A Southern California-style Charlie Brown Christmas that draws more than 70,000 locals annually including those in Costa Mesa and Newport Beach may be forcefully ended this year for residents but Wachovia may ensure it never happens again--possibly destroying $100,000 and nearly 45 years of work related to the "Snoopy House" holiday decorations now caught up in a home foreclosure headed to court. But the Wells Fargo-owned bank could destroy those decorations and sets before it's settled.
The city that borders Newport Beach is holds a home known for a Christmas scene that requires year-round planning -- those famous decorations known in the Southern California area for over forty years. But the family that's been putting on the annual Charlie Brown-Snoopy House Christmas show for holiday visitors, arriving from near and far, is facing losing two things of value -- both the home and almost 45 years worth of Charlie Brown-related decorations estimated at $100,000. The owner claims Wachovia said it was stopping the foreclosure.
Dubbed the "Snoopy House," owner Jim Jordan was forced to clear the residential property after mortgage default -- leaving behind the characters that roamed the home's front lawn including Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Lucy and the Peanuts gang. Those Christmas decorations may be repossessed by Wells Fargo unless there's intervention over the holiday season.
The Christmas scene has been added to throughout the 44 years the show's been running and includes a stage for Santa Claus, manger scene and animated characters from "A Charlie Brown Christmas".
Whatever the details, the property owned by Jordan entered foreclosure after approximately three months and was snapped up by Wells Fargo -- owner of Wachovia Bank -- for about half a million dollars following appraisal of the California property for nearly double. Jordan says he'd been in contact with Wachovia to modify the loan and that the property wasn't in default at that time, and that the financial institution refused to talk to him. In what the owner admits was bad financial advice, he stopped making home payments and says he hired a company to work loan modification for the famed "Snoopy House". But it may have been too late.
Jim Jordan says the loan resolution company stole his money -- and the matter's headed to court. That company apparently never made contact with Wachovia and the house went into default by late summer last year, when Jordan says mortgage was about $35,000 behind. But he claims Wachovia Bank said the institution had stopped foreclosure on the home property after explanation. The problem: Wachovia statement in court documents claim otherwise.
Owned by Wells Fargo, Wachovia snapped up the house at a purchase price of about $531,000. Reportedly Wachovia denied loan modification on the Costa Mesa home because of too much equity on a home appraising above $900,000. Upset and local residents are rallying to help save the "Snoopy House" -- including kids holdings signs. While Jordan is hoping to regain the house through a court case, it may not come to be. What's on the property is really crucial.
The Snoopy and Charlie Brown decorations are estimated at $100,000 but also have years of invested work and passion by the people who helped created them. While the court case is slated to be heard in December, Jordan's evacuation and size of the sets hasn't allowed him to move the Christmas decorations to and Wells Fargo could possibly destroy the property before that time.