Clayton - Vanderbilt Mortgage lot managers lie to customers about land, lieu packages ripoff Lumberton North Carolina

My wife and applied for a manufactured home in October 2003 through Clayton Homes in Lumberton, North Carolina. At the time of applying for the home we were approved for a 28' x 46' which we could not get because of the zone requirements in our area. We needed a zone 2 home but the first was a zone 1. The lot manager at the time, Manny Locklear, told us to go view a home in the Reiglewood, North Carolina area. We did so and said we liked it and our credit was ran again for this home, a 28' x 52' home.

On the day we went in to sign our contract we over heard Mr. Locklear on the phone fussing that "They're here now and are going to be upset when they find out they had to drive out herre for nothing!" We found out that this home someone had gone in and changed the zone 1 to a zone 2 with a marker and we would have to go to either Florence, SC or COnway, Sc to find a zone 2 home. We did so and after a few days our credit was ran again and we were approved for a 28' x 60' home.

When we went in to sign the contract to close on the home we inquired with the sales manager in Conway about our family land that Mr. Locklear had told us was a so-called land/lieu package. We explained that we had been told that although we were using the land as our down payment that if the home was ever foreclosed on that the home would be pulled back on the sales lot and the land would have a lien on it preventing us from ever being able to use it as collateral again until the lien was paid off.

I lost my job shortly afterwards due to ongoing illnesses. I've since had my left hip and knee totally replaced with my right hip and knee to follow. We began to fall behind on our payments and soon we could not afford to pay the amount of $620/month anymore. On top of that our payment went from $620/ month to $699/month.

To make a long story short we lost our home and our family land that had been in our family for over 150 years. I tried contacting the owner of Clayton/Vanderbilt Homes to inform him of our situation and my ongoing process of applying for disability. He basically blew me off and had the foreclosure department contact me. They basically told me if my wife and I couldn't come up with the $10,000 in late payments within 30 days that we would lose our land and home.

My wife and I are both ministers and the only way I know yioyu can come up with $10,000 in 30 days is either win the lottery or do something illegal. We didn't pursue either option and have lost out big time because we were lied to from the beginning. If we would have known this from the get go I would have never signed papers that gives someone the right to basically take land from another black family after it had been earned through sweat, blood and tears for over 150 years.

I know they'll say we should have read the fine print but thats what we thought the sales manager was going over with us at the time of sale. We moved into our home Dec. 23, 2003 and moved out on Dec. 1, 2006. Pretty ironic huh?

Anyway as I said before to Mr. Clayton and I'll say it agian, I hope you enjoy getting rich off the little people with families that feed yours and pay for your home(s), vacations, cars, childrens private schools and whatever other luxuries you enjoy. You are getting your rewards now saith the Lord God Almighty!

If you don't believe me come to North Carolina sometime and look at all the repoed land/lots that are either vacant or homes sitting there rotting. Our home was already repoed when we got it and we still were charged $54,000 for it. Funny thing about it is this will be the third time this home is being sold and it's still valued at $55,000.

When does a home's value start to depreciate and when are good american people who served in the armed forces and played an important part in building a lot of these communities into what they are today going to stop having there children's children ripped off in the end. I thought black americans were owed 40 acres and a mule some time ago but it looks as if we are getting 4 inches and a horse hair!

Stay away from Clayton/Vanderbilt Homes! They'll try to take your spirit if you aren't careful. I know because my wife and I almost lost our minds fooling with these slicksters with their deceitful tongues. We were even harrassed by the collections department as to "How did you even qualify for a home if you aren't working?!" (Spoken by Ms. Freida Gaines when we first started falling behind on our payments)

Brian
Whiteville, North Carolina
U.S.A.