It shouldn't be a shock to anyone that irresponsible absentee landlords own properties on the south side.
But celebrity irresponsible absentee landlords is somewhat of a news story.
To be accurate I should correctly state that Antoine Walker is not an absentee landlord but rather a celebrity investor or principal in two real estate investment companies.
Mr. Walker has had a rather tumultuous year.
It appears that his financial troubles have continued to reach into the Chicago real estate arena.
According to the Chicago Tribune Mr. Walker is "the target of more than a dozen lawsuits alleging poor management of numerous properties, unpaid debts and damages caused by shoddy repair work. In one case last month, the city won $950,000 in court-ordered fines against Walker Ventures."
The article further states that most of the legal issues stem from the alledged day to day mismanagement of the properties.
One of the self described "managing members" of the companies is also accused of "fraudulently collecting $10,000 in federally subsidized rent payments, though those actions are not connected to Walker Ventures or AW Realty."
Unfortnately this is nothing new to those of us who live here.
What stands out to me are two glaring issues.
It saddens me to see Black people victimizing other Black people yet again. But it easiest to make money off of those who are less likely to manipulate the system in their favor.
While race may play a roll in this, it's probably more of a class thing.
Who cares or pays attention to poor Black people?
Secondly, when are CHAC & HUD going to stop serving as piggy banks for anyone who signs up for the program?
It seems that once you pass your initial and annual inspections you have little reason other than money to keep up with the maintenance.
But yet the payments still continue.
Because until CHAC and HUD tighten up their policies, especially concerning condominium developments, the cash cow will continue.
And nothing will change.
But the south side will continue to get more of the same.
Showing posts with label Akwetee Butler. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Akwetee Butler. Show all posts
Tuesday, December 01, 2009
Tuesday, April 25, 2006
Access
If you’ve been a faithful reader of I Hate My Developer you also know that I’m not a big fan of four of our former owners.
I refer to them as the deadbeats.
In the past I’ve talked about their slow assessment payments, non-assessment payments and foreclosures in great detail.
In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if they know about and read this blog.
Like I care.
Their foreclosures (and now bankruptcies) are public record.
Moreover, all of them still owe us quite a bit of money. Their debt hasn’t gone away so neither will we. No amount of time or foreclosures will change that.
You would think that in order to let everyone move on they’d go ahead and find a way to contact us, ask how much they owe, cut a cashier’s check and call it a day.
Oh no, it simply can’t be that easy. Everybody wants to be a big baller, shot caller.
Fuck the condo association where you made money. It’s not their primary residences so why should they care?
These experiences got me wondering, “Why are irresponsible landlords in the CHAC program allowed to feed at the public trough at fellow taxpayer’s expense?"
The ultimate loser in this high stakes game of lord of the manor is the renter who, at least in our situations, doesn’t find out about the foreclosure until it’s too late.
Basically there is no allowance or consideration in the CHAC rules for landlords who don’t pay their association fees.
CHAC aggressively monitors the property owners in its program to make sure that they’re paying their county property taxes but not so much for foreclosures and non-payment of assessments.
What that could hypothetically mean is that you could be in foreclosure and behind in your assessments and unless someone reported this to CHAC, they would be none the wiser.
Naturally it wouldn’t take long before someone recognized this little discrepancy and started asking questions.
It was just simply a matter of time before those high enough up on the food chain heard those questions.
It boiled down to introductions and access.
I refer to them as the deadbeats.
In the past I’ve talked about their slow assessment payments, non-assessment payments and foreclosures in great detail.
In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if they know about and read this blog.
Like I care.
Their foreclosures (and now bankruptcies) are public record.
Moreover, all of them still owe us quite a bit of money. Their debt hasn’t gone away so neither will we. No amount of time or foreclosures will change that.
You would think that in order to let everyone move on they’d go ahead and find a way to contact us, ask how much they owe, cut a cashier’s check and call it a day.
Oh no, it simply can’t be that easy. Everybody wants to be a big baller, shot caller.
Fuck the condo association where you made money. It’s not their primary residences so why should they care?
These experiences got me wondering, “Why are irresponsible landlords in the CHAC program allowed to feed at the public trough at fellow taxpayer’s expense?"
The ultimate loser in this high stakes game of lord of the manor is the renter who, at least in our situations, doesn’t find out about the foreclosure until it’s too late.
Basically there is no allowance or consideration in the CHAC rules for landlords who don’t pay their association fees.
CHAC aggressively monitors the property owners in its program to make sure that they’re paying their county property taxes but not so much for foreclosures and non-payment of assessments.
What that could hypothetically mean is that you could be in foreclosure and behind in your assessments and unless someone reported this to CHAC, they would be none the wiser.
Naturally it wouldn’t take long before someone recognized this little discrepancy and started asking questions.
It was just simply a matter of time before those high enough up on the food chain heard those questions.
It boiled down to introductions and access.
Thursday, November 24, 2005
Laughable
Mr. Butler, our non-resident owner from the gall post, sent me the following letter:
November 16, 2005
Ms. XXXX:
Attached is a coy of my failed CHAC inspection report. I have highlighted the failed items the Blackstone Condo Association is responsible for repairing due to the fact they are in the common areas of the building. I am hoping these items will be repaired by my next inspection date of December 5, 2005 so my rent payment will not be abated by CHAC. You can disregard the outdoor items needing painting because CHAC will grant me an extension until next spring due to the weather. The rest of the repairs on the list are minor and I’m hoping they can be fixed in a timely manner.
Feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns.
Sincerely,
Akwetee Butler
Things you should know:
The inspection was performed on 10/15/05
I was informed about Mr. Butler’s failed inspection on Wednesday, November 16th
His letter was also dated 11/16/05.
It was mailed 11/21/05.
I received the letter on 11/22/05.
If you’ve been reading this blog you are well aware that the condo association is running on some very tight margins. Keeping the bills paid as well as trying to stay ahead of the rising costs of natural gas and electricity is a job in itself. Every penny is pinched and budgeted to the nth degree. We try to keep costs to a minimum and surprise repairs such as the one that Mr. Butler is springing on us will be dealt with, but unfortunately for him, not before December 5th.
He had this inspection for a whole month before he tried to make a concerted effort to reach someone with our association. He could have stopped by and left a note if he didn’t know our phone numbers---there is no way that we should be receiving notice of this last minute.
You just can’t waltz up to us, say something non-critical or non-life threatening needs to be fixed and give us little time to fully ascertain the full scope of the issue.
Not only did we need proof for our records that theses CHAC violations existed, we need to actually see where these violations are. The inspection report lists chipped paint in the hallway but where in the hallway? Once we finish that phase, then we need to hire someone to come in and make the repairs.
This can’t be done with a magic genie blink.
It especially can’t be done when the money we need to do so rests in the pocket of the person who wants the work completed. If I’m correct Mr. Butler is 3-4 months behind in his regular assessments and 5 months behind in his special assessment.
How are we supposed to purchase the materials and pay the work people---with our good looks?
As usual, I’ll inform my other board members, get a consensus and then respond to Mr. Butler.
I hope he’s not counting on that CHAC check for Christmas presents. He might want to come up with a plan B.
November 16, 2005
Ms. XXXX:
Attached is a coy of my failed CHAC inspection report. I have highlighted the failed items the Blackstone Condo Association is responsible for repairing due to the fact they are in the common areas of the building. I am hoping these items will be repaired by my next inspection date of December 5, 2005 so my rent payment will not be abated by CHAC. You can disregard the outdoor items needing painting because CHAC will grant me an extension until next spring due to the weather. The rest of the repairs on the list are minor and I’m hoping they can be fixed in a timely manner.
Feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns.
Sincerely,
Akwetee Butler
Things you should know:
The inspection was performed on 10/15/05
I was informed about Mr. Butler’s failed inspection on Wednesday, November 16th
His letter was also dated 11/16/05.
It was mailed 11/21/05.
I received the letter on 11/22/05.
If you’ve been reading this blog you are well aware that the condo association is running on some very tight margins. Keeping the bills paid as well as trying to stay ahead of the rising costs of natural gas and electricity is a job in itself. Every penny is pinched and budgeted to the nth degree. We try to keep costs to a minimum and surprise repairs such as the one that Mr. Butler is springing on us will be dealt with, but unfortunately for him, not before December 5th.
He had this inspection for a whole month before he tried to make a concerted effort to reach someone with our association. He could have stopped by and left a note if he didn’t know our phone numbers---there is no way that we should be receiving notice of this last minute.
You just can’t waltz up to us, say something non-critical or non-life threatening needs to be fixed and give us little time to fully ascertain the full scope of the issue.
Not only did we need proof for our records that theses CHAC violations existed, we need to actually see where these violations are. The inspection report lists chipped paint in the hallway but where in the hallway? Once we finish that phase, then we need to hire someone to come in and make the repairs.
This can’t be done with a magic genie blink.
It especially can’t be done when the money we need to do so rests in the pocket of the person who wants the work completed. If I’m correct Mr. Butler is 3-4 months behind in his regular assessments and 5 months behind in his special assessment.
How are we supposed to purchase the materials and pay the work people---with our good looks?
As usual, I’ll inform my other board members, get a consensus and then respond to Mr. Butler.
I hope he’s not counting on that CHAC check for Christmas presents. He might want to come up with a plan B.
Thursday, November 17, 2005
Gall
I was feverishly working at my desk yesterday afternoon when I received a phone call.
Caller: “Ms. XXX?”
Me: “Yes.”
Caller: “This is Akeewte Butler.”
I almost dropped the friggin phone. One of our non-resident unit owners, who happens to be in foreclosure, was calling.
It turns out that there is trouble within his real estate empire. The CHAC people had found violations in the common areas of the building where Mr. Butler has a rental. They are threatening to withhold their portion of his rent subsidy until the issues are addressed.
He had the nerve to tell me about his dilemma and ask when these issues were going to be repaired.
The guy who has consistently paid his assessments late ever since he owned a unit in our association; the guy who I’ve never seen at an association meeting; the guy who makes money off of our home but never brings any resource/contact or sweat equity to the table; the guy who currently owes us both regular and special assessments and has a lien on his unit now wants to open the lines of communication. Now he wants something.
He’s got quite a set, no?
I fought down the urge to give it to him with both barrels---after all I was at work---and kept my composure.
I explained to Mr. Butler that he needed to send a copy of the notice he received from CHAC to my home so we had a record of their issues.
I then explained to him that he owed us back regular and special assessments and that a lien had been placed on his property. That our condo association is quiet serious about the timely collection of assessments as that money goes to pay our bills and upkeep. When someone opts to pay once every three months, everyone in the association suffers as a result. I asked him for both a good phone number to get a hold of him and an e-mail address and then told him that I would go ahead and pass this information along to our treasurer so she could contact him.
I further stated that while his and CHAC’s concerns will be noted and acted upon, the association currently has several projects in play and quite frankly his issues may or may not place high on the list of priorities. While one of the concerns, the condition of the back porches is the #1 priority on our list; the others will more than likely have to wait.
At least they’re not on the depth chart to the best of my knowledge.
I think the best part of the conversation happened when I asked Mr. Butler about the foreclosure proceedings on the unit. He matter of factly stated that he “was letting the bank have the property back.”
My jaw was on the ground. I had never head the term “I’m letting the bank have the properties back” when dealing with a foreclosure.
Are you kidding me?
He gave me some sob story about being swindled when he bought the units and that he barely broke even with the mortgage when his rental income was factored in the equation.
Now that may or may not be true. I will say it does have the “air of truth” which is essential to any good lie but that doesn’t explain why he’s in foreclosure on four other properties. Nor does it explain why they all went into foreclosure almost at the same time. Even though those questions were burning on my lips, I held my questions and let him ramble on in his feeble attempt to garner sympathy.
I also neglected to tell him I knew about his pending bankruptcy. I thought it best to let that sleeping dog lie.
To add insult to injury, Mr. Butler’s largest concern wasn’t that he was late with his assessments (I try to pay when I can) but that he didn’t want to lay out all of his back assessment money only to not have the repairs occur in a timely manner.
Excuse me?
He owes us that assessment money and is required to pay it according the Illinois Condominium Property Act. He doesn’t have an option whether he pays it or not.
What can you say to (or about) a person like that?
Caller: “Ms. XXX?”
Me: “Yes.”
Caller: “This is Akeewte Butler.”
I almost dropped the friggin phone. One of our non-resident unit owners, who happens to be in foreclosure, was calling.
It turns out that there is trouble within his real estate empire. The CHAC people had found violations in the common areas of the building where Mr. Butler has a rental. They are threatening to withhold their portion of his rent subsidy until the issues are addressed.
He had the nerve to tell me about his dilemma and ask when these issues were going to be repaired.
The guy who has consistently paid his assessments late ever since he owned a unit in our association; the guy who I’ve never seen at an association meeting; the guy who makes money off of our home but never brings any resource/contact or sweat equity to the table; the guy who currently owes us both regular and special assessments and has a lien on his unit now wants to open the lines of communication. Now he wants something.
He’s got quite a set, no?
I fought down the urge to give it to him with both barrels---after all I was at work---and kept my composure.
I explained to Mr. Butler that he needed to send a copy of the notice he received from CHAC to my home so we had a record of their issues.
I then explained to him that he owed us back regular and special assessments and that a lien had been placed on his property. That our condo association is quiet serious about the timely collection of assessments as that money goes to pay our bills and upkeep. When someone opts to pay once every three months, everyone in the association suffers as a result. I asked him for both a good phone number to get a hold of him and an e-mail address and then told him that I would go ahead and pass this information along to our treasurer so she could contact him.
I further stated that while his and CHAC’s concerns will be noted and acted upon, the association currently has several projects in play and quite frankly his issues may or may not place high on the list of priorities. While one of the concerns, the condition of the back porches is the #1 priority on our list; the others will more than likely have to wait.
At least they’re not on the depth chart to the best of my knowledge.
I think the best part of the conversation happened when I asked Mr. Butler about the foreclosure proceedings on the unit. He matter of factly stated that he “was letting the bank have the property back.”
My jaw was on the ground. I had never head the term “I’m letting the bank have the properties back” when dealing with a foreclosure.
Are you kidding me?
He gave me some sob story about being swindled when he bought the units and that he barely broke even with the mortgage when his rental income was factored in the equation.
Now that may or may not be true. I will say it does have the “air of truth” which is essential to any good lie but that doesn’t explain why he’s in foreclosure on four other properties. Nor does it explain why they all went into foreclosure almost at the same time. Even though those questions were burning on my lips, I held my questions and let him ramble on in his feeble attempt to garner sympathy.
I also neglected to tell him I knew about his pending bankruptcy. I thought it best to let that sleeping dog lie.
To add insult to injury, Mr. Butler’s largest concern wasn’t that he was late with his assessments (I try to pay when I can) but that he didn’t want to lay out all of his back assessment money only to not have the repairs occur in a timely manner.
Excuse me?
He owes us that assessment money and is required to pay it according the Illinois Condominium Property Act. He doesn’t have an option whether he pays it or not.
What can you say to (or about) a person like that?
Thursday, November 10, 2005
Things That Make You Go Hmmm
Funny how the mortgage fraud cheats in the wonderful Chicago Tribune series by David Jackson share some of the same financial and property purchasing habits that three of our non resident owners also happen to have.
I also find it odd that all three of our non-resdient owners also happen to be in foreclosure on multiple properties.
Memory fuzzy? Need a refresher? See what I wrote about them in September by clicking here.
I also find it odd that all three of our non-resdient owners also happen to be in foreclosure on multiple properties.
Memory fuzzy? Need a refresher? See what I wrote about them in September by clicking here.
Tuesday, September 27, 2005
The Deadbeats
Assuming my math is correct and not counting attorney's fees, billables and expenses the four owners in foreclosure owe us approximately
$9,703.50
Obviously that number very well may double when the remainders of the special assessment totals are thrown into the mix.
$9,703.50
Obviously that number very well may double when the remainders of the special assessment totals are thrown into the mix.
Friday, September 23, 2005
Three Blind Mice
The three non-resident unit owners that are in foreclosure are a curious lot.
From the information that I’ve been able to dig up I can see that they’re all relatively young and they all live in the south suburbs.
The only other common thread is that they either bought units with existing CHAC renters or purchased units that they soon enrolled in the CHAC program.
For those of you not familiar with the CHAC, it is a subsidized program that assists low income and moderate low income families with paying their rent.
My point in bringing this up is that coming up with money to move is a daunting task for some people. Whether you’re laying down a deposit---hiring movers or just having your friends help you out, the cash outlay can be financially draining. I can imagine that coming up with money to move for renters that take part in a federally subsidized program may have posed its own special set of problems.
Additionally, if you want to stay in the Housing Voucher program you have to physically go down to the CHAC office during there regular business hours and request moving papers. Then you have to actually find a landlord who will take the voucher for your rent. From what I’ve been told choice affordable housing is difficult to find. With seemingly every apartment building going condo, moderate and low income renters are increasingly getting squeezed out of neighborhoods and in some cases the city itself.
Obviously our three non-resident unit owners don’t understand the difficulty of such matters because if they had, they wouldn’t have just stopped paying their mortgages and monthly assessments.
As far as I’m concerned, their lack of fiduciary responsibility all but displaced the renters in those three units.
Owner #1---Ryan Hudson is being sued for foreclosure on 13 different properties.
Owner #2---Jamal Sanford is being sued for foreclosure on 5 different properties.
Owner #3—Akwetee Butler is being sued for foreclosure on 5 different properties.
Skeptical? Think I’m giving you the business? Plug those names into the on-line case info link for the chancery division and look for yourselves.
I’m simply amazed not only by the scope of the foreclosures within our association but the number of other small and mid-sized associations that are also losing assessment monies.
It’s simply mind boggling.
As we all know, heat and light bills just don’t get paid by wishing it so.
More importantly, people’s lives and shelter is being affected. One day you think everything is fine and the next you realize that your home has a new owner and they want you out of there.
While I’m not a big fan of rentals in a condo association, as long as we have to have them the renters should be treated with the same respect that every other resident receives. I can’t think of anything more disrespectful than some rock head’s fiscal irresponsibility putting someone out of their home.
For the record, we had more trouble with the absentee unit owners than with the renters.
From the information that I’ve been able to dig up I can see that they’re all relatively young and they all live in the south suburbs.
The only other common thread is that they either bought units with existing CHAC renters or purchased units that they soon enrolled in the CHAC program.
For those of you not familiar with the CHAC, it is a subsidized program that assists low income and moderate low income families with paying their rent.
My point in bringing this up is that coming up with money to move is a daunting task for some people. Whether you’re laying down a deposit---hiring movers or just having your friends help you out, the cash outlay can be financially draining. I can imagine that coming up with money to move for renters that take part in a federally subsidized program may have posed its own special set of problems.
Additionally, if you want to stay in the Housing Voucher program you have to physically go down to the CHAC office during there regular business hours and request moving papers. Then you have to actually find a landlord who will take the voucher for your rent. From what I’ve been told choice affordable housing is difficult to find. With seemingly every apartment building going condo, moderate and low income renters are increasingly getting squeezed out of neighborhoods and in some cases the city itself.
Obviously our three non-resident unit owners don’t understand the difficulty of such matters because if they had, they wouldn’t have just stopped paying their mortgages and monthly assessments.
As far as I’m concerned, their lack of fiduciary responsibility all but displaced the renters in those three units.
Owner #1---Ryan Hudson is being sued for foreclosure on 13 different properties.
Owner #2---Jamal Sanford is being sued for foreclosure on 5 different properties.
Owner #3—Akwetee Butler is being sued for foreclosure on 5 different properties.
Skeptical? Think I’m giving you the business? Plug those names into the on-line case info link for the chancery division and look for yourselves.
I’m simply amazed not only by the scope of the foreclosures within our association but the number of other small and mid-sized associations that are also losing assessment monies.
It’s simply mind boggling.
As we all know, heat and light bills just don’t get paid by wishing it so.
More importantly, people’s lives and shelter is being affected. One day you think everything is fine and the next you realize that your home has a new owner and they want you out of there.
While I’m not a big fan of rentals in a condo association, as long as we have to have them the renters should be treated with the same respect that every other resident receives. I can’t think of anything more disrespectful than some rock head’s fiscal irresponsibility putting someone out of their home.
For the record, we had more trouble with the absentee unit owners than with the renters.
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