NOW What is the Watchtower up to? (page 2)

imallgrowedup

Czar -

Terms of the mortgage are public record if that information is included on the assessor roles, as assessors roles are public information. The assessor record shows that the interest rate on the loan is fixed, but doesn't say what the interest rate is. I believe that information is actually non-public information. But, it is important to note that no matter what the interest rate, be it 10%, 5% or 0%, we do know that it is fixed. The area on the Assessor record where the type of loan can be listed is not filled in, so we don't know if it is a 15-year or a 115-year mortgage. All we know is that it is a private mortgage, and private mortgages can be set up in anyway the two (or three) parties agree to. If there is some kind of a contract between them which spells out who gets what if this or that happens, that would be personal information and we would have no access to it.

Also, Czar, if you take a look at the sales records, it shows that the WT bought this property in Dec of 2000, and the Lehrer's picked it up only two months later, in Feb of 2001. I have a hard time believing that this is accidental, but I'm not sure what the motivation is.

Anyway, I don't live too far from there. I'll see if I can't make it up there in the next few days or so to see what I can see. I'll try to stop by the County Assessor's office and take a gander at the original copies of everything while I'm there as well. If anyone lives closer to the area and can do it instead, let me know.

This will be interesting to see how it all unfolds.

onacruse

growedup, when I looked at the map, what struck me is how "isolated" that property is. Now, I'm not any good at deciphering the legal shenanigans of the documentation you posted (czaro, I suspect you've got a pretty good suspicion of what might have transpired ), but what struck me as I looked at the map is "why would the WTS be involved in financial transactions for property that's literally in the middle of nowhere?"

When the Assembly Hall was built here in Woodburn (Oregon), the property was in an agricultural area, but still within reasonable (<1 hour) driving distance of several cities and several dozen congregations.

Interesting, veeerrrry interesting.

Craig

imallgrowedup

Craig -

Because they have filed a Fictitious Business Name statement saying they intend to use it as a vineyard, my guess is they aren't planning on building a KH there. They are planning on using it as a vineyard. I couldn't zoom close enough on the map to see if there were actually grape vines planted, but when I go out that way, I'll be able to get a closer look. At any rate, I don't know for whom the grapes are intended - maybe not for the WT at all - or maybe - they have some kind of a deal to supply grapes and/or wine to the WT, but can sell the excess. It could be just about anything, but it sure is fun to speculate!

Country Girl

I'm sure the Society does some real estate deals. What corporation doesn't have it's fingers in many pots? Maybe they purchased, or someone willed them the property, then they had no use for it. They owned it outright, so they sold it to this lawyer and the Lehrers to open a joint business together. Could be that the mortgagees are paying on a cash for deed type deal where they don't own title to the land outright until it's paid off. I don't know.

CG

imallgrowedup

CG -

You bring up a good point. It's possible the property was willed to them, in which case, the WT wouldn't be out any cash, other than inheritance taxes. I can find out if the previous owners are still alive or not, and will get back with you when I find out. Either way, it still doesn't explain why the WT is the current mortgage holder. Why didn't the new owners get a conventional loan? Why was the WT willing to be the mortgager? There must be SOME benefit for them, or they wouldn't be carrying the mortgage - they'd wash their hands of it and be through. But what could that advantage be? And why is the lawyer's name on the deed?

qua

He must be nervous seeing all this info about his and the Watchtower's business on a public board.

imallgrowedup

qua -

Only if he has something to hide! Otherwise why should he care?

Country Girl -

Did some digging. Jeff and Sara Tamayo are still alive, so the property was not willed to the WT. Notice that Jeff and Sara purchased it from the Tilton trust in February of 1997 for $400,000, but the WT sold it to the Lehrer's four years later for $300,000. I live in CA and can tell you that real estate prices have pretty much doubled since 1997, so something is going on here. I just don't know what, and why the JW lawyer is on the deed to this property.

growedup

bebu

I wouldn't have the foggiest idea of how to search out and much less make sense of all that you have done, growedup. I'm impressed!

Thanks for all your "legwork". It certainly is an very strange setup... hope you can tell us more as you find out any more details!!

bebu

Farkel

Since I lived in Ocean Beach (a San Diego community) and since I know EXACTLY where said Watchtower perp lives, and since I still have many friends in that community, I will dispatch several of them to Mr. McCabe's location and ask him questions that I will put in writing beforehand.

It's great to see stuff happening in my own (former) backyard. I know Ocean Beach like the back of my hand.

By the way, this information looks authentic: McCabe's area code (619) is a bonafide San Diego area code and his Ocean Beach prefix (224) is a long-time prefix for the area that goes back at least thirty years. I know. I lived there that long.

Farkel

onacruse

Farkel, you old farkel!

I can't wait to see what you "dig up."

growedup, thanks again for your well-documented research! This may just be an inheritance/property transfer deal...but ya never know.

Craig

NOW What is the Watchtower up to?

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