CHESTERFIELD, Va. (WTVR)—Just days ahead of Thanksgiving, a Chesterfield family faced eviction from their new home.
The Cooper family contacted CBS 6 when they learned their home would be put up for auction Wednesday morning.
“Our prayers were answere d,” said Toneka Cooper.
CBS 6 reached out to Senator Tim Kaine’s office on behalf of the Cooper’s to see if anything could be done to keep the family in their Chesterfield home off Lake Caroline Court.
Nathan and Toneka Cooper said the Senator’s office was able to stop the auction from taking place.
Last year the couple entered into a short sale agreement on the house with the seller and the lender.
A short sale happens when a seller is looking to unload a house that is no longer worth what they owe on it.
Buyers like short sales because they can sometimes lead to a price below market value.
“We were going to close the Monday after we had scheduled the move-in date,” Nathan Cooper said.
The Cooper’s moved in last month, but shortly after, both of the mortgages on the home were sold.
“So now the new servicer decided to put it directly into foreclosure,” Cooper said.
The bank set an auction date for Wednesday morning.
“They`re just looking at their bottom line...they want to make money,” Cooper said.
Realtor Alex Glaser with Coldwell Banker Vaughan and Company, Inc. described short sales like this one as risky.
“There`s a lot of curveballs sometimes you don`t really expect,” he said.
He recommended that buyers not move into a home early.
“Until you sign that closing paperwork-- and it`s official--nothing is 100 percent guaranteed,” Glaser said.
Still, the Cooper’s believe their situation could be a case of fraud.
“It was really a breach of contract on their part,” Cooper said.
The couple also filed a complaint on Tuesday with Senator Tim Kaine’s office, about the process and agencies involved in the debacle.
