Few people have been more universally hated throughout history than tax collectors. They take your hard-earned money, but it always seems like too much for what the government they represent provides in return. It's a story as old as civilization. Nobody likes paying taxes.
Americans love to envy the lavish lifestyles of celebrities when they are on top, and to witness their fall from grace. Despite having tremendous wealth and the love and admiration of millions of people, movie stars, musicians, professional athletes, and other famous or infamous people, have found themselves in the same situation as many regular Americans. That is, unable to make their mortgage payments and threatened with foreclosure by the bank.
Foreclosure is a major crisis for the people who experience it. It's something you never thought would happen, otherwise you would not have taken out a mortgage loan. You may feel that you need the help of an attorney, but deciding what type, and who among them you should hire is no easy task.
Rejection hurts. If you're like many people whose application for a mortgage loan modification has been denied, you don't know what to do. Should you rip the copper pipes out of your house, leave town and start a new life in Mexico, singing songs for loose change in sleepy tequila joints? Before you make that decision, remember that you can reapply for a loan modification.
Believe it, or not, your mortgage lender is interested in the hardships you've endured that have led you to seek better terms on your mortgage loan. In fact, if you are facing foreclosure and looking for a loan modification, a letter explaining the hardships you've experienced is required.
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 late 2000s were an interesting time in America. Esoteric terms, like subprime mortgage-backed securities, credit default swaps, and collateralized debt obligations, entered our vocabulary. A nationwide banking crisis and recession caused millions to lose their jobs and value in their homes and investments. Everyday Americans became aware that there was a housing bubble and, like all bubbles, it was bursting. It appeared that fraud had occurred at large banks, but individual homeowners had to pay the price.
Editor's note: This article was originally published March 2013, and has been updated in August 2015.
So you've recently had your loan modification denied and can't figure out why?
You’ve handled tax forms; you’ve filled out car applications, job applications, and credit card applications. And a loan modification is just another application. Are you thinking to yourself: How hard could it be? Unfortunately, a loan modification might be the hardest thing to get approved without the help of an attorney.
Ask yourself this question: Do you know your DTI “debt to income” ratios? Your Net Present Value (NPV) and how to structure it?
What about organizing and keeping track of all of your final loan modification papers to ensure that nothing is left out?
Disclaimer: These results should not be taken as a guarantee, as each case is unique. We have helped over 5,000 homeowners, here is one of their stories.
In March 2015, we were retained to represent a Florida homeowner who was being sued by Dyck-O'neal to collect a post-foreclosure deficiency in the amount of $34,078.93 plus interest, costs, and attorney's fees. We won his case, and he owed nothing.
Things always change, they never stay the same, that's life. Sometimes we are prepared for them and sometimes they are unexpected. What happens when the unexpected is a hardship like illness or suddenly finding yourself without gainful employment. A variety of circumstances can crop up that make it difficult for you to keep up with your mortgage payments. While foreclosures and short sales are options, the premier option for struggling homeowners who want to keep their home are loan modifications. Loan modifications are a change in one or more of the terms of the original loan.
