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Foreclosure

Rental home foreclosed in California

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Question:  I have/had a rental home in California. The bank (Chase) held the 1st and 2nd on the home. They foreclosed on the home and have since sold/auctioned it off. However, they (via a debt collector) are continuing to contact me in an effort to get me to pay off the 2nd/equity line ($32,000). I do not have that kind money and am struggling to hang on to my primary residence. What can they do to me and what are my options?

Answer:  – Your best option is to work with them and try to reach some sort of agreement, pay plan, settlement or payoff. If you can’t work something out, most people will file bk. In many cases, if you let the bank know you are serious about filing bk, they will work something out with you. We’ve been very successful in settling 2nd mortgages before they go to auction but you can still do the same after the auction to avoid the deficiency judgment.

Loan Transfer Before Foreclosure

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Question:  if the bank that started the foreclosure process over 15 months ago (never went past the intent or no judgement ever finalized of such) did a loan transfer before foreclosure and sold the loan to another investor 4 months ago…who in turn upon the purchase of the mortgage had to record such… does the initial foreclosure process then start all over from square 1?

Answer:  – In many cases, the loan was not actually sold rather it’s just being serviced by a different institution. It’s more common to see the loan being transferred to another who will be servicing the loan. In either case, when a loan is transferred, you are still the owner of the property. That has not transferred. So everything picks up where it left off even though there might be a short delay for the new loan servicer to pick up where the file left off.

A loan transfer before foreclosure is a common scenario. But don’t think that just because the loan was bought or rather transferred that you are out in the clear. It just means someone else is now accountable for the loan and you will be dealing with them. They are fully aware of the situation and will pick up from where it left off.

Short Sale? Can we Settle instead of payment plan?

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Question:  We are in the process of doing a short sale to sell our condo in Illinois. We have a mortgage and a line of credit through Wells Fargo. The mortgage is approved for short sale, asking us to bring $20k to closing. The line of credit is almost approved but they are saying that we will have to settle that loan AFTER we close by setting up a payment plan. We cannot afford to pay on this line of credit and we are now considering foreclosure. If we foreclose, can the bank come after our assets? Can the bank come after us for the line of credit? We are moving out of state. Will we have to go to court? Will foreclosure permanently be on our record, or just for 7 years? Will we be able to get loans in the future? Thank you for your help!

Answer:

These are great questions. You have about 3 or 4 questions here so I will try to answer them accordingly. First, the bank can’t come after your assets directly but they “could” file a judgment against you where you will have to pay them the amount that was deficient. The line of credit is what gets most people into trouble. They are the ones who take the biggest losses. So they are the ones that usually come after you. You can actually settle the 2nd mortgage completely for approx. 10% to 15% of the original note if you know what you are doing. That way there is no repayment plan. It’s basically wiped out for good. See most banks are worried that you will file bankruptcy, so they are willing to work with you if you provide them a quick settlement upfront. Third, you shouldn’t have to go to court, unless you decide to fight the judgment if it even goes that far. Fourth, foreclosure will be on your record for about 7 years. Bankruptcy is about 7-10 years. A short sale is about 2-3. A settlement has NO effect on your credit because it was paid off in full. No matter which route you choose, you will eventually be able to get loans again. It’s just a matter of time.

Arizona rental foreclosed on

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Question:  I live in California but owned a rental in Arizona that was foreclosed on. I had an equity line of credit on that home when it was foreclosed on. I believe I owed about $90K on that equity line of credit. Can they now come after me for the money? Is my only recourse bankruptcy?

 

Answer:

Well all you can do it wait and see what the bank sends you in the mail. They will either send you a 1099 or they will send you a judgment for the $90k. Now, I know that Arizona is a anti-deficiency state, however, there are 2 statutes that apply to foreclosure and in a lot of cases, homes that have 2nd mortgages do not fall into the category of either of these statutes because the money was not used in the purchase of a home. You might be able to work out a settlement with the bank especially if you threaten them with the bankruptcy card. A good attorney can help you with that. Worst case, most people just bk.

I wish you would have found us earlier… you could settle your note as well and save a lot of headache. Good Luck

Will 401k savings be affected in I foreclose on Michigan home?

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Question:  My husband and I own a home in Michigan, but my husband has had to accept work in Iowa. I am currently still living in our Michigan home since I don’t see a good way to get out of our home. We have had an interest only loan on it for the 6 years we have owned it and an equity line as well so there has been 0 principal paid off on it. I owe $175,000 on a home that is currently worth about half of that, so I will be unable to sell it for what I owe. I’m not sure what to do. Unfortunately, we don’t make enough money between the both of us to pay for our Michigan home and for my husband to rent a home in Iowa so I’m afraid that my only option may be foreclosure. What I need to know is if I will still be responsible to pay the equity line if the home is foreclosed on and if either bank will be able to take my 401K savings? Also, my husband and I are both listed on the house deed, but the financing on both loans is in my name only. Will my husband be protected or will they be able to come after him for payment as well? Thank you for any advice you can give me.

Can 2nd mortgage foreclose on me?

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Question:  I have a 1st and 2nd mortgage with one bank in Florida. Then another bank came and offered to pay my 2nd mortgage with that bank. My heloc was not closed with the first bank and i had an emergency got some money out of it. My 5 yr term with the 2nd bank expired. They have been calling me and offering 8% interest rate on my heloc. I have been negotiating for a lower interest. they wont approved. Bank is threatening to foreclose my property. Can they do it? Property value is way too low..there is no equity on the house in this current market. Please advise. Can the 2nd bank foreclose my property?

Answer:   Absolutely, the 2nd mortgage can foreclose on your property. When you signed on the dotted lines for the HELOC, you gave them the right to force the sale of the property, which was collateral for the loan, in the event you did not keep up your end of the deal. Unfortunately, banks don’t like to negotiate with homeowners very much. They have this assumption that homeowners have no clue what they are doing. So they don’t give you very good deals that seem very reasonable based on current market conditions. Yet when a 3rd party (attorney or real estate investor) negotiates with them, the bank will usually lose more money because the offer is even lower then what the homeowner proposed. Bottom line, banks flat out don’t make sense.

So you best bet is to have someone else, like an attorney, negotiate the terms with them and try to get them to reason with you. Unfortunately, they cost money, but they should be able to help.

Another option is to have someone settle that 2nd mortgage and wipe it out completely…

Let the bank know you are interested in settling, tell them your home is upside down by $50,000 or whatever the amount is, there is a first mortgage in front of them and they will end up paying more than what the property is worth. Let them know your attorney has advised you to file bankruptcy but you don’t want to go that route. (This will just by you some time, they will eventually foreclose.) Then you or preferable someone else, needs to go settle that note for pennies and that way you don’t lose your home.

We settle 2nd mortgages and have been very successful in doing so for homeowners with large 2nds. The great part is that it doesn’t cost you anything upfront.

Good luck, hope everything works out for you.