Foreclosure - The Last Resort

Thomas Bladecki asked:


Negotiate a foreclosure help plan prior to losing your home; people that are facing foreclosure often do not realize that there are options to avoid foreclosure. Home foreclosure help is available for these who may be losing their home if they are willing to talk to the lender and entertain options that they offer to avoid foreclosure.

Lenders are calling, sending letter and other correspondences attempting to collect the money that is owed to them. Homeowners believe that this is because they are like “robots” and do not care about the circumstances; however, this is simply not the case. Lenders are just doing their job, then loan people money and in turn, they expect payment to be made on time every month. In most cases, lenders will negotiate a reasonable arrangement to avoid foreclosure.

Lenders have several options available to people that are facing a foreclosure, however you have to talk to them in order to determine if they are viable options for your particular situation. Lenders do not want to process a foreclosure to get the house back. The process can be very length, time consuming and expensive, therefore the often times would prefer to negotiate a suitable settlement versus taking your home through a foreclosure.

Interest Only Payments

Depending on the amount of the default and the time that lapsed your lender may be willing to offer you an interest only loan for a year or two. Foreclosure help is often available from lenders by modifying their loan and getting your payments lowered. This should lower your monthly payment and allow you to get back on track and prevent foreclosure of your home.

Half Payment

Some lenders may discount your monthly payment, up to 50%, if they feel that this will afford you the time that is needed to correct the financial difficulty that you are experiencing. Discounting your monthly mortgage payment is a foreclosure help option that is rarely available, but it never hurts to ask you lender.

Short Sale

Often times a lender will allow a homeowner to sell their home for less then the amount that is currently owed on the loan. This is commonly referred to as a “short sale.” Borrowers may not think that this is a valid form of foreclosure help however, a short sale is prefer over a foreclosure to minimize the impact to future credit. While some lenders will not allow or offer borrowers facing a foreclosure this option, it is worth asking prior to the lender taking foreclosure action.

While this is an overview of only a couple of options that are available to borrowers for foreclosure help, it is a great starting point. There are a number of options available to people that are facing foreclosure, be sure to research and investigate all of your home foreclosure help options prior to making any decisions or simply walking away. Many home foreclosure help web sites offer valuable information that can assist homeowners that are facing a foreclosure.



Kurt

mooncove asked:


My husband and I will still have 6 investment properties and the house we live in. Our credit score right now is 744. We’re in our late 30s. We’ve never had any debt and have never had trouble getting a loan. So what will life be like after foreclosure?

Chloe

pinky asked:


As I understand it, there are plenty of homes going into foreclosure right now. I just don’t know how to find out about them. I live in Jacksonville, FL. Thanks!
Any advice is welcome.

Carlos

Greg Chan asked:


Foreclosure occurs when a borrower fails to make payments on his or her mortgage. The lender then obtains a court order to repossess the property and sell it to recoup the mortgage.

Types of Foreclosure

There are several types of foreclosure. Judicial foreclosure and foreclosure by power of sale are the two most common. In judicial foreclosure, the residents must move out of the home in a specified period of time. The sale of the mortgaged property is then conducted under the supervision of a court. When the home is sold, the proceeds are first used to pay back the first mortgage. Any remaining proceeds will go to other lien holders and then finally the borrower, if anything is left.

With foreclosure by power of sale, the lender can sell the home without the supervision of the court. A “power of sale” clause, however, is usually required in the mortgage contract in order for this type of foreclosure to occur. In addition, this type of foreclosure does not provide the lender with a deficiency judgment. This makes it difficult to obtain title insurance for the property. Like a judicial foreclosure, once the home is sold, proceeds must first go to pay off the mortgage and any other lien holders.

While these are the two most common types of foreclosure, there are also other types of foreclosure. Since foreclosure laws can vary in each state, if you are facing foreclosure, it is best to obtain legal advice in your area.

How to Avoid Foreclosure

If you can no longer meet your mortgage payments, do not be embarrased.  The first step is to contact your lender.  Your lender may be open to some of the following options:

Forebearance: Lenders may be willing to postpone taking legal action against you and let you work out a repayment plan that is feasible for you.

Repayment Plan: Lenders may let you spread out the missed payments over a longer period of time.  You would pay a little extra in your future payments to make up for those that were missed.

Note Modification: Lenders may change the parameters of your loan.  For example, they may freeze your rate on an adjustable loan.  They could also extend the term of your loan.

Refinance: The lender may add the missed payments back on to the balance of the loan.  This is only available if you have sufficient equity and meeting lending requirements. 

Debt Forgiveness The lender might waive your obligation on some of your missed payments.  This, however, rarely happens.

How to Stop Foreclosure

Sell Your Home: Sell your home and use the proceeds to pay off the mortgage.

Short Sale: If your home is worth less than your mortgage, talk to you lender about a short sale.  In a short sale, the lender agrees to selling the home at market value and forgiving the remainder of the loan.  A short sale affects your credit but not as bad as a foreclosure.

Deed-in-Lieu of Foreclosure: In this scenario, the lender signs over the property’s deed to the lender in exchange for closing the loan.  Deed-in-lieu of foreclosure, however, affects your credit the same as foreclosure. 

 

For more information about foreclosures, visit LendingForeclosure.com



Larry

michelewilliam721 asked:


I am trying to find out if my ex has let our home go into foreclosure. I know he hasn’t paid the mortgage in 9 months, but somehow he still lives there.

Landon

Paul H asked:


Curious as to the difference between defaulting and foreclosure on a mortage? What are the different things that could happen if you keep one house and need to get rid of another wheather it be defautling or foreclosure? What are both possible outcomes?

Alexandra