Foreclosures broke records in the years following the 2007 subprime lending crash and housing market collapse. Many industry watchers used the word "crisis" to describe the rapid increase of foreclosures. Illinois is one of many states to try to address the problem with legislation to help protect struggling homeowners. While homeowners do have a better opportunity to stop foreclosure in Illinois with the new laws, as you might expect, there are complexities. Typically, a homeowner's best option is to hire an attorney experienced with foreclosure defense in Illinois.
Disclaimer: these results should not be construed as a guarantee, as each case is unique. We have helped over 5,000 homeowners, here is one of their stories.
A mature, single Florida homeowner was having difficulties making her mortgage payment, because of limited income from social security. She was even renting out one of her bedrooms. It just wasn't enough to make ends meet. When she retained our law firm, she hadn't paid her mortgage in over 10 months, she owed her lender—Nationstar Mortgage—over $8,000 dollars, and her home was in the foreclosure process. No foreclosure sale date had been set yet.
Pets Left Behind and Forgotten – Victims of Foreclosure
They can't speak for themselves: poor defenseless animals abandoned and left behind in foreclosed homes. It's a bigger issue than people realize, a serious consequence of the foreclosure nightmare.
Many homeowners do consider turning their pets into animal shelters, but due to overpopulation at many shelters, almost half of incoming animals are euthanized. Heartless homeowners sometimes leave pets in their abandoned homes without food or water, not to mention a non-temperature-controlled environment. Veterinarians say a dog or cat will become dehydrated within 24 hours without water and could die a slow, painful death within a few days.
Why or How Can Foreclosed Homeowners Abandon Pets?
- Do you know what to do after being served with a foreclosure notice?
- Do you understand how long foreclosure takes in Pennsylvania?
- Are you prepared to confront every twist and turn of Pennsylvania's foreclosure process?
In 5 years, Amerihope Alliance Legal Services has accomplished a LOT. We have completed over 5,000 loan modifications for our clients, stopped countless foreclosures. Many homeowners are back on their feet because they chose to retain the foreclosure defense lawyers at our firm.
Click through to see the graphic.
To celebrate our 5 year anniversary, we ran a contest in the office. Employees were invited to submit a poem, story, song or picture. Here are our winners!
Winner: Ruth Gross
There was a nice woman
Who lived in a shoe,
She had so many bills,
She didn't know what to do.
She went to Amerihope
With her fears and her dreams,
And with a smile and some work,
They saved her home that sat by a stream.
Her family is now happy
And is able to cope.
She said, "Thank you Lord,
For sending me to Amerihope"
She then kissed all her children
And made sure they were fed
And when they were done,
She tucked them all in bed.
Runner Up: Joe Mizzell
Amerihope Mod Song
- Do you know what's the first step to take after receiving a foreclosure notice?
- Do you know how long the foreclosure process takes in Illinois?
- Do you know what to expect from the foreclosure process?
If you answered “no” to any of these questions, then you should invest 2 minutes into downloading the Illinois foreclosure timeline, especially if you are at risk for foreclosure or if you are already within the foreclosure process.
Every Homeowner In Your State Deserves a Homeowner Bill of Rights. Here's Why.
California was once one of the worst places to experience foreclosure, but now it is a model state for giving homeowners a a fair shake against their mortgage lenders. One single piece of legislation is responsible for this change; that legislation is the Homeowner Bill of Rights. California's Homeowner Bill of Rights formally took effect at the beginning of 2013. According to the California Attorney General's Office, the Bill of Rights "ensures fair lending and borrowing practices for California homeowners... these laws are designed to guarantee fairness and transparency for homeowners within the foreclosure process."
By Alex J. Pearlberg, Esq.
So imagine you are behind in your FHA- backed mortgage, the property is way upside-down and you wish to exercise all of your loss mitigation options. As the homeowner, you have submitted all of the documents required by the servicer on your loan. Bank of America (BOA) and you have been denied for a HAMP loan modification. You have had the property listed for sale for over nine (9) months and have yet to receive an offer at anywhere close to the market value, much less the balance on the loan. BOA has sent numerous letters indicating there may be other alternatives, including a deed in lieu of foreclosure and monetary help in relocating. After thinking long and hard, you have decided to give up your homestead and surrender the property to the lender by way of a deed in lieu. One problem: BOA now indicates that “due to recent changes in FHA guidelines you must submit and proceed through the BOA short sale process and department.”
For Immediate Release - Plantation, FL - June 18, 2013
Law firm Amerihope Alliance Legal Services masters the art of foreclosure defense, helping over 5,000 homeowners expands its reach to helping homeowners in five judicial states.
Amerihope Alliance Legal Services, located in Plantation, Florida, started out as a law firm dedicated to helping Florida's homeowners fight foreclosure against the banks. During the last several years due to their vast experience in the judicial foreclosure process they have added four additional judicial states: New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Illinois.
As of June 2013, over 5,000 (five thousand) loan modifications have been completed by Amerihope Alliance Legal Services. 5,000? What is their secret?
