Can anyone help this woman?
 

I read this story and it’s been bothering me all day. Her husband was military till he died and she needs help to bring her house up to standards. She seems like a great candidate for a Go Fund me page but I have no experience with that. Do you? Any ideas? There but for the Grace of God...Merry Christmas?



A Villager is claiming her loss of supplemental income is making upkeep at her home too expensive for her to afford.

The home of Ingrid Rickard at 16558 SE 77th Northridge Court in the Village of Calumet Grove was the subject of a public hearing Friday before the Community Development District 4 Board of Supervisors.

A complaint about missing lanai screens and weeds was lodged against her property Oct. 13 with Community Standards. The violation was verified the following day.

Rickard’s husband, a retired Air Force colonel, died in 2012. They moved to The Villages in 2003. The house in Calumet Grove was built in 2004 and they were its first and only occupants.

In the years since her husband’s death, Rickard has fallen on hard times.

She said her supplemental income from retirement has been depleted

“I have no other way of making any money,” the 76-year-old told the CDD 4 board.

She had to trim back on her landscaping budget to save money and friends from her church have been helping her pull weeds.

On Tuesday, she signed an agreement with a contractor who can replace the screens in her lanai. But the contractor is “backed up” and can’t get to her job for 12 to 14 weeks.

Rickard said she understood she could be fined if the work isn’t performed in a timely manner.

“I had to borrow money to have the screens replaced. I cannot afford a daily fine,” she said.

Supervisor Don Deakin urged Rickard to get other competitive bids and potentially use them to spur her chosen contractor to move up the job on his priority list.

CDD 4 Board Chairman Jim Murphy reminded Rickard that she has a responsibility to “keep up the property.”

By a unanimous vote of the board, she was given 45 days to bring the property into compliance. If she fails to do so, she will face an initial $150 fine followed by $50 daily fines.

Where are her neighbors ?

According to Zillow, the house is worth $554K. The obvious possible solutions are to either get a mortgage on the house and use the cash to pay bills, or to sell the house and buy a less expensive house or get a rental. The missing information is what is her equity in the house?

Family?

I think Zillow is way off (too high) with that estimate. We sold our previous home in Calumet Grove last March and Zillow says it is worth $90k more than we sold it for. It is not.

Zillow says they paid $381,500 in 2004. (That seems high to me but I could be wrong.) In any case, I would guess her home might be worth in the mid- to high-400's, depending on condition. If it hasn't been updated at all (which is likely, if her husband passed away 8 years ago) it could be worth less. She might have some equity in the house but not what it might seem like if you go by Zillow.

I agree that she should probably sell it and buy something much smaller. One person doesn't need 2200+ sq. ft. She may not have anyone nearby (adult kids or grandkids) to help her with packing up/moving out of a home where she has lived for 16 years and listing it for sale. Or she may be reluctant to leave the home where she and her husband lived together.

It would be great if a neighbor or two would try and help her. I don't know what we, as strangers, can do but I would be willing to contribute to a GoFundMe if one were set up.

kathy

I’m a very soft touch for charities but this lady has a very nice pension coming in and who knows how much is in the house . I give to some go find me people but they usually have nothing because of some disaster or medical, even if there’s not much in the house she can find many inexpensive nice places to live on that pension and one poster is right where are her neighbors

You may be right, but her husband’s pension may have ended at his death. Not enough info.

The birdcage for sure is pretty disgusting.

To clarify, the house is on a cul de sac, with a nice golf course view, and a large swimming pool. It is valued at $100K to $250K above every other house on the street. I don't think it would be difficult to sell even if it is not upgraded.

There's no reason why she should even still be living in that house, other than sentimental stubbornness. She could sell it for $350,000, far below whatever Zillow claims it's worth, "as is," buy a smaller home in the Spanish Springs area for around $200,000. With the profits she can afford to hire a professional mover, pay the amenity fees, and hire a lawn and pesticide guy for the next 5 years. She'd have plenty left over for taxes and to supplement whatever her Social Security income is.

She needs to sell and move to something she can afford to maintain.

According to Marion County Tax Assessor $381,500 is correct. After 16 years it should easily be worth $450-$500K. Taxes are $5700 which in itself must be tough for her. It's sad to see someone in that state of mind due to finances but family if any or downsize or senior living unit would be her best bets. It's described as a VILLAGES GOLF DESIGNER HOME 2230 Sq feet.

I looked it up too. She paid $283,000 in 2003. I agree with you. I would clean up what I could and sell it and get out from under the amenity fees and live smaller and cheaper somewhere close. I for one would do that far before I would allow a go fund me.

Husband died in 2012. If in fact it took 8 years to identify an upcoming problem with finances, then there is something else going on here. I am sympathetic to anyone falling on hard times, but I am more concerned about taking advantage of the gullibility of giving people.
With the information provided, something smells.

Sound like a reverse mortgage is what would really help her. She would be able to have funds in a line of credit where she could draw monthly income.
This is exactly why reverse mortgages help some.