Sherman A1]

5. Possible that it might include interest and penalties for

late payment?

I don't know, just thinking the there would be some and they would be significant.

[pnwmom]

6. Yeah, that could have added up over three years. n/t

[geckosfeet]

8. That is not unreasonable - penalties and interest etc. have probably been applied.

It is usury at its finest.

These people have still not figured out that if go after the people with all the money, you get more with less effort.

[Faux pas]

7. The only good thing about this is at least his neighbors care.