Just heard about an acquaintance back in Scottsdale ... here's the scoop:
- Lost her north Scottsdale house to foreclosure
- Couldn't get approved to rent a place due to credit
- Moved back in with dirtbag ex-boyfriend just to have a roof over her head
I didn't find out, though, what became of her BMW and Rolex. Yes, she has (had?) both.
She's not an isolated case. This is becoming a very common story in Scottsdale. The majority of loan resets are happening right now and the entire country is seeing a massive spike in foreclosures. Which means that fake, no-doc, no-money-down Scottsdale is seeing a REALLY massive spike in foreclosures right now. All those phonies who "bought" with no credit checks, no money down, and no income verification are royally screwed now. And that happens to be the majority of Scottsdale.
I love the irony that people who threw around the "ownership" title as some kind of status symbol suddenly can't even get approved to rent an apartment. Beautiful.
You're surprised she has a Rolex, even though she's facing financial ruin? Remember this is Scottsdale: style trumps everything, including sanity.
Posted by: ProfNickD | July 11, 2008 at 02:46 AM
Frank,
This is soooooo true. I own two homes; I am currently and have been for some time trying to sell my first home in Arrowhead Ranch (Since July 07') with zero luck. So, I figured since I cannot sell it, I may as well rent it! I am not in danger of foreclosure and current on ALL of my bills; money is very tight, but I'm managing. After having the house listed for these past several months, I decided to try using Craig's List (Dont know why I didn't use it sooner) because I had no offers, interests from MLS, Az Republic, KTAR.COM, and some other newspapers. The moment I place the home for rent on Craig's list, it has been "non-stop" answering emails, phone calls, etc. I have shown my house more times in the past month than I have in the past year. Now, ony the subject of credit and rental history, here is where the fun begins: A) Someone ALWAYS had a sob story. I.E I lost my house, the bank lied to me, I lost my job, I had too many kids, blah, blah, effen blah. B) Bankruptcy. i.e. I had racked up huge amounts of debt on my credit cards, LOC's, Store credit cards, all leading to charge offs, and non-current deliquent accounts. C) VERY bad credit scores. We require a credit score of 650 or above and a "good" rental/credit history. 9 out of 10 people that showed up could not meet these requirements. This became so frustrating to me, because the ad "clearly" stated "MUST" had good credit rating, and be in good standing.
So, to further validate your point, YES, people have fucked their credit up so badly that they are no longer trustworthy of renting to because they are too much of a risk! I am not stupid enought to rent to someone and go throught the anguishing process of removing renters because of tennant rights and laws in this state. So, that being said, I would rather continue paying my mortgage myself than letting some schmuck in and free-load off of me.
Posted by: Blinky | July 11, 2008 at 09:59 AM
Edit- In regards to my last post, this is not just in Scottsdale. A lot of the people I interviewed and showed the house worked in Scottsdale or lived there and wanted (or had no choice) to move elsewhere.
Posted by: Blinky | July 11, 2008 at 10:01 AM
I live in the NW valley, Phoenix, near Glendale, on a nice street.
It's realy hitting the fan out here. All of this was/is so predictable.
I just want this place purged of shysters, con artists, and auto-part-thief junkies.
I had my fricken' Catalytic Converter cut off my old Nissan truck last week, while I slept.
It Cost me over three hun to fix. They're going after the Platinum inside of the things. They can get $50 for dope.
They ripped off my turn signal assembly a few months back, and tried to steal our Honda from the driveway.
Nice neighborhood but people are desperate since jobs are getting harder to come by.
Thank gawd I'm pulling in a decent salary as a Project Analyst in the defense industry, so I'm doing OK.
See, even though I'm not rich and have State school BS and MBA degrees and drive an older pickup truck, I still have pride that I'm not scheming or shysting anyone and living off my credit cards to put on a phony Scottsdale front to impress some skanky chicks.
I live modesty and productively, etc.
If you've got money, cool. You probably earned it and I totally respect that.
Some day I may pull in some bigger bucks, but I won't look down on the honest working man that is content with an honest days' labor and salary.
You can still show class and not have a lot of money, and vice versa.
Posted by: joe jacari | July 12, 2008 at 12:06 AM
Joe, you rock!!!
Project analyst with an MBA?
Shit, I need to move you out here and hire you :)
You and my girlfriend's cousin who just retired from the Marines as a senior drill instructor at Parris Island ... he'll keep 'em in line :)
Posted by: Frank Rumbauskas | July 12, 2008 at 01:08 AM
Ha, ha!
Thanks for the offer. I'm honored.
I may be leaving AZ for Cali law enforcement, to give that a crack, before I get much older. If I don't like that maybe I'll take you up on the offer.
I'd like to interview you if I get back into radio.
JJ
Posted by: joe jacari | July 12, 2008 at 09:18 AM
Let me know if you do, I've made some contacts in Cali law enforcement as part of the gun owner/CCW community here.
Posted by: Frank Rumbauskas | July 12, 2008 at 12:16 PM
The Typical Scottsdale Gal:
Nice Uniform
Bad Helmet
I've seen many Scottsdale women with nice figures - either enhance or natural. However, the vast majority of these women do not have attractive faces.
Posted by: Pops | July 16, 2008 at 01:26 AM
Joe,
Nicely said. Class and money have little to do with each other. Class is based on your value system, which is manifested in your behaviors. Money on the other hand can be obtained through various means.
"Doing well" is not a monetary concept. "Doing well" is a state of mind. If you are happy with your life then you are "doing well." Most research has indicate that once a person achieves a middle class income, additional income will not produce more happiness.
I took the long route in learning this. I have two advanced degrees from ASU and have had significant career success in the information technology and Management Consulting sectors. While I did enjoy the income and some of the corporate perks, I found that I had to spend to much time away from my family. Simply put, I was quite successful in terms of career and income measures, but I was not happy . . . in fact, I was miserable.
It was only after I realized that the goal of life was to be happy that I pursue the career and industry that allowed me to use my talents and provided a good income for my family. While, I took a 30% paycut for this new career (medical sales), I can honestly say that I have never been happier.
Meanwhile, everyone else that I used to work with still are complaining and miserable. I can see it in their faces, words and demeanor.
Seems like you are one of the few people in the valley that has their head on straight b/c you live within your means, are not pretentious and seem to be pursuing your passion, which seems to be law enforcement.
I can see why Frank has an affinity for you as he pursued his passion for sales, promotion and of course authoring and see you taking a similar path with law enforcement.
As for Scottsdale - being an east coast guy, it is a town of no consequence.
Posted by: Pops | July 16, 2008 at 01:47 AM
Frank,
Speaking of CCW. I got mine a couple of years ago after my housekeeper was killed by the baseline killer and a neighbor was shot in her own home. What is scary is that I live in the Camleback Cooridor area (near 32nd and Camelback Road), which is a pretty nice area (or so I thought). LOL Do you have any contacts in Phoenix that could take my wife through CCW. I got mine at SGC and wondered if there were any other alternatives.
Posted by: Pops | July 16, 2008 at 01:53 AM