Veterans sold short by short sales

We are veterans trying to buy a house in Stanislaus County. Ninety-nine percent of the homes for sale are real estate-company owned and short sales. Now, bring in the real-estate brokers and their asset managers (the mysterious bank representatives for the now or soon-to-be defunct loan), and you have a secretive society of a few chosen people to whom all REOs shall flow. This is a recipe for a nightmare.

Every time they saw that we are military veterans and that we have our own (unaffiliated with the listing agent) broker, their story changed. They were sorry for our frustrations, but someone else's offer was accepted. That's odd, considering that many of them had just told us that our offer was the best or only offer they had.

We feel that this is discriminatory, illegal and unethical behavior and needs to stop. We have enough problems with the current credit crisis and this state's high cost of living. Get a lawyer, you say? We did. Care to join us? E-mail fightback@clearwire.net with your horror story.

DEBORAH RIGGS

Cressey