NORFOLK
A child's bicycle stood outside the door where Master Deputy Michael Lemke waited with eviction papers.
The ones with kids are always bad, he said.
Most of the time, the people listed on the court papers have moved out by the time Lemke tapes an eviction notice to a door. Sometimes he finds families carrying belongings to cars and borrowed trucks on the day they have been ordered to vacate the premises. Sometimes the people tell him they have no place to go.
Evictions have increased in Norfolk by about 5 percent this year, which Sheriff Bob McCabe attributes to the economic downturn. Now deputies in Norfolk and Virginia Beach, which also has seen a small increase, have begun giving those evicted a list of contacts for charitable agencies that can help. In Chesapeake, where evictions are up 14 percent, officials are working on a similar letter, said Sheriff's Office spokesman Sgt. David Rosado.
Suzanne Puryear, president of 211 Virginia, which is affiliated with a group listed in McCabe's eviction assistance letter, said calls for housing assistance have skyrocketed this year. Many callers also need assistance with food and utility bills.
"We've had folks call and say, 'I never needed to call for help before. I never thought this would happen to me,' " Puryear said.
The foreclosure rate has more than tripled in Hampton Roads in the past year, according to RealtyTrac, an online foreclosure-monitoring service based in Irvine, Calif.
McCabe said his department posts about 475 notices and actually conducts about 250 evictions each month. "We've been lucky here as compared to other areas," McCabe said. He referred to an Illinois sheriff who ceased serving eviction notices, saying tenants who had paid their rent were being forced to leave apartments because landlords had not paid the mortgage.
On Monday, Lemke served papers at two apartment complexes. At Fenner Garden Apartments, he knocked on doors and left 72-hour eviction notices - legal warnings setting an absolute last day of occupancy - for several people. It's the third step in the process, Lemke said. First a property owner sends a 10-day notice to warn the occupant of imminent eviction. Then the owner seeks a court order demanding payment.
"By the time it gets to this point, they're $3,000 behind," Lemke said. He rifled through the papers to be served that day. The renters to be served owed $2,600, $2,900, $2,300.
The occupants usually have more than 72 hours, or three days, to clear out, Lemke said. After the third step, the owner sets a date with the sheriff's office to force evacuation of the premises.
Lemke said he doesn't ask how the people on his eviction list came to be kicked out of their apartments. By the time eviction day rolls around, the majority of the apartments on his list have been vacated. He and the property owners walk through rooms strewn with trash, Lemke checking to be sure no drugs or guns have been left behind.
At a couple of apartments where he posted three-day notices, he found caretakers watching the children of the person to be evicted. Occasionally, he said, the person receiving the notice will be angry.
"They know it's not our fault," Lemke said. "They're mad - but not at the deputy."
At The Oaks apartments near Military Highway, property managers accompanied Lemke as he served papers to two couples still moving out of their apartments.
Three cats in crates mewed as Tim Zvonik and his wife, Leslee Little, carried the last of their belongings out of their apartment. Zvonik said he had been fired from his job as a cable installer, and Little had been unable to find work as a housekeeper. Payday loans and bank overdraft fees added to their financial troubles, he said. They could not find housing assistance that would allow them to keep their cats, Zvonik said.
"All this is going to a storage facility," Little said, "and then to an efficiency. We'll take it from there." Zvonik was more glum.
"I'll be sleeping in my car," he said.
A red truck blocked the stairwell leading to James and Maureene Moody's apartment. A group of friends helped the Moodys carry lamps and tables down the stairs. Their two-month-old son, Connor, waited with a friend in another car.
"We didn't get the money we needed until it was too late," said James Moody. He said he had been laid off from his job as an electrician in January and had only been able to get side and weekend work since then. His wife is in the Navy. Once they got behind on the rent, Moody said, they couldn't keep up with the late fees. When the eviction notice came, Moody said, "I was happy. I'm kind of glad to get out."
They planned to move into military housing.
Lemke walked through the apartment, then waited as a maintenance man changed the locks.
Michelle Washington, (757) 446-2287, michelle.washington@pilotonline.com
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I will sit on my pile of
I will sit on my pile of money and watch you figure it out. Today is the best market to buy in. While prices will drop a bit the mortgage market is too unpredictable. It is also a false picture because it is propping up bankers, insurers, and so on that are not performing. The goverment is funding peoples competitor and this will shake out poorly. Get a good deal and sit on it. Get the rate and brace yourselves.
not so fast
Nobody was talking about your equity. What that is, is anyones guess nowadays. First, you implied that all rent over and above the mortgage payment was profit. It is not. Gross rental income is not the same as net rental income and it doesn't end there. Second, you say that renting is dumb. I say, buying a house right now would be like paying full price for something that you know is going on sale the next day. Are you trying to say it's a dumb not to buy even if you are going to be moving away in a year or two and will have to sell as I and perhaps other dummies will have to do. With home prices in a steady decline and after paying the listing fees etc. it would take far more than a year for a dummy to “lose” very much by paying rent.
I usually do not respond to
I usually do not respond to others unless it is funny. The renter cannot make money in anything at the rate I do on this investment. The point is that every month when the renter pays me I make money and gain equity. I use the mortgage to write off the money I make so I pay no taxes. If it looks like I might owe taxes I have improvements done to the property to offset any I may incur. The renter makes no money and receives no tax benefits. Regardless of where it is accessed, a mortgage calculator is a calculator. It assists with mathamatics. Your belief the bank would change results to benefit themselves is quite funny. I don't want to step on any toes but it does not sound like you have a grasp on the basics of home ownership. Your tune will change when you are able to buy instead of rent. Good luck with it.
Debatable
I'm surely is debatable, unless you are simply unable to do so. The question is not whether you are making money or not. The question is whether you are making more money than the renter would, if they invested the same amount of money that you have invested, in anything other than real estate. That IS debatable. It's done all the time. You cannot make any comparisons though until you have added everything up and it doesn't sound like you have. How much did you pay for your "Get Rich with Real Estate" program? Who would use a bank's web calculator to help them make real financial decisions? They have a financial interest in your decision to mortgage property don't they? No chance for bias there. Oh no.
I meant that if I bought it
I meant that if I bought it for three times as much. I used NFCU's mortgage calculator to arrive at my numbers.
It's not a debatable issue.
It's not a debatable issue. I am making money and that is all that matters. Using a mortgage calculator, if I sold it for three time what I paid for it at todays available rate to me I would still realize a profit. I would also write the entire interest portion off of my taxes. It would be tight but no money would be coming out of my pocket. The point being that anyone who defends renting is doing nothing more than trying to defend their own poor choices. I could split the duplex today and sell it for more than I could combined. Both residents would pay less a month. They would also realize huge tax benefits.
Don't look at data,
Check with actual people. This administration doesn't count people as unemployed after they use up their unemployment benefits, whether they've found employment or not. They also no longer count them if they take part time or lower paying jobs. Go to the Goodwill stores & see who now shops there. You may be surprised.
speaking of rentals
I also have some rental property, and find that even renters aren't making moves at this time. I usually have no problem renting any of my units and now I only get a couple of lookers, and I wouldn't rent to them for a number of reasons. This one unit has been on the market for 2 months, and as a general rule they are rented within a week.
The economy seems to be down in all area's not just buying homes.
Richard
That's a little misleading isn't it? The avg cap rate for investment grade properties in this area is around 6% and on a decline along with effective rents. Maybe the REIT's need to start buying duplexes. Aside from the fact that most renters do not live in duplexes, what you've said doesn't prove anything if you don't also say, when you bought, where it is, how much time you spend on it (your time is not free), vacancy losses, advertising, how much you pay in taxes, int, maint, ins, utilities, etc. Dollar for dollar a renter might not always break even but, renting does have many advantages that you have to put a value on before you can make any comparisons to owning. “I take in twice my mortgage” just doesn't cut it.
I own 3 rental properties.
I own 3 rental properties. One is a duplex so that is two at the same address. I also own a resort property that people rent to vacations in. The resort property pays the mortgage for the year with two months of rentals. The duplex doubles my annual mortgage. I literally more than double what I pay. I am very careful about the tenants. I am more concerned w/ character than money. I have had offers to pay the rent in full for 3 years if I did not pull credit. Heck no. The condition of the building is worth much more than the rent. You have to be careful. One thing that is confusing is that some people below claim it is better to rent. My bank statements says different. The first thing about a prospective tenant I want to know is why they want to rent because it makes no sense.
In support of Navyblue and other landlords....
Back in the 90's, before credit and the housing market boom, you could get good tenants. You looked after them, they looked after the property and handled their responsibilities. At that point, almost anyone could buy, and the risk of renting to "undesirables" dramatically increased.
We kept our first family home as an investment property and once the caliber of tenants went down, boy...it was a nightmare! We evicted two sets of tenants in as many years...both of whom ended up being about $3K behind in the rent and destroyed carpets, walls, floors and plumbing. Who paid for the damage? We did. Who paid the mortgage while these no-accounts lived for free? We did. Who decided never to be a landlord again? We did.
Is it any wonder landlords lose compassion for people?
How can a military misuse housing money.....
How is it that a military member, who has their housing allowance, fails to pay rent and become evicted? Our taxes paid that individual for monthly rent and it was misused and wasted so they are now tossed out of their house. So what!!! That is the way the real world works. If you don’t pay your bills, there are actual consequences. And we are to feel bad????? As the article says, they will just move into military housing. This is a clear case of neglect and financial irresponsibility. Let them learn the hard way.
could it happen to you?
In this economy with lay offs evictions and foreclosure could happen to almost anyone. Loosing a job, a sudden tragic death or unexpected major illness could throw anyone into a life altering situation.
Let us pray HMP
You are right on one point HMP. As a Christian I too believe in prayer. However, that is probably just one more thing the majority of these people that don't take any responsibility for their own actions want somebody else to do for them.
It goes both ways Navyblue
Navyblue - despite what the late night get rich in real estate program said, landlording is a business with risks and costs. I've seen bad tenants, but I've experienced horrible property management and landlords. I have little respect for landlords. No desire for upkeep, they want the check without the work. There is a reason renting is supposed to be more expensive than owning, and that is the cost of upkeep. I've seen psycho landlords. When you see a craigslist for rent ad that reads like a house for sale ad with all these little things about flowers and small finishing touches, you know someone bought the house of their dreams to rent out and it's going to be a nightmare.
Evictions
"He and the property owners walk through rooms strewn with trash."
These people owed over $2500 in backrent. Then on the way out they dont even bother to throw out thier trash. It's not free to clean up garbage. If they left the apartment in reasonable condition they may have been able to apply all of their deposit against the judgement. The landlord will bring pictures of the condition of the rooms to court.... I sure would.
They evicted some people in
They evicted some people in our neighborhood and within 15 minutes people were pawing through their stuff on the front yard.
What an ugly display of human greed.
Set record straight
Jim - McCain had even more support for bailing out the people who incorrectly speculated on real estate. Obama is actually the lesser of two evils, although both could care less it's a talking point given to them by advisers to win over the sheep.
I live within my means, 100%
I have two cats and rent, and it's a hassle. When my parents retired to Florida, downsizing due to age and upkeep on Chesapeake property, I said I would take the two cats that we raised from strays. The alternative was pound, as the vet said they would be unlikely to survive trip to Florida. I'm carrying out the duty, but will not replace them. I had planned to look for a house, but started after the mania and it became hopeless unless you want to loose. Renting is financially a better option, as bad as it is.
Data doesn't say that either
The unemployment rate can be deceiving. A lot of people who are layed off are having to take jobs that pay much less just to feed their families so they come off the unemployment rolls
We're not seeing that either. The ECI gives you a good idea what the job market is doing as far as compensation:
http://www.bls.gov/news.release/eci.nr0.htm
Pets should be important
When you buy a pet you make a committment to care for it. However, its irresponsible to value pets more than people - expecially if those people are your children. I'm not talking about people who THINK their animals are their children. The unemployment rate can be deceiving. A lot of people who are layed off are having to take jobs that pay much less just to feed their families so they come off the unemployment rolls, but they still can't pay their rent or their electricity bills. Its not easy to support a family on minium wage. Most of us are just a paycheck away from eviction or foreclosure.