Foreclosure and Loan Modification Blog

New Jersey, New York, Florida, and Illinois Lead Nation in Zombie Foreclosures

Almost 1.4 million homes in America were vacant as of May 2016, according to real estate information company RealtyTrac's recently released Residential Property Vacancy and Zombie Foreclosure Report for the second quarter 2016.

Those 1.4 million vacant homes represent 1.6 percent of all 85 million residential properties in the country. The most recent numbers are a 2.7 percent increase in vacant properties from the previous quarter.

Zombies Becoming Less Common

While the number of vacant properties ticked up slightly, the number of zombie properties, which are residences that are vacant and in foreclosure, declined. 4.7 percent of properties in foreclosure, which is 19,187 residential properties, are vacant. That's a 3 percent decline from the quarter before it and a 30 percent dip from the same quarter in 2015.

[fa icon="clock-o"] Tuesday, June 7, 2016 [fa icon="user"] Maxwell Swinney [fa icon="folder-open'] foreclosure defense, zombie foreclosure

Yes, it is too late to save your home when you've received a writ of possession. To learn why, let's look at what it is.

A writ of possession is a court order that the sheriff will place on your door notifying you that you have to get yourself, your family, and all of your belongings out of your home after it is sold at a foreclosure auction or repossessed by the bank. The sheriff will come back 24/48/72 hours after posting the writ of possession to execute the writ, which is code for kicking you out.

It doesn't matter if you have nowhere else to go. At this point it's too late to do much.

[fa icon="clock-o"] Friday, May 20, 2016 [fa icon="user"] Maxwell Swinney [fa icon="folder-open'] foreclosure defense, life after foreclosure, foreclosure, writ of possession

Other than facing criminal charges that could cost you your freedom or a custody battle for your children, there are few legal fights that are more consequential than foreclosure. Your home is probably your largest investment and also has an emotional value that can't be measured in dollars. Accordingly, many people hire a foreclosure defense attorney to help them deal with it. But even the best attorney can't solve your foreclosure problem without your help. You have to do your part.

Doing everything you can to help your attorney isn't going to be worth a damn if you hire a flake attorney with no experience. So you need to do some homework to make sure you get a qualified professional.

[fa icon="clock-o"] Monday, April 25, 2016 [fa icon="user"] Maxwell Swinney [fa icon="folder-open'] foreclosure defense, foreclosure

Foreclosure is so stressful that you'll find yourself experiencing powerful emotions when you are faced with it. Your home is the most expensive, and most important purchase you will ever make, so the possibility of losing it is tough to reckon with. How do people do it?

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.

[fa icon="clock-o"] Friday, December 18, 2015 [fa icon="user"] Maxwell Swinney [fa icon="folder-open'] stop foreclosure, loan modification, foreclosure defense, loan modification help, foreclosure, mortgage

If you've been notified that you're in danger of losing your home, you have probably experienced panic, dread, and fear. There are so many unknowns. Will you be able to keep your home? Will your credit be ruined? Where will you move, and when? How will your life change when you lose your home?

[fa icon="clock-o"] Friday, December 11, 2015 [fa icon="user"] Maxwell Swinney [fa icon="folder-open'] how to stop foreclosure, foreclosure defense

Each Thanksgiving we're all supposed to give thanks for the good things that have happened to us over the course of the year. It's a time to show appreciation and gratitude while enjoying a big meal with family and friends. A turkey is pardoned by the president, and we're all encouraged to relax and enjoy ourselves. But the troubles and difficulties of life don't take a day off just because you do. Concerns about bills, career, and relationships remain even as the focus is supposed to be exclusively on the positive.

[fa icon="clock-o"] Wednesday, November 25, 2015 [fa icon="user"] Maxwell Swinney [fa icon="folder-open'] foreclosure defense, foreclosure

Foreclosure starts were up 12% from the previous month in October 2015, according to real estate information company RealtyTrac's U.S. Foreclosure Market Report. RealtyTrac says the October increase in foreclosure starts is not a surprise this year since it has also happened the last five Octobers. What is a surprise is how much of a rise there was this October, which was more than twice the average rate of 5%.

[fa icon="clock-o"] Friday, November 20, 2015 [fa icon="user"] Maxwell Swinney [fa icon="folder-open'] foreclosure defense, foreclosure

Foreclosure does not just impact the place you sleep and keep all your belongings. It could also have a negative effect on your physical and mental health. Studies have shown that people who have fallen behind on their mortgage are more likely to report symptoms of depression and skip medication because of a lack of money. Sadly, the sharp increase in foreclosures since the Great Recession began has also coincided with an increase in suicide.

So, literally and figuratively, foreclosure can kill you. Though tragic, it shouldn't come as a great surprise. The threat of foreclosure is extremely stressful and often occurs following a severe hardship such as loss of employment, death in the family, or a medical problem.

Experiencing a hardship like a serious medical problem can be outrageously expensive, and cause a person to miss work or lose their job. The cost of the medical care and lost income can lead to trouble making mortgage payments, and the stress of potentially losing your home can be severe enough to cause depression, which makes getting out of the hole you're in even more difficult. It's a viscous cycle that's hard for many people to get out of.

[fa icon="clock-o"] Friday, November 13, 2015 [fa icon="user"] Maxwell Swinney [fa icon="folder-open'] foreclosure defense, foreclosure

Believe it or not, monsters like vampires and zombies do exist. They're not under your bed, but they might be in your neighborhood right now. Fortunately, they're not the kind that want to drink your blood or eat your brains, but you should still be aware of their existence.

[fa icon="clock-o"] Wednesday, October 28, 2015 [fa icon="user"] Maxwell Swinney [fa icon="folder-open'] foreclosure defense, foreclosure deficiency, life after foreclosure, foreclosure

New Jersey, New York, Florida, and Illinois Lead Nation in Zombie Foreclosures

Zombies Becoming Less Common

Is It Too Late to Save Your Home When You've Received a Writ of Possession?

Your Foreclosure Lawyer Needs You to Help Them Help You

The 5 Stages Of Foreclosure Grief

How To Get Off Your Lender's Naughty List

Common Foreclosure Defenses And How They May Work For You

4 Reasons to Be Thankful You Hired a Foreclosure Defense Attorney

Foreclosure Starts Have Biggest Rise In Four Years

Foreclosure Can Harm Your Mental and Physical Health

Real (Estate) Vampires and Zombies Are In Your Neighborhood

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