GRAHAM, N.C. — Tucked down a long gravel road in Graham, North Carolina is the home of Priscilla Atwater. The bumpy road is surrounded by tall trees and dead ends at an open grove with Atwater’s home in the middle.
“I’ve been (here) 20 years,” Atwater shared.
The home isn’t fancy but in good condition and is perfect for Atwater.
“It means everything. That’s it you know,” Atwater said.
Everything was going well until Atwater lost her job. Atwater struggled to keep up with the mortgage—her perfect record in jeopardy.
“Every payment [was] on time. [I] never missed a payment,” Atwater said.
The bank was willing to work with Atwater and allowed her to defer several mortgage payments until she was able to find work and catch up. The deferment plan worked well as it enabled Atwater to save some money while she looked for work.
“I thought everything was fine. Then, about six months later, (the bank) wanted all three months (of missed payments),” Atwater explained.
The bank wanted her to pay a lump sum of around $4,000, but Atwater didn’t have the money. The bank started to bring up the possibility of foreclosure.
“They came (to the) house and did an appraisal, (they) planned to take it over. [It] was their intention,” Atwater said.
At this point, Atwater panicked. The home she had been living in for more than two decades could be sold at auction. Atwater would be kicked out.
“I had no intention of leaving. They were trying to take it,” Atwater said.
As the bank started the process of foreclosing, Atwater reached out to WFMY News 2 for guidance. She explained the issue and after that, we contacted the bank.
A representative with the bank agreed to investigate the matter and called us back in a couple of weeks. Atwater waited anxiously unsure what the outcome would be.
“I figured you could help; I’ve seen how many people [you've helped],” Atwater said.
That faith ended up paying off. The bank agreed to tack the missed payments on the back end of her loan and stop any foreclosure proceedings.
“Everything seemed to work out,” Atwater said. “I’m in my house. They didn’t take it.”
Sometimes you don’t realize how much you have until you’re about to lose it. Atwater has always loved her home, but maybe just a little more now.