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Foreclosure and Loan Modification Blog

Why Should I Hire a Foreclosure Defense Attorney?

Approximately 250,000 families enter into foreclosure every 3 months due to delinquent home loan payments or delinquent property taxes. Each of these homeowners has one thing in common: they have to make the decision of whether or not to fight for their home. However, if you want to fight the foreclosure and keep your home, it's time to find a foreclosure defense attorney. Here are some reasons why:

How Many Times Can You Apply for a Loan Modification?

If you are fortunate enough to be granted a loan modification, it is such a relief to know that you have saved your home! Almost losing your home to a foreclosure can be a scary wake up call that you hope to never have to go through again. Some people unfortunately do face foreclosure more than once, and when this happens there are many things to consider. One of them is whether you can modify your loan again.

Life After HAMP Part I: Flex Modification Replacing Some Mods

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have announced the creation of the Flex Modification foreclosure prevention program, which will assist struggling homeowners in keeping their homes by lowering their monthly mortgage payments.

Eligible borrowers are expected to receive a 20% reduction in their monthly payment when they participate in the program.

Fannie and Freddie have said that a “high percentage” of borrowers more than 60 days past due on their mortgage will be eligible for participation in the Flex Modification program as well as some less than 60 days delinquent and some who are current on their loan.

How To Tell If You Can Save Your Home From Foreclosure

When you take out a mortgage to buy a home, your plan is to never miss a payment and live in the house until you pay off the mortgage or sell the property to buy another home. So what happens when the plan goes awry and you miss payments? You're at risk of losing your home to foreclosure, obviously.

However, foreclosure doesn't happen like flipping a light switch. In judicial foreclosure states the foreclosure process is long and filled with legal procedures that most homeowners aren't familiar with and don't understand.

It can be hard to tell when you're fighting for a lost cause, and when you should keep fighting, and how. Here's a look at some of the things that happen, and how to tell if you could still keep your home when they happen.

When to Hold and Fold When You're in Foreclosure

Most people facing foreclosure first experience a hardship that leaves them unable to pay their mortgage. The hardship is usually caused by loss of income, medical problems, divorce, or a family issue.

Whatever the cause, it's only a matter of time after you stop paying your mortgage before you lose your home through foreclosure. It could be many months or years, but it's eventually going to happen unless you reach a resolution with your bank.

And there are ways you to keep your home and solutions that allow you to exit your property under circumstances that are preferable to foreclosure.

Why You Aren't Getting the Help You Need to Avoid Foreclosure

 

Some problems in life are too tough to handle on your own. They're too complex and are outside of your areas of expertise. To address those problems you have to get help from someone who understands your issues from the inside out. Nowhere is that more true than for homeowners facing foreclosure.

But how do you even know what type of help you need, what options to pursue, and who to turn to? Many do it by trial and error...

How To Get Off Your Lender's Naughty List

Your lender has been watching you all year, and knows if you've been naughty or nice. But if you make their naughty list by not paying your mortgage, they don't come down your chimney and leave you a stocking full of coal. They'll do something much worse and take your home, chimney and all. Unlike Santa Claus' naughty and nice lists, you should know for sure which one you are on. What is harder than knowing is getting off of the naughty and onto the nice list so you can stay in your home.

Your mortgage lender has a very simple rule for determining whether you're naughty or nice. It's determined by whether or not you pay your mortgage on time every month. If you pay on time, you get to be on the nice list. Keep up the good work. What's your reward? Keeping your home, and not being threatened with the 'f' word. That's not the four letter 'f' word, it's the one with 11 letters: foreclosure.

Can You Afford a Lawyer When You Can't Make Your Mortgage Payments?

Times are tough. The effects of the recession and housing crisis have left you in a less-than-ideal financial situation, and now you're having trouble making your mortgage payments. You may be thinking about trying to get a loan modification to lower your interest rate, or you may be worried that a foreclosure is in your future. You know that if a loan modification is successful, your monthly payments could be reduced to a more manageable level. You also know that your chances of getting a loan modification approved without an attorney are slim, but you don't know if you can afford an attorney.

Alternatively, you may think the result is a forgone conclusion, and that there is no point in paying an attorney to tell you what you already know, that you're going to lose your home.

The Folly of Foreclosure [Infographic]

You are up to date with your mortgage payments and bills - congratulations. Think that your neighbor's foreclosure isn't going to affect you? Think again.

THE EFFECTS OF FORECLOSURE:

Emotional Well-Being Distressed - According to Harris Interactive Poll of persons going through foreclosure 38% are Scared, 35% are Depressed, 9% are Angry, 8% are Embarrassed, and 9% None of these.

Increase of Violent and Petty Crime - According to Neighbor Works America, homes in foreclosure that become vacant provide sites for crime. Lin Cui of the University of Pittsburgh Department of Economics study showed that the rate of violent crime within 250 feet of the property is 15% higher than the rate in the area between 250 and 353 feet from the property.

Massachusetts Is a Non-Judicial Foreclosure State, What's That?

Massachusetts is a non judicial (technically, “nonjudicial under power of sale in deed of trust") foreclosure state... Uhm, what the heck is that you ask? Oh, just that lenders can take your home without going through court, or any sort of judicial proceeding. Okay and?! AND, say good bye to any extra time you thought you had in your home, because clearly there will be no pending judicial process delaying your foreclosure... I don't mean to a big ole' foreclosure ogre or anything but that's reality peeps, time to embrace the “it is what it is.”

Foreclosure by sale  

Otherwise know as, “foreclosure under a deed of trust.” which just so happens to let the lenders sell your precious property through a power of sale (unfair much? after all you two have been through, haha they got you! If you didn't already know, lenders have 0 remorse..). Now I'm sure you want an explanation of how this power of sale BS works. Here it goes.....

About this Blog

Amerihope Alliance Legal Services is a leading loan modification and foreclosure defense law firm with attorneys licensed in 5 states. We have helped over 7,000 homeowners fight back and keep their homes.

Click to Read Our Super Loan Mod Success Stories

Our goal is to provide valuable information to help homeowners who are trying to obtain a loan modification or to stop foreclosure. You may schedule a free consultation at any time.

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