Stop Michigan Foreclosure » Joel

Sending Us An Email?

Joel — Fri, 16 May 2008 11:50:44 +0000

Just a quick tip: If you send us an email asking for help, be sure to check your “SPAM” or Junk mail folder for an answer. Many times, our answers end up there because we send them from a corporate email address.

Look for an answer from someone on our team that comes from either @StopMichiganForeclosure.com or @GreatLakesHomeSolutions.com. You may want to add these two domains to your “safe senders list” or “white list” right now.

I’d hate to see you ask for advice only to never see the answer!

Joel

Three More Testimonials and TONS of Debt Wiped Out (Forever!)

emily — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 12:12:46 +0000

Three More Testimonials and TONS of Debt Wiped Out

I try to keep up with posting testimonials here on this blog and also here, but sometimes I just can’t stay caught up.With over a dozen approvals and closings over the last 8 weeks, it’s been tough. But here are a few more to give you a feel for the families we’ve been able to help out.

If you want to be next, it’s obvious you’re not alone, so give us a call – before you know it, you could be sitting at a closing, with the weight of your lender (and the world) off your back.

This group, from the get-go, put us at ease. To top it all, we discovered that a short-sale option was far superior to foreclosure. (A short sale is an almost too-good-to-be-true-option.) That Great Lakes did all the heavy lifting to get our house sold was a tremendous relief. We are very thankful we found Great Lakes.

Robert and Julie, Portage, Michigan

We bought the house before the housing market crashed and found ourselves in a situation where we were paying a lot of money for a house that wasn’t worth much. I decided to go back to school and wasn’t making as much money, which only added to our debt and stress. Great Lakes Home Solutions worked extremely hard along with our Realtor to get our home sold and our loans taken care of. It is a long process at times, however it has been completely worth it. We owed $23,500 on our 2nd mortgage and they got them to take $7500 and show “settled in full” on our credit report. Our first mortgage was $125,000 and they got them to take $59,500, both of which we OWE NOTHING.

We are extremely thankful for all of the hard work.

Brandon and Katherine, Greenville, Michigan

Due to our large cut in income and the housing market taking a huge plunge we could no longer afford our home. We owed way more than we could sell our house for and became very uneasy. We talked to Great lakes Home Solutions and they made us feel very comfortable and confident they could help us. They took away all of the negotiations with the mortgage company so we didn’t have to deal with it. They were able to reduce our mortgage debt from 264k down to 129k and in the end we didn’t have to pay a dime.

We are very thankful we found Great Lakes Home Solutions as they made the whole process very easy for us. Thank you.

Cliff and D., Climax, Michigan

Joel

Three More Testimonials and Hundreds of Thousands of Debt Wiped Out

emily — Fri, 07 May 2010 13:07:42 +0000

I try to keep up with posting testimonials here on this blog and also here, but sometimes I just can’t stay caught up. So, I’m taking this time to publish several of the last few months to give you a feel for the families we’ve been able to help out.

If you want to be next, it’s obvious you’re not alone, so give us a call – before you know it, you could be sitting at a closing, with the weight of your lender (and the world) off your back.

Finding myself in a possible foreclosure situation was something I would never have predicted, however, following a divorce and years of being out of the job marketing while raising children, I found it impossible to make ends meet. My realtor recommended Great Lakes Home Solutions and my initial meeting gave me hope for a short sale. Everyone treated me so kindly and with respect. Today I am signing off on my home and walking away from $47,000 worth of debt. I had made every effort to negotiate with my mortgage companies and got nowhere. GLHS succeeded beyond any expectations and I can now more forward without the burden of two mortgages. A+!

Susan, Rockford, Michigan

Great Lakes Home Solutions helped us short sale our house in 4 months time. We were forced into a short sale situation by medical and financial situation and mortgage companies that refused to help modify or refinance our loans. Great Lakes settled our home in 4 months time and helped us reduce our debt by 108 thousand over and above our mortgage payoff. We would recommend Great Lakes Home Solutions and staff to anyone facing a foreclosure of their home. They were great in getting our short sale done!!!

Pamela and Kevin, Grand Rapids, Michigan

Working with Emily and everyone at Great Lakes Home Solutions was a wonderful experience. I would recommend them to anyone contemplating a short sale. We were kept informed every step of the way, and our phone calls were promptly returned.

Mike and Colleen, Grand Rapids

Joel

Time To Get Caught Up On Testimonials

emily — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 12:20:03 +0000

It’s simply been crazy around the office the last few months. We negotiated at closed 13 short sales that last 2 months of 2009 and I’m not sure how many since then. If you want to be next, it’s obvious you’re not alone, so give us a call – before you know it, you could be sitting at a closing, with the weight of your lender (and the world) off your back.

We were at the end of our rope, we had tried to rent our home, but that blew up in our faces. I am so glad we called Great lakes. They were able to take over the whole problem, handled it with such care and grace. I would highly recommend anyone facing these tough situations to trust GLHS.

Jerry and Shannon, Portage, Michigan

Working with Joel and his team bas been an excellent experience I would recommend to anyone facing a foreclosure. Their team was upfront about everything, handled all negotiations with the lenders and had over $100,000 in debt erased leaving me with no money owed to either bank.

Brian, Battle Creek, Michigan

I was a single mother struggling to make payment on this home that I had to refinance twice due to divorce and two ARMs that came due. All I wanted was to get my kids through school. After my last child graduated we fixed up the house put a lot of time and money into it and tried to do for sale by owner but owed more than the market value (it had dropped big time). It showed well but I was unable to sell. I talked to our REALTOR. who referred me to GLHS. Emily was wonderful. All I was asked to do was maintain the house and utilities. The company was able to negotiate with my mortgage company – wiped out $85k and GLHS saved me from the nightmare of foreclosure – they actually bought the home from me. Thank you GLHS for all your help.

Janice, Wyoming, Michigan

To whom it concerns, Great Lakes was very good. I would refer them to any one of my friends. They communicated well with us, keeps us informed of all things. We are very grateful and thankful for all things that they did for us. Thank you.

Fred and Hildrene, Hudsonville, Michigan

My unfortunate event of facing foreclosure was made easier when I chose to negotiate a short sale with the help of Great Lakes Home Solutions. They communicated with me every step of the way and kept me informed of important dates. Any questions I had, they were able to address them immediately. Overall, they made the entire process as painless as possible.

Charitee, Kalamazoo, Michigan

Joel

2 More Houses – Another $267,000 of Debt Wiped Out

emily — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 13:18:06 +0000

Last week, we closed on two different houses and my team made $267,000 of debt disappear between both of them. How is this done? This is done with a short sale. Don’t know what a short sale is? Well you can search this blog to learn more, or just give us a call. We’re really good at them though based on all of the testimonials you’ll find here and here. And here’s two more!

“What can we say about Joel and the people who work with him. They were amazing from the very beginning. We, like many people, were in a bad situation with our mortgage company with the high interest rate which led to a payment we just couldn’t afford. Desperate, we bought into a couple scams which cost us money we didn’t have. So needless to say when I heard from Joel we were a little skeptical. That feeling was completely wrong. From the very beginning they have stayed true to their word. They were always so compassionate about our situation and what we were going through. Even when things didn’t go necessarily as planned, they continued to work hard to get any issues resolved. They were not just negotiators to us, they truly became our friends who we feel sincerely cared. We are so thankful to them for helping us resolve a situation that no one ever wants to go through. I would recommend anyone who has any needs as far as their houses go to get in contact with them. They are great. Just in case you’re wondering our original debt was $197,000. Joel’s team got the mortgage company to settle for $86,000 which was a savings of $111,000. Amazing!!”

Mike and Jen, Hamilton, Michigan

“I found myself looking for another job after I moved back home to Grand Rapids, Michigan. I did not realize it would take me so long to find employment again and dwindled down my savings to save my house. I called the bank for help and did everything they asked me to do – sent hardship letters and financial statements, they basically said we cannot help you unless you are delinquent. I have never paid a late payment in my life, but I had to. I finally was referred to a realtor Curt Hausser who was so understanding and sympathetic – he referred me to Great lakes, from the day I asked for their help my embarrassment and stress went away. My original debt was $267,000, the house was settled for $110,000, which wiped out $157,000 of debt. This is for real! Thanks all of the staff at Great Lakes.”

Linda, Howard City, Michigan

Joel

Greenville and Kalamazoo Testimonials

emily — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 13:36:38 +0000

Last week, we closed on two different houses and my team made more debt disappear. How is this done? This is done with a short sale. Don’t know what a short sale is? Well you can search this blog to learn more, or just give us a call. We’re really good at them though based on all of the testimonials you’ll find here and here. And here’s two more!

“Due to my husbands job loss we were unable to pay our mortgage. We found ourselves in default of our mortgage after 8 years of paying on time. The home was in foreclosure when we first heard about Great Lakes Home Solutions, Inc. (GLHS). We didn’t feel like we could do anything to improve our situation besides trying to “short sale” the house. It turned out being a great decision. GLHS ended up wiping out $97,000 of debt, which was a great weight being lifted from us. I would recommend GLHS to anyone that is going through the same situation. It was a great decision.”

Deon & Nicole, Kalamazoo, Michigan

“After having the house on the market for three years and had several deals fall through due to the rapidly declining market, Great Lakes Home Solutions, Inc. was our last resort. We could not afford to keep putting good money after bad and had hard decisions to make regarding our family’s financial future. Great Lakes assigned Realtor was able to sell our home and Great Lakes negotiated an agreeable arrangement with our mortgage company that allowed us to walk away and begin our lives again, with a much better credit future than a foreclosure would have allowed. At least now we can have hope of someday securing a new home for our children to grow up in, in the future. The fact that we were currently living in a different state due to jobs, did not affect the quality of attention that Great Lakes offered our family, even though it meant more work on their part to put our deal together and still make tight deadlines. We appreciate their hard work.”

Gary & Marci, Greenville, Michigan

Joel

Will the Government’s New HAFA Short Sale Work For You?

Joel — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 13:19:59 +0000

Due to the overwhelming number of homeowners out in need of short sales, and the success rate of said short sales being extremely low, the government has stepped in to attempt to help out. The new “Home Affordable Foreclosure Alternative” program has been created in order to give mortgage companies an incentive to close these deals. But is a HAFA short sale right for you? Answer this little questionnaire, and we’ll find out.

During the short sale process (which can take several months) are you able to make mortgage payments at a minimum rate of 31% of your gross (before tax) income?
Are you currently living at the property?
Do you have a second mortgage that is willing to accept only 3% of the balance of that loan as payment in full?
Are you willing and able to keep paying utilities, assessments, association dues, and interior and exterior maintenance costs?
Is your property in good condition, or are you willing to bring it up to a good condition (and keep it there)?
Are you willing to take the chance that the short sale may be denied, in which case you will be forced to accept a deed in lieu of foreclosure? (turning the house over to the bank – yikes!)
Will you agree to let the bank decide how much your house is worth, instead of you deciding on a value with your REALTOR®?

If you answered no to one or more of these questions (there are a few more stipulations, by the way) then you will be denied for a HAFA short sale. The good news is that you can still do a short sale the old fashioned way. And the better news is that we can take all of the stress out of it by doing it for you. You won’t have to make any repairs to your house, and you will never have to give us (or anyone involved) any money. Give Emily a call at (269) 685-5921 today and find out what we can do for you!

Joel

2 More Houses – Another $170,000 of Debt Wiped Out

Joel — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 13:24:22 +0000

Last week, we closed on two different houses and my team made $170,000 of debt disappear between both of them. How is this done? This is done with a short sale. Don’t know what a short sale is? Well you can search this blog to learn more, or just give us a call. We’re really good at them though based on all of the testimonials you’ll find here and here. And here’s two more!

“My hardship started the summer of 2008. Unfortunately I went through a divorce and lost my job. My husband had left me the house and all bills. I owed $146,000 on the house. I made payments until I couldn’t anymore. Great Lakes Home Solutions stepped in and helped me out greatly. Their staff is wonderful and they bought the house and saved me from owing my lender $117,000.”

M. Rose…, Rockford, Michigan

“We were living paycheck-to-paycheck and I was working 70 hours a week. Then I took a pay-cut and lost my second job. Great Lakes negotiated a short sale and effectively wiped out $53,000 of our debt. Throughout the course of this process, everyone at Great Lakes was sensitive to our needs and supportive. The communication was clear and concise. We truly appreciate all of their efforts and recommend their services.”

Matt and R, Sparta, Michigan

Joel

More Testimonials – I Can’t Keep Caught Up!

Joel — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 12:35:18 +0000

I’ve been having a hard time keeping up with all of the testimonials we’ve got coming in. Over the last 3-4 weeks I think we’ve had about 5 short sale closings, and over the next 3-4 weeks we’re looking at about 7 short sale closings. Don’t know what a short sale is? Well you can search this blog to learn more, or just give us a call. We’re really good at them though, based on all of the testimonials you’ll find here and here. Oh, and here’s two more!

“… there were no secrets and everything was toally disclosed …”
“… we were excused of about $80,000 in debt …”

Richard & Diana, Holland, Michigan

Working with an impossible situation my real estate agent brought in Joel and his team. With my wife passing away I lost not only a great partner but a third of my income. My parents were living there and had no monies to help with mortgage. Joel and his main person Emily did a very professional very very good job under some extreme circumstances and sold the property. They saved me over $106,000 in debt. Working with Emily and Joel was about as easy as it could get. Always up front about everything and always very friendly. I would highly recommend them for any situation that may arise.

Bob, Grandville, Michigan

Joel

2 More Houses – Another $254,000 of Debt Wiped Out

Joel — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 12:18:01 +0000

Last week, we closed on two different houses and my team made $254,000 of debt disappear between both of them. How is this done? This is done with a short sale. Don’t know what a short sale is? Well you can search this blog to learn more, or just give us a call. We’re really good at them though based on all of the testimonials you’ll find here and here. And here’s two more!

“We are grateful to Great Lakes Home Solutions, Inc and especially Joel Zieve for saving us from foreclosure on our home. When we had given up and had prepared ourselves for a foreclosure we received a call from Joel. Joel helped us to work out a settlement with our lender which saved us about $108,000. Joel helped us each step of the way and made the process painless. Thank you!”

Rick and Sharon, Grand Rapids, Michigan

“Started out with a two mortgage debt ($286k and $70k). Having to move out west to take new job the house had to go up for sale. Depressed economy had the appraised value of the house significantly lower – house ended up selling for $140k. GLHS got a total of $146k debt released. Business with Great Lakes Home Solutions, Inc, specifically Joel and Emily has been great – made this transaction from out of state painless. Great recommendation from Beth Foley (our Realtor).”

Bill and T., Fennville, Michigan

Joel