Woman fears she'll lose home because company won't fix roof
CARSON, Wash. – A southwest Washington woman is worried she is about to lose her home after a series of problems in the last year has left her feeling scammed and desperate.
Ever since Sallie Daggy's husband died from kidney cancer two years ago, her life in her Carson home has seemed to snowball out of control.
"It's been terrible. My life has been upside down. I don't even recognize it anymore," she said.
It began with Daggy signing a contract more than a year ago to get her roof replaced. Despite promises from the vice president of Northwest Redevelopment, the workers never showed.
"I trusted him and no, he didn't ask for any money down," she said. "He told me there would be a work crew here after New Year's, and it didn't happen. Now it's the next New Year’s.
And in that time, just before Christmas, a big tree fell on her home, damaging the roof even more and causing water to pour inside.
"It was like a waterfall that night because it was raining so hard," she said.
Daggy filed a claim with her insurance company, Safeco, Dec. 17. But two days later, she got a letter saying it is dropping her next month.
"That was the last nail in the house coffin is what I call it," she said.
She's now worried she'll lose her home.
No one answered the phone at the roofing company's number, and the business is no longer at the Southeast Portland address listed on its website. Another organization recently moved in.
According to the Oregon Secretary of State's website, Northwest Redevelopment failed to renew its business license in April.
It was May when Daggy filed a complaint with the Oregon attorney general's office. And while she hasn't heard from the company, the AG's office did. A handwritten note KATU News obtained says "Unfortunately this customer's loan was denied by the lender. ... We wish we could have helped her ... (but) we have not received money."
Based on a lack of money exchanged, the AG's office called her complaint "unfounded."
But the contract Daggy showed KATU News is clear: She wasn't supposed to pay anything in the first year and she never heard about problems with financing from the company.
"They won't return my phone calls," she said.
Daggy hopes to warn others while continuing her own quest for help.
"I'm not a quitter. I don't give up," she said. "I don't want to walk away from my home, but that's what it's looking like is going to happen."
A spokesperson for Daggy's insurance company, Safeco, said they can't discuss individual policies. And while the company has decided to cancel Daggy's insurance, Safeco may still cover just the tree damage. By law, they have until later this month to decide.
This story came in as a news tip. If you have a story for us, email us at newstips@katu.com.
Hi,  I live in Carson and am a good friend of Sallies.  You people, Zig included, who have no sympathy towards her situation, I feel sorry for.  Sallie has been working on trying to get her roof fixed for quite some time.   She's done all the appropriate foot work, but has only had doors shut in her face.   Her insurance company has refused to work with her on anything, except take her monthly premiums. I've directed Sallie to contact the insurance commission.
Zig, your life must be boring if you have nothing else to do but to put people you don't know down.  I feel sorry for you, yet will continue to pray for your lack of sympathy or empathy towards people.  I sincerely hope you remember this when something sad happens to you.  Remember, everyone has good times in life, and with that comes bad times too.
Sallie is a good Christian, and is always there for people.  When I got hurt, she was the first one to come help.  She is involved in our Church and community events.   I've never seen Sallie put anyone down, except the government but that's a different story.
Zig.......... your Momma should have taught you long ago, if you can't say something nice about someone, don't say anything at all.
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~ Jer
@Jer47   I just call it like I see it bud!    Get a life!
@Zig   Jesus even loves you! :-)
@Zig  Dude, you really need to calm down.   What did I do to you?  Please don't bring me into this.Â
Zig you obviously have had no hardships in your life to be so judgemental & condemning with regards to others...nor do I suspect you believe in God and Miracles? I am Sallie Daggy and you seemed to be focused on attacking me for some reason. I have worked most my life, except when I was on pregnancy leave...yes I am 60 yrs old and enjoy substitute teaching, I always have. Do you have any idea how hard it is for a 60 old woman or man to get a job in this economy? Some day years from now you will find out perhaps. I did not work the system, I searched and searched to find a way to solve my problems...with my Carpenter husband dead, and finding my income greatly reduced because of that....I had little options at hand. Zig you obviously have never experience the death of a spouse, I don't wish that on anyone. It COMPLETELY changes you life, turns it upside down and you have to totally create a totally different life for which you have no idea what it should look like after being with one man for 30 years. This is a MAJOR life changing transition which includes depression as well. Zig you must not be paying very good attention as well, because I have gotten rid of most my possessions, my house is practically empty on the inside and yes I have been working on the outside too...gotten rid of 2 of my son's cars and a big orange truck ....you did not notice they were gone? But you are a younger male and would not understand the difficulties of a 60 year widow would you?
@saphireblu  So In your previous post you spoke in the tone of a 3rd party, saying her and she, when all along you were pretending to be someone else. This just proves my point, you really area phony!  I wouldn't be surprised if you called this news tip in pretending to be someone else to begin with.  Â
I am sorry your spouse past away though.  Question. If your husband was a carpenter, then why didn't he replace the roof years ago?  Â
Now if you'll excuse me, I'm taking my wife out to dinner and to a show tonight.   Oh, by the way, I'm doing it on my own dime.
Wow, so many judgmental people out there. You know nothing about her, so how dare you judge her.  This a woman who deserves everything. She is hard working, honest and a very caring woman. She would do anything for anyone.  She is far from a scamer. She has had some very hard times these past couple of years. SO BACK OFF!  I am so thankful that someone came forward to help her. I know her prayers have been answered.   We love you Sallie!!!
@Tinabb Tinabb, this is the comment section so I'm expressing my comments. You say she's  hard working? At what?  She's a part time substitute teacher, that works what, 1 or 2 days a month?  She certainly doesn't work hard at maintaining her home.  I work 14 hours a day, and my home certainly doesn't look like that.    I know many people that have gone through hard times, but never worked the system to get something for nothing.
This is the comment section, right? So I'm giving my opinion, which by the way I'm entitled to.
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I saw the story on the news tonight.  I am happy to know that working the system while playing on people's emotions does work.  Your complaint was that you were upset that the company before wouldn't replace your roof without any money, and you had been denied a loan, and you felt you were scammed or taken.  Well you found someone to give you the roof and again with no money.  I'm thinking to myself that I should call the news station now for a problem I had several years back.  I wanted to go on vacation and hadn't purchased my ticket before the airline went out of business.  Maybe some airline will give me a free ticket if I complain loud enough.
Maybe now with your new free roof, you'll take some kind of pride in your home, and maybe clean it up a little bit.  I'm sure your neighbors would appreciate it. At least I'd hope so.  Your place in an eye sore.
@Zig When you start a comment or opinion piece with "This is the comment section, right? So I'm giving my opinion, which by the way I'm entitled to" it detracts value from anything stated further, you almost seem as if you don't believe it yourself but feel nevertheless compelled to state.Â
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People handle grief differently and clearly she is still lost without her husband. I recall my mother telling me 10 years after my father had died that she would ball her eyes out every day coming home from work for over 3 years, knowing she wasnt coming home to her husband - my father. So I doubt my mother nor this woman would have wanted to jump right into any home repair, its stressful enough with little stress on your plate, unimaginable with the stress of a lost loved one.
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You don't seem to think much into it, no problem, like you said - its your opinion and your entitlement on careless stupidity. Â
I am respectful of anyone who needs help but I mustas How did Katu learn of this and. What do you mean by she tried d for two years? By the way, this Is a forum for people to post opinions. I have. Key board problems. Please pardon grammar
I am sallie's daughter and i have to say.... Wow alot of judgemental people feel the need to express their opinions on a matter to which they are clueless about!!! Its sad that one persons tradegy is made into a debate about decision making, or casting blame on a woman in need. Not everyone has a reliable family, and if you do than you have alot to be thankful for!!! My mother has tried for two years to find a solution for that house, and time after time she was disappointed! So if its a matter of effort you question, please dont!!! Sallie is the strongest, most determined, hard working woman i know, so again please keep your opinions to yourself about her!!!! Love you mother, hope something good will happen soon!!!
@dezimaree Good for you! These days too much mud is slung back and forth, nice to hear someone defend their mom, for a change. My only real opinion on the whole thing comes from personal experience; insurance in general is legal organised crime.
@iamtroglodite@yahoo.com Thanks, there's only so much i can take when it comes to ignorance!!! This entire situation has been a struggle of unkept promises. I couldnt agree more with you!! Thanks for the support!
@dezimaree Unkept promises?   Come on, she didn't pay a single dime, and the bank denied a loan!  What unkept promise are you referring to, charity?   It's not like she had made a deposit, or paid for the work and the company skipped out on it.  I think the only thing wrong here is, she's looking for a free roof, which apparently she got!   Disgusting!Â
Where is her family? Roofing is not rocket science and that looks like a very simple roof. Is there no children or friends willing to roof her home? I couldn't pay for the materials but I re-roofed my 74 year old mom's house for her. All she paid for was about 80% of the material costs.
Many different points of view,here. Some suggest entitlement and some suggest good old fashioned responsible accountability. Ronald reagan said "the problem with a socialistic government, Is sooner or later you run out of others people's. Money."
It seems to me that you are all missing the point here.  Sallie needs a roof.  She is a human being who has a right to food, clothing and shelter.  You who judge her.....shame on you!  She spends thirty minutes a day voting for me on Freecharitycars.com.  She took my neighbor and I to get Christmas Trees when it was snowing.  Every kid Ive talked to in the Stevenson Carson area knows her and likes her very much.  I am a Christain and if I had the means I woudl sure help her.  I have no doubt that Jesus would.  Do you understand how much your words hurt this fragil woman?  She has no where else to go so when you say she is asking for sympathy help......what the heck would you do if you were living in a home that water was pouring in on you?  I pray that someone helps her soon.  God bless you all.Â
Zig since you say you know the lady, then you also must know that the fence that was knocked down was built by her husband that milled the wood himself...it was far from rotten and was very sturdy...unlike the neighbor's fence. The lady in question also did not know anything about the Contractor not being able to find financing for the roof as he did not tell her the contract was contingent on financing. What he told her was "there will be a work crew out to fix the roof after New Years" 2012. She did not think nor worry about who was doing the financing since he was the one that wrote "No Payments/No Interest for 12 months from completion", and he knew exactly what her situation was financially. She contacted more than a few people....family, friends, WA Gorge Action Program, the Carpenter's Union, Vancouver and local churches. Nice assumption you made about Substitute Teachers are all bums that don't pay their bills on time. Oh and the tree branches did hit the house in two places, causing brand new leak in the dining room. How old is elderly exactly, 60 is definitely Senior Citizen category. The Her husband as been dead for 2 years when a small leak developed that got way worse after Jan. 2012 when the Contractor did not fulfill his promise and contract obligations. KATU saw the inside of her house, why don't you ask them before you assume the worse.Â
Love all the comments, but look at this story for what it is.  This woman's home is shot. It has not been kept up, the place is a dump.  She contacted a contractor to do the work, but couldn't get a loan, and now she's complaining a year later when the contractor didn't pay for materials and labor only to hope she'd be paid a year later in payments and interest. If a person can't get a loan, and only is a substitute teacher (part time work), chances are she doesn't pay her bills on time.  She's preying on the media and sympathy of people to pay for it.  A few people WERE contacted over the past several months, and offered to do the work, but she can't pay for the materials. She's out for sympathy to get a free roof period!   Would any contractor do the work when the loan was denied? Probably not.
I know this because I know the woman and the house.  She's not elderly as the story reported. She just turned 60 and in very good health. No where close to elderly.   Also, why can't her family pay the cost? Because they know the truth.
The tree didn't smash the house either.  It was a small tree that brought down a rotten fence and 1 branch landed on the roof.  I know, because I saw it.    The roof has been leaking for over 3 years.  Can you imagine the inside of this house?   Â
I don't give sympathy to people that use other's for their benefit!
@Zig No one is asking for your sympathy, or your shallow minded opinions!! Must be nice sitting behind a screen typing nonsense about a story i wouldnt wish on anyone!!! If its not helpful why even waste your time? Im sure you have much better things going on in your life than typing unhelpful comments!
So I am really questioning the reporting on this:
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If the entire report is true to exactly what Daggy says is going on, here is the timeline of events:
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1 year ago -made contract with company to replace roof, but did not put money down.
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 Middle of December (Report says before Christmas, but she made the claim Dec 17) Tree falls on roof - more damage done.
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Claim Made - Dec 17
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Cancellation of policy letter received Dec 19 2012.
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Here is what does not add up:
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First-why did she not get another Roofing company? This could be a lack of reporting on Katu's part, and perhaps there was some odd provision to the contract she signed, but something seems odd here. I do agree the roofing company here is definitely in the wrong, but maintaining a home is something you need to be on top of if you own a home. She should have broken the contract and gotten the roof done.Â
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Secondly - Insurance company's cannot just randomly deny claims.  There are a great deal of state and federal regulations that monitor and prohibit that sort of thing. Policy Contracts give the terms under which a loss will or will not be covered and insurers must follow those exactly. The individual in this report would have gotten a contract within 45-60 days following the start of her policy that would have clarified the terms and exclusions of her coverage. Additionally, The report did not say the claim was denied, but that her policy was being canceled. If her policy is being canceled, it has to be set in the future from when the notice was mailed out. What that means is that unless some how they are rescinding the policy retroactively(which is really really unlikely) they have to provide coverage during the time the policy was active. IE, the policy was in force when the tree fell, thus if there are no exclusions that apply as stated in the contract, then she will get coverage.  I would also note that two days is not enough time for an insurer to make the call to deny the claim outright unless they immediately discovered something that excluded it immediately.Â
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Thirdly- the cancellation:  Insurance companies do happen to do inspect properties they actively insure. It could be very possible they did an inspection on their existing book of business, including her property, and discovered the roof was in poor shape. Most insurers state that upkeep of your property is a provision of keeping coverage.  Its possible that they did an inspection of her property at some point, and as a result, are non renewing her policy. (I say non renew because in state law generally prohibits midterm cancellations unless under specific circumstances).
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Here are a few questions I have?
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A. Was she living in the property this entire time the roof was in such poor shape? Did she leave the property vacant? Vacancy is also something an Insurer can cancel a policy for.
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B. Again, seriously, why didn't she get another roofer?
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C. Why didn't Katu elaborate on a few of these details. Why are there so many gaps in this story.
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D. How bad was the roofs condition -before- the tree fell.Â
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I do hope that her roof gets fixed and its sorted, but again, I don't think this is as black and white as some are assuming.
I have to agree with you as nothing is just black or white. Too many questions to just assume she has gotten a rotten deal. If a company backs out of a deal or ignores you and no money has been exchanged, feel grateful. Why go after them unless you thought you were getting something for free? I mean there has to be other roofing companies around. In this day and age, people are looking for the easy way out. Or they want to make their problem your problem. I have seen many. many more people in much dire straits than this woman. I do hope she finds an answer but she has left us with too many questions.
Sadly, I wouldn't expect anything else from any insurance company.
It's always a thrill when they actually do something for their customers.
@Mikey sorry, you think like you do. In my life I have had maybe 3 or 4 claims on policies I have had. All of them, including Safeco, paid fully and timely. Just like the contract says. Parlty because I also did my part and I dont think this homeowner kep her end of the bargain.
Who knows what the status between her and the insurance company is prior to the claim being filed....could be that she didn't pay them and in turn by coincidence they dropped her due to this. I can't help but think there is more to this story than what is really being told.....if she went to get her roof fixed and went with someone who was 'too good to be true' then thats her own fault. Seems as if she is possibly just looking for sympathy and a potentially 'free' roof job to come out of this....who knows
i have safeco... hope this dont happen to me .. why didnt she hire someone else when they didnt show
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I have trouble blaming the insurance company here, that house is in pretty bad shape. The problem is that she let the roof issue go for over a year without doing anything but complaining. It would be different if she had paid the roofing company, but since she hadn't she should have looked for a different contractor. She still could have kept up her fight against the original company, but the main focus all along should have been to get the roof fixed ASAP, that is the crux of the issue. If my car broke down and a guy said he'd fix it for free or for delayed payment, but then never followed through, I'd get it fixed elsewhere cause I have to get to work. "Whoa is me" gets very little accomplished in life.
 @PhillyBuster Your comparison is way off.  That and you would rather defend some hack of an insurance company over a fellow citizen who has lost nearly everything.
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let's hope your spouse dies and a tree crushes your home while the insurance company you have probably paid thousands upon thousands of dollars over the years tries to work you over as well as the folks who will come to fix your home to rook you of your final dollars since you couldn't do it yourself. Â Oh, and then lose your home that you worked decades to pay off.
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I hope putting it like this puts your comment into perspective. Â We are all broke....... Â Why the heck are we defending the most comfortable in our society while trying to cut each other down? Â
 @Silver Surfer  @PhillyBusterÂ
@Silver Surfer . Safeco, a Hack? Did you even see the lady and her home? Say it wit me now.....
This story should focus more on the elderly and their need for assistance making decisions regarding their finances. I don't see anything being done wrong other than the home owners bad choices.
Two more things: I apologize for my spelling. cold fingers and wireless keyboard.
Think if our great grandparents could see the lack of self-accountability we are now living with......."My hands wont fit in the Pringles can". "The charger for my laptop is way over there". "Why should I have to do this or do that myself?"
These are interesting times.
Accountability seems to be a word not used much these days. Please. She paind nothing to the roofer and could have easily voided the contract and sought roofer #2. Next, any insurance policy is a bi-lateral binding contract. A company cannot simply choose to not comply with a claim. That would be as illegal as misleading a customer. I think the word is Fiduciary. I feel bad for this lady or anyone who experiences loss, but this seems that some self help would have averted much of this.  Â
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Surely no one believes Safeco simply said no because they wanted to save money. This woman is an adult who owns a home. If her contractor was a no show, she should simply get a different one. For anyone to directly think of suing someone is exactly what I am eluding to. Accountability. Stop blaming others.
@fed up fed You have a good point, but nothing a stocking cap wont cover. You refer to agreed unit prices. Those are a necessary ingredient for contracts between entities. Differences ocurr when unauthorized redundancies happen or unauthorized procedures happen. Many times a physician and facility get spanked by the insurer to revise their billings. its all about the medical world.
 @Fed up Fed  @rnmÂ
They dropped her as a client because she is not taking care of business in getting her roof done. Only an idiot would want to insure someone who has a roof with pallets and tarps that will last less than a year. We call tarpped roofs 6 month roofs which is sarcasm from a normal 25 year roof.
@Fed up Fed and you mention hospitals. I can understand an insurance company questioning a surgeon's $4,000 an hour bill or an OR at $35,000 an hour. Looks like you need to be barking up another tree. Â
@Fed up Fed Riiiiight. In this litigous country, an insurance company just says no. Safeco spends this claim amount in advertising. Why would they risk so much for so little? It is apparent, this owner is irresponsible. There. I said it. She waited for a dead beat contractor while her home melted and I can see sheet siding in the picture that was never painted. If it walks like a duck......Golly, how should an insurance company treat an insured who obviously neglected their own asset?
 @Fed up Fed  @rnm Well, based on my reading of the article, it didn't say they were denying her claim, but that they would be dropping her coverage in February.  And is it any wonder?  Look at the place, it's about to fall down!  The insurance company should cover the damage caused by the tree, but not the whole roof!  Rnm is right, a little bit of personal responsibility, pride in ownership, and routine maintenance could have prevented this whole mess..
We don't know the whole story, mostly, just her side of it. Â So, casting blame at this time is not appropriate. Â Part of the problem is not just the insurance companies, but our government as well. Â When they started forcing auto drivers to carry uninsured motorist coverage, it was a windfall of profits for the insurance companies. Â I'm surprised they haven't done this with homeowner's insurance, although in a way they have. Â If they don't want to cover any damages to your home, they claim it to be an "act of God" or something similar and you are out of luck. Â
From reading the articles it sounds like insurance is fraud in its self, they take you money but then don't dole it out when needed. All I k now is I have basic home owners insurance and I live in an apartment.
I have my reasons to have insurance .
Crooks breached the contract, and the loan department has no record of anything being filed, Man I hope they find this person and put them behind bars.
I feel bad for her. She was married a long time and her husband probably took care of this stuff. Now he is gone and she has no idea how to deal with it.
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My wife is the same way. She is content letting me run the house and if something were to happen to me she would be totally lost. I try to get her involved but she wants mo part of it.
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Hopefully some construction company will donate some time to her and fix her roof. Anyone our there willing to do this?
 @RalphCramden My husband died on a Wednesday morning, leaving me widowed with four young children.  Wednesday night, the stove exploded.  Thursday morning, the back porch fell off the house.  Friday afternoon the pump on the well burned out.  Saturday on the way to the funeral, the oil pump on the family van gave out.  The following Wednesday a rod went through the side of the block on the car.
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After warning many "well meaning" folks that the next person who told me "God only gives you what you can handle" that I would punch them in the nose, I pulled up my big girl panties and dealt with everything because that's what he would expect me to do. Â There are programs and assistance out there, but you have to be proactive and do the work to apply.
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We're coming up on 15 years. Â I managed, I kept a roof over out heads and raised my children to be successful, contributing members of society. Â
 @Emi-LynnÂ
Sorry about your loss and glad you stepped up to the plate.
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Unfortunately not all are like you. You were a lot younger and probably not as dependent as this lady was.
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From what I read into this article they had been married a long time, any kids were gone, and were of a different culture. More than likely he was very can do guy and domineering, not in a bad way but just took care of business and got things done.
@RalphCramden Everybody is always willing to volunteer someone else's time and money. Perhaps you would like to make the donation? Look at the house Ralph. It is not well cared for, has two different sidings and two different colors. What's next? Asking someone to volunteer to paint the house? And on and on ...
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If the woman cannot afford a roof and cannot get a loan, she probably would be better off as a renter. Somebody volunteering to put a roof on may only extend the period of time before she is forced to move. And, given the fact that the roof has been leaking for a year there may be toxic black mold, dry rot, and who knows what else.Â
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I am sympathetic to the woman who lost her husband but I don't think she is making the best choices. Home ownership is probably not the best choice for her. But, if she is 62 or older she can get a reverse mortgage.
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 @I812 Â
Well I prefer to give it a shot. If I were younger I would be over there looking to see if I could do something for her.
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The siding is two different colors which is not an issue. The siding looks solid and is not rotting and falling off. Plus the house is on a foundation which is the first thing I look at in a house.
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I have seen this more often that I care. A women looses her husband of many years and all of a sudden she can't manage simple responsibilities.
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As for donating others time and resources I have done neither. That is an individual decision. I just put it out there. For all I know she is way behind on her mortgage and will loose her home anyhow. I am only privy to the news article.
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I am supportive of widows and orphans. Nothing about that will change for me any time soon.
Now this would be a good case for Mike Holmes.
She didn't pay, so they didn't fix her roof, so she waited a whole year and didn't bother to call a different company? Â The insurance should pay for the damage caused by the tree, but not the whole roof! Â And of course her insurance company is dropping her. Â Look at the place, it's about to fall down! Â I hope she has some family in the area that can help her replace the roof, because that's really her only option outside of paying for it herself. Â From the looks of the house she should take more pride in her home and maintain it so it doesn't fall apart. Â My mom is the same way: When I'm not around to keep things up, her house starts to fall apart in just a few months.