Single male, struggling to pay mortgage, going nowhere fast

Ferryman

Registered User
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I am a single male, aged 45. I bought my apartment in 2001. My mortgage was about €160,000. I took out a remortgage of €25,000 in 2007, which added to my debt. I paid my mortgage regularly until 2008, when I ran into employment issues, debt, and other difficulties.

For about a year and a half from 2008, I missed mortgage payments, missed other bills, ran up bank charges on non payment of bills, and generally made a mess of my personal finances.

From 2011 I finally caught up on my missed mortgage payments, and settled back down to regular monthly mortgage repayments, and repayment of other debts.

From 2013, I let the apartment to tenants (which I should have done much sooner) for €800 per month, and moved home to my parents.

My problem is that I have spent thirteen years as a single male on a relatively low salary (averaging €400-€450 per week) strangling myself to pay a mortgage on an apartment that I don't really want, can't afford to live in, and doing without everything else other than the bare necessities of feeding myself and paying management fees, taxes, and running a very old car.

I could live for another seventeen years continuing to go without to pay the mortgage, with my own apartment at the end of it all, or bail out now, sell the apartment for less than I bought it for in 2001 (about €135,000 - I owe €160,000 to clear everything), swallow all the enormous waste of money over the past thirteen years, and cut my losses.

I have no health insurance, do not drink or smoke, take no holidays, and pay a small amount to my parents each week for living there, after my car running costs, management fees, repairs, a €9,000 credit union loan (taken out misguidedly when I was in financial trouble), and general basic necessities are deducted. I save nothing at all, and have no pension plan. My credit rating is shot.

What do the financial experts, or other people of experience here, suggest? Should I stick with the grind, for another seventeen years, or cut loose and run, and spend my money on health and pension plans, save a little, and have a life? Are there any points of view I am missing?
 
Hi lad. Fairly similar circumstances. Big debt and negative equity. Had my own mid life crisis of sorts this year.
Had a very serious look at the UK bankruptcy, but didn't go through with it for a few reasons, one of them being a friend's suicide.
So more negotiations with creditors, changed plans, still very little disposable income but staying at the graft, and looking at future plans and scheme's.
But I feel reasonably happy just working away, credit rating probably permanently shot, and still fighting with creditors on an ongoing basis.
My feelings re the bankruptcy is that it's definitely not for everyone, it's being sold like a panacea at the moment the same way tracker mortgages were sold in the past.
At the moment I hope to hold my property until it's not in negative equity any more and maybe then clear my debt in full. Or maybe not. I probably have the Irish property accumulation and retention disease :)
Re creditors I actually like some of my creditors and would miss the argy bargy of fighting and wheeling and dealing with them.
That's just my experiences and feelings of things as they stand at the moment.
 
Ferryman;
From what you write , you have done very well to hang in there!
Brendans advice is good . If you spend a bit of time doing up your case you will get a broad range of AAM views. Some you will like but some not, some sensible , some a touch callous . From experience all thw AAM views will help you come to a pathway.

From what you wrote ; today you could sell out and be left with debt k25.Since you are managing (to hang in ) and property is going up I would try to keep (hanging) as very little lift in prices and you continuing to pay down debt should leave you even fairly soon.
You can at that stage decide to cut your loses and restart on pension etc or stay with debt , secure in knowledge you are are least now on the right side of the hole.!

Rich in Spirit.
Lovely positive comments from you; on balance your comments are try to stay the course.
 
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