His eviction case was resolved through a new land contract with the seller, which Mr. Kelso signed in November 2020, according to court documents. Under the new contract, filed with the county land registry, Mr. Kelso agreed to pay $300 per month, with a final payment of $53 due in July 2023, after which he would own the home.
But when Kelso sent his final payment last year, it was returned as undeliverable, according to court documents. “The seller basically disappeared,” Skilliter said.
Legal Aid filed suit, asking a court to recognize Mr. Kelso as the owner, which is called a “quiet title.” On July 10, the court ruled in Mr. Kelso's favor, awarding him “all right, title, possession and all other interest” in the property. Mr. Kelso said he was relieved. “It was really stressful,” he said.
In another case, 59-year-old Dolores Lawson lost her mobile home in Garner, North Carolina. Ms. Lawson, who works as an administrative assistant, said in an interview that she visited the mobile home park in early 2019 to inquire about renting a trailer. Instead, she was offered an option to buy it under an agreement that lawyers said is equivalent to a “contract for deed” under North Carolina law.
Mrs. Lawson agreed to a down payment of $2,713, plus 60 payments of $407 a month. “After that, the house would be mine,” she said. (She also agreed to pay a monthly rent of $475 for the land beneath the house.)