Apr 8, 2016
Janet Spence
This letter is to advise of our family’s experience with Diane Peltier, it gives me great pleasure to write this.
Diane had twice come to visit my aging in-laws, George and LaVergne Spence, at their home in Dacono, during a time when they were “trying on for size” the idea of selling their property there, and relocating closer to their son, John, and daughter-in-law (me), in the Denver area. She provided information and professional input they requested to consider the subject, and was extremely kind to them.
In late March of this year, tragedy struck our family. John and his father, George, were in a serious auto accident, which concluded with them being broadsided by a loaded cement truck. Both were seriously injured, John with a broken neck (no spinal cord damage, thank God), and his Dad with numerous serious injuries. John received a successful operation, and was sent home to my care a few days later. Dad died in ICU a little over a month later.
About a week into this very, very long month, several things became clear. One- that John, who had been going up to see his folks two or three times a week, to take them to their appointments, shopping, (since neither of them chose to drive any longer), and help with chores around their home, would not be driving nor able to help for at least a year. He was invalid himself at this point. Two – that Dad, under the best case scenario, would not be released to go home. If he made it out of the hospital at all, he would require serious nursing care for some time thereafter. Three – that Mom could not stay at her home in Dacono alone. She had a few health issues of her own at the time, and, with neither George nor John available to handle their normal duties, the property was more than she could deal with all by herself. (regrettably, I have to work, and could not take off the amount of time that would be necessary to fill in this huge void).
Thus the handwriting was on the wall that Mom needed to sell the house and move, as soon as possible. Diane Peltier re-entered our lives as a veritable Joan of Arc, with huge sympathy for our situation, almost as if she herself were a family member. She came to the situation in high gear, very much on the fast track to try to get the Dacono home sold for Mom. Thankfully, John had power-of-attorney to sign for his Dad, to list the house. Thankfully, also, John’s sister came from Virginia about two weeks after the accident, to take care of her Mom, visit her Dad in the hospital, and begin the packing and cleaning, so the house could be shown and sold. Thankfully, once more, I was able to find a wonderful retirement community for Mom, near John and me, and with a perfect vacancy. We snatched it up.
Diane worked so diligently to get the Dacono house sold, knowing in addition to the complex situation we were going through, and the complex future we faced regardless of the outcome of Dad’s health, there were financial issues of major consequence connected with the sale of the property. She held open houses, and showed the property privately, in addition to lock-box access to potential buyers. She did this while Dad was still in the hospital, fighting to live.
Dad died on April 29th, the funeral was on May 4th, and Mom moved on May 6th, 2000. This left the house vacant, which was a source to worry to Mom. Diane never slowed her dedicated efforts. Diane found a number of interested buyers, but it gradually became clear that acquiring financing was a problem for all of them.
Diane learned the reason was a somewhat new, and obscure policy the FHA and all conventional lenders are now going by. Regardless of appraisal value, they are refusing to lend on any house that originally started out as a manufactured home, with a date of original manufacture of 1976 and prior. We were all appalled to learn this. This policy is leaving a huge number of seniors in the late seventies and early eighties unable to sell their retirement homes, and move on to the assisted living facilities they now require. Many of these folks have made huge improvements and permanent additions to their homes, so the policy seems unjustified to be applied across the board. However, this was the situation, and there was no exception Diane could find.
She began a nation-wide search for non-conventional and private lenders who would look at lending on these properties. In the end, she found one in particular who was willing, and the buyer Diane had lined up, applied to the organization. We had great home, and the lender strung thinks along as if they were going through. Finally, when the time for approval seemed more than due, the lender reneged, in a most unprofessional manner.
The family was so sad over this, yet another setback. The buyer was equally disappointed. Diane, who had already sweat blood over this sale, contacted her lawyer saying, “What can we do here?” Though it had not been originally desired as an option, the only thing left was for my mother-in-law to become the lender, carrying the loan herself. And since other options simply weren’t there, the idea became more and more attractive. At least LaVergne would have some income from the property, though not the lump sum she had hoped for.
Diane made this sale happen, and we are eternally grateful. Her determination and strength of will had led her to pursue every possible avenue to its dead end, but she never quit trying new ones until she found one that worked. Clearly, each setback made her all the more challenged, but we as a family felt she was equally challenged because she sincerely wanted to succeed for the sake of LaVergne Spence.
Our experience alone stands testament that Diane Peltier is a super high quality individual, and professional.