Tuesday, December 9, 2008

Dead man gets mortgage worth whopping $533G

BY WILLIAM SHERMAN
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

Wednesday, December 3rd 2008, 1:37 AM

HMPeterson

Willie Thomas

Eugene Thomas had been dead 19 years as of Sept. 13, 2007.

On that day, "Thomas" showed up to sell his Jamaica, Queens, house to a man named Tolessi Enyonam - and lawyers, a mortgage broker and a title company representative at the closing found nothing wrong.

They didn't care much about ID, either: The buyer and seller presented green cards as identification.

At the closing, Enyonam also took out a $533,000 mortgage fromWells Fargo bank on the Union Hall St. house.

The deed transfer and the mortgage were duly recorded by the office of the city register.

The transactions have since blown up.

"Thomas" was con man Willie Thomas, who was paid about $1,000 for his brief acting stint, according to Queens Assistant District Attorney Kristen Kane.

While Tolessi Enyonam does exist - and Enyonam is a woman, not a man - she's not the person who bought the house and took out the mortgage.

"We don't know who that person is," said Kane, explaining that the male mastermind of the scheme stole the real Enyonam's identity for use in the transactions.

The scam chief replicated the real Enyonam's green card so it had his photo on it.

"Then, he disappeared with the mortgage money," Kane said.

Willie Thomas has been charged with grand larceny.

Prosecutors say they have since learned that others were involved in the scam, including an accountant, a city clerk and a disbarred lawyer.

Authorities say the ring stole another house in Queens and a third house inBrooklyn for a total mortgage takedown of $1.4 million.

In the aftermath, the real Tolessi Enyonam's credit has been ruined, and the bank is foreclosing against Eugene Thomas' widow, Dorothy, 74, who has lived at the Jamaica house for more than 30 years.

"I don't know any of those people, never met them, never heard of them," Dorothy Thomas said. "It's unbelievable what happened."

www.the-reno-coach.com

Saturday, December 6, 2008

Retrofit Your Home and Qualify for a Grant!

Thinking of ways to make your home more energy efficient? Here's what you can do to reduce your energy consumption and receive grants through ecoENERGY Retrofit.

Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) is offering a new residential energy efficiency assessment service to owners of single family homes, including detached, semi-detached and low-rise multi-unit residential buildings (MURBs) that are no more than three storeys high. Under the ecoENERGY Retrofit program, property owners can qualify for federal grants by improving the energy efficiency of their homes and reducing their home's impact on the environment.

NRCan-certified energy advisors conduct a detailed on-site assessment of your home's energy use from the attic down to the basement. They then provide you with a personalized report, including a checklist of recommended retrofits to improve the energy efficiency of your home or MURB and, in some cases, to reduce water consumption. The report also shows the grant amounts for each eligible upgrade that you can receive by carrying out these energy-saving improvements.

On the following pages, you will find a list of improvements covered under ecoENERGY Retrofit - Homes and the corresponding grant amounts. The maximum grant you can receive for a home or MURB is $5,000.

The grant is calculated and based on amounts that are in effect at the time of the post-retrofit evaluation (E evaluation).

Effective January 1, 2008

House Renovation

Assessing the Renovation Project

Over the years, we’ve developed a good understanding of how buildings perform. Construction techniques for new homes have changed rapidly. Most of these improved techniques also apply to renovations.

If you plan carefully, you can renovate your home to make it look better, work better, last longer and be more comfortable. Before renovating, it’s important to assess the condition of your home to determine if there are any significant underlying problems that must be addressed before or during your planned renovation project.

Diagram

Figure 1: Problems that should be addressed

Common Situations

In Canada, we need affordable houses to provide shelter from the elements. We also want our homes to be pleasant, comfortable and attractive.

Homeowners have higher expectations than in the past, particularly about comfort and interior design. Renovations are an opportunity to address some of these expectations.

Some of the reasons people decide to renovate are to:

Upgrade or improve outdated or deteriorated systems — replacing an outdated furnace, old siding or windows are common upgrades.
Maintain and repair various elements of their house — reshingling a roof or fixing foundation cracks are typical renovations.
Address lifestyle needs — converting unused attic space to living quarters, add a sunroom or build a home office.

Healthy Housing™

Renovating is an ideal time to make your house healthier for you, the community and the environment. When assessing your renovation project, be sure to consider the five essentials of Healthy Housing™.

House as a System

A house is much more than just four walls and a roof — it’s an interactive system made up of many components including the basic structure, heating, ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC) equipment, the external environment and the occupants. Each component influences the performance of the entire system. A renovation provides an opportunity to improve how your house performs.

As you assess your renovation project, ask yourself how changing particular components will affect the performance of the whole house. For example, as part of a bathroom renovation you may want to add a hot tub that will generate large amounts of humidity during operation.Your existing ventilation may be inadequate to handle the increased moisture levels. It will be important to provide proper ventilation to avoid mold growth, indoor air quality (IAQ) problems and damage to the structure or finishes. You may need to consult with a qualified home inspector or a professional renovator.

Avoid Surprises

A systematic and thorough inspection will help you to assess the condition of your home. Look for any signs of deterioration and the possible causes. Start your inspection in the basement. Many problems in other parts of the house originate there. Depending upon the size of your project, you may want to ask a qualified home inspector or a professional renovator to help you assess your building and develop a plan. Here are some of the likely questions that you’ll want to think about.