Simon Cowell Helps Fantasia Escape Foreclosure

15 Comments so far

1. Chris Garfield on February 6, 2009 11:14 am

   I dont know how to get this message to Fantasia, but I am a foreclure prevention specialist, and I can help her stop foreclosure permanently. if anyone has any idea how I can reach out to her, or pass my email in case she wants to reach out to me, feel free.

2. Joe on February 6, 2009 12:13 pm

   Chris, I am curious how you can actually stop a foreclosure permanently without knowing the details. This type of dishonest advertising is exactly why we are in this mess in the first place. We make phony guarantees and then charge an upfront fee for something that we have no way of knowing that we can cure. Taking advantage of others’ miseries is not the way to go in this down economic environment. There is no sure fire way to stop a foreclosure unless the circumstances are right, i.e. lost note, usury, etc. It is disingenuous to make such a claim without knowing the circumstances. Please do an integrity check and then post with more of an honest approach, you will be more successful, if in fact you know what you are doing.

3. Ray on February 6, 2009 12:56 pm

   “foreclure prevention specialist”

   I might actually believe that if he spelled “Foreclosure” correctly…

4. Chris Garfield on February 6, 2009 1:42 pm

   You are right about one thing. I should have thought twice about writing a comment in a blog where all the skeptics are. I find it funny how quick people are to assume. First of all Ray, I just realized that my wireless keyboard needs new batteries. Sometimes it misses keys when the signal is low. You could have figured that out since nine words later foreclosure is spelled correctly.

   Joe, I don’t know what is more damaging. Me posting my reach out to help someone, or you not knowing who I am or what I do.

   What is disingenuous, is assuming that I take up front payment, and that I guarantee prevention, when I never mentioned payment, or guarantee.

   Your quote: There is no sure fire way to stop a foreclosure unless the circumstances are right, i.e. lost note, usury, etc.

   This is an inaccurate statement. There are many ways to stop foreclosure, and there is a way for EVERY circumstance.

   As far as your curiosity goes, I will answer that. I don’t need to know the details of anyone’s situation to know that it can be prevented. the details are necessary in the “how” of the process.

   I know many of the people you are referring to, and I am not an ambulance chaser. I don’t need to justify myself to an anonymous Zillow blogger, but I will say this. I don’t receive payment up front for anything. I get paid if the job is a success. 9 times out of 10 I am paid by the bank I did the favor for, and very rarely does a client ever pay me directly.

   I guarantee nothing, however my rate of success is impeccable.

   As far as dishonest advertising, I haven’t advertised in over 2 years. and this comment, was merely a concerned person holding a hand out to another person who may be in need of genuine assistance. There is nothing dishonest about my comment.

   I am completely offended by every comment you made. Have you been burned by one of these people? Because nearly every family that I have helped, remains in contact with me.

   And to say that people like me are the ones who created that mess? That is a completely ignorant situation. Foreclosure doesn’t become an epidemic because of people who claim they can prevent foreclosure. A correction to your statement would be, now that foreclosure is such a problem, all the frauds of real estate are capitalizing on workouts, and short sales, because that is where the money is.

   I have been in this industry specializing in foreclosure prevention, both inside the bank, and now as a private consultant long before this fake bubble showed up. And now that it has bursted, you will see a flood of people who don’t know what they are doing, show up to save the day, and yes, a lot of those people are the ones who were dumb enough to take their part in creating this artificial inflation of the market. Those are people chasing dollars. I am a person chasing problems.

   I think I will quit rambling now and close with this:
   I base my whole ethic on integrity, my success rate, my local reputation, and my relationship with my clients and associates speaks to that.

   So I don’t really appreciate being labeled a hypocrite by someone who doesn’t even know me.

   I do appreciate the frustration towards the people you accurately describe; I think I can say that I am a bit more frustrated, because if it weren’t for them, I wouldn’t have to defend myself on zillowblog.com.

   Hey Ray, how’s my spelling?

5. Me on February 6, 2009 3:01 pm

   @ Chris Garfield - Really, ‘forclosure Preventive Specialist’? Let’s be real about this…at least those of us who are edumacated (that spelling was intentional).

   If Fantasia has no money, foreclosure is a conclusion. Unless you, as a foreclosure specialist, are are going to pay mortgage out of your pocket…you cannot stop a foreclosure.

   If you could get a message to Fantasia and you were interested in her well being (& Simon for that matter)you would sgin her up for a personal financial class or some Suzzane Orzman or Dave Ramsey lecture. She doesn’t need more money, more advice on how to stop a foreclosure, what she needs a basic class on 101 personal finances. That’s it.

   Simon’s heart is in the right place, but will she learn anything from someone bailing her out???? We will see….

6. Joe on February 6, 2009 4:01 pm

   Listen, Chris, I am fully aware that there are individuals that specialize in foreclosure assistance and actually make a difference, but your opening statement leaves you open to attack because you cannot promise in any form of sincerity that you can stop foreclosure permanently. At best you are delusional when you make the statement “there is a way for EVERY circumstance,” at worst you are in fact scamming. There are no two situations that are exactly alike. Without knowing whether Fantasia took a mortgage that is over her head and cannot make the payment. What if the totality of her debts put her in an untenable situation? Legitimate foreclosure specialists analyze the totality of the problem and apply specific, applicable techniques that work. Additionally, it is up to the lender to come to a wise decision and not up to you or your client. Unless Obama changes the law or the bankruptcy courts get the permission to work out deals then only financial common sense dictate what a lender will agree to. In a case where your mortgage is significantly higher than the current value of the house the bank needs to make a financial decision of whether or not it is viable to start a $30,000 foreclosure that will add to the amount that they are over the current market value makes more sense than just simply lowering the balance and reworking the terms. Either way, until some sort of legislation comes about that takes the power from the banks and gives it straight to the homeowners there is no way to say unequivocally, in every situation that you can stop foreclosure and you need to be real bout that. Sorry, but those are the facts!!!

7. Chris Garfield on February 6, 2009 4:10 pm

   OK, I am not usually nit picky about things, but here you imply that I am not educated, because I didn’t proof read and missed two letters in a word. Before you criticize me, maybe you should edit your own comment, or did you transpose letters in “sign” on purpose as well. Or is SGIN an edumacated person’s word?

   I don’t know anyone’s background here, and I will not challenge what anyone says here. It is commonly known that people who are socially handicapped often create an embellished view of themselves. Those people often over embellish on the internet.

   I often see that it is those people who are the ones quick to pick apart another person who claims to be a professional in a certain category of business.

   This is the first time I have ever commented in a public forum like this regarding business. But I see it is not different than your typical hobby forums. Nothing but drama and foolishness.

   I don’t know what you do to be so HIGH POWERED, and know instantly that I am not a specialist, or whether I am appropriately educated by a merely simple comment about helping someone, but what ever you do, I feel sorry for your network of clients, friends and family, because if you seriously think that no money equals inevitable foreclosure then you don’t know what “real” is.

   I agree that she and anyone else in this situation needs training with their finances, but that is not a solution to the problem, but merely a preventative measure from it happening again. But that is certainly not “it”

   Look, this blog was initiated as gossip about someone famous being bailed out by someone who is known to be well… Simon Cowell. I merely said that I could help and would be willing to. It was an act of impulse moved by empathy.

   Do you all greet good Samaritans with stones? This country may be in bigger trouble than I thought.

8. Joe on February 6, 2009 4:32 pm

   Chris.

   I suppose that when you open a gossip blog by claiming to be a foreclosure specialist that can stop every foreclosure sight unseen then you do open yourself up for criticism. If it was meant as reaching out to someone who is in trouble and you genuinely are a good Samaritan then God bless you, you are just a little misguided. I hope that this is the real reason for your post.

9. Chris Garfield on February 6, 2009 5:02 pm

   Joe,

   Why does every comment have to be offensive? My opening statement does not set me up for attack. It is implied that I sent a red alert out to Fantasia to call ME because I am the only one who can help her and I guarantee it.

   I made the comment short and sweet, because what are the real chances she gets my memo and calls me? I should be criticized that I would even think this would get to her, and should have known that I would immediately be harassed by the bitter collection of know it all rant fanatics.

   I can in fact help almost anyone in almost any foreclosure situation. I can means I am able to. It doesn’t mean I will or I promise to. In fact, there are so many variables involved that normally I will tell a client that there is a huge margin for failure. But by skill or divine blessing probably the latter, I have only had two homes go to foreclosure, one of which was at fault of the homeowners, and he knows it, the other ended up in my clients favor because they held auction one day prior to the pre-sale redemption period. We found him an attorney, and he sued the bank resulting in the rescission of the sale, release of the lien. He still lives in his home completely free of a second mortgage.

   I assure you Joe, I am not delusional, nor am I scamming anyone.

   I am aware of who makes the decisions about foreclosure, I spent the first half of my career managing Loss Mitigation for one of the largest lenders in the nation, which somewhat sets me a bit apart from most of the other “scammers” out there.

   And though every bank out there has different policies and procedures, but they all have federal guidelines that keep many practices in common.

   I ramble to easy, I should really just let it go, but I hate being tormented by people who are so quick to judge someone they don’t know anything about.

   I trust you understand the difference between “I can” and “I promise” The truth is I can, I have, and given the opportunity, I would, and at this point, I would do it for free just to prove it.

   You know, if you people were more courteous about this, inquired in a positive way, I would be happy to elaborate on my practice, and provide scenarios of how foreclosure was prevented when it seemed like there were no options. But why? Nobody cares, they just want to be right, and get a couple verbal blows in to puff out your digital chest and look like you are the only person in the world with an ethical practice.

   Joe, I don’t know what you do in your occupation. I don’t need to know what you do in order to know that you are probably better at what you do than I could ever be. But I am willing to bet that you are not a foreclosure specialist, otherwise you wouldn’t be so naive about my ability to assist in foreclosure prevention with high probability of success, so how about we pretend, that I know a “little bit” about what I do. And if I am delusional, then someone should explain to me, how my mortgage gets paid after all these years.

   How about we stop, before we both look like fools?

10. Chris Garfield on February 6, 2009 5:06 pm

    Misguided, yes. I didnt even realize that this was a gossip post. I was using zillow, and I saw a headline. I thought the person who posted this was just informing people what happened. I thought maybe the person who posted may have known Fantasia or something. Honestly I wasnt paying too much attention. I didnt even realize that she pulled her info from sources including the enquirer. So yes, I was simply trying to help. If I was trying to introduce myself and my services, I would have taken a seriously different approach.

11. Chris Garfield on February 6, 2009 5:09 pm

    Ok, I will seriously shut up, but I also wanted to point out, that I didnt open this blog. It was a comment I made on what I thought was something else.

    I will admit, I am more focused on my work than this blog.

12. pligg.com on May 26, 2009 7:08 am

    Simon Cowell Helps Fantasia Escape Foreclosure | Zillow Blog - Real Estate Analysis, Celebrity Real Estate, and Mortgages…

    American Idol star Fantasia Barrino (right) has temporarily escaped foreclosure on her Charlotte, NC home. Her savior? None other than Simon Cowell, the host of American Idol best known for his constant insults and wisecracks directed at contestants. …

13. virginia from shreveport on January 12, 2010 11:38 am

    fantasia need to step up to the plate and put allof these people that is living with her and who she is taking care of, she need to put them out except her mother and child. these are quite capable men that should be taking care of themselves. fantasia is enabling her family. just because she is a star now, does not mean that she should take care of everyone. i think that her family is going to keep her down,and she will not excell like the rest of the amercian idols that have won. grow up fantasia, you can not take care of everyone.

14. virginia from shreveport on January 12, 2010 11:41 am

    simon cowell did something that was really nice. he did not have to do that, so for all the people that think simon is too hard, you need to think again. he did not want publicity, he only wanted to help fantasia, this proves this man has a heart

15. Cricket Zone on February 25, 2010 2:32 am

    So Simon does have a heart! And big one too, what a nice man!