Mossville-area residents have been given an additional month to receive an early sign-up bonus as part of Sasol’s Voluntary Property Purchase Program.

Residents now have until 5 p.m. Nov. 4 to receive the $1,000 early sign-up bonus, which will be paid at closing. The original deadline was last Friday, but Community Interaction Consulting President John C. Mitchell said phone lines last week at CIC’s Mossville office were experiencing technical difficulties.

“People couldn’t get through to us,” he said. “Our phone calls were being dropped. We decided that there could be some folks out there that tried to get a hold of us to sign up but couldn’t reach us. So we thought it was in their best interest and in our best interest to extend the early sign-up bonus period.”

The program’s early sign-up bonus will be paid to owners who decided to sell their homes to Sasol. Renters are also eligible for the sign-up bonus, as well as a $4,000 moving allowance to help them find a new place to live.

Launched in mid-August, Sasol’s program seeks to buy homes from residents in Mossville and Brentwood for what has been described as above fair market value. CIC pays for all appraisals made on properties. The program’s deadline is Dec. 4.

“Residents should at least request appraisals and request an offer, if for nothing else just to see what their property would appraise for,” Mitchell added. “They don’t have to accept the offer. They also get the $500 professional advice allowance, which they do not have to return to us if they don’t accept the offer.”

Mitchell said an estimated 75 percent of owners in the Mossville area have requested an offer through the program. To date, all offers Sasol has extended to owners have been accepted.

“I think a lot of people have signed up just because they wanted to know what kind of an offer Sasol would give them,” Mitchell said. “They don’t have anything to lose.”

Mitchell said CIC’s phone lines have been fixed. Residents who are interested in the program should call CIC’s office at 310-8200.

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Online: www.sasolvppp.com.

(Special to the American Press)