Tax Increase Pushes Lincoln Mother to the Brink of Home Foreclosure

Overwhelmed by medical expenses and a significant rise in property taxes, a mother of two from Lincoln, Nebraska, faces the threat of home foreclosure. Connie Vogt, a single mother caring for her own mother who suffers from dementia and whose two children are in college, had to prioritize her health a year and a half ago after finding abnormalities in her mammogram, which later led to a mastectomy. In an interview, Connie Vogt explained that according to her medical assessment, without the surgery, the risk of developing invasive breast cancer was over 30% in the next two years.

After undergoing surgery last November, Vogt experienced complications that required emergency surgery at the Nebraska Medical Center. Her insurance refused to cover the costs, leaving her with tens of thousands of dollars in medical debt. Following this, Vogt also had to take several weeks off work, complicating matters as her family heavily depends on her income.

After all this, it was inevitable that Ms. Vogt fell behind on her mortgage payments, a situation that unfortunately worsened when she learned that property taxes would increase significantly. In response, Connie Vogt stated, “They sent me a notice saying my mortgage would increase by almost $700 a month, citing property taxes and new, higher appraisals.” This appraisal has doubled in the last six years since Vogt and her children moved into their new home.

Ms. Vogt also expressed, “It seems like every time you try to get ahead, there’s another setback. I was trying to be the best mother and daughter I could be, but I just can’t do it anymore.” Her son, Franklyn Vogt, also finds it difficult to see his mother struggle but continues to hope that there is light at the end of the tunnel.

Vogt hopes that Nebraska lawmakers, who began a special legislative session last week, will soon address the issue of property taxes, as “there needs to be relief because people are barely surviving,” Ms. Vogt concluded.

As of today, her children are contributing their own earnings to their mother’s mortgage and have created a GoFundMe account to try to save their home from foreclosure.

Available Foreclosures:

Lincoln: 25 homes available.

By Elías DaSilva | 24 de octubre de 2024.