You can stop the foreclosure process by informing your lender that you will pay off the default amount and extra fees. Your lender would prefer to have the money much more than they would have your home, so unless there are extenuating circumstances, this should work. Unfortunately, this option isn’t viable for most people, because most people don’t have the money to bring their loan current.
If you cannot make your monthly mortgage payment, you can try modifying the terms of your loan. Modifying the terms of your loan may reduce your monthly payments or interest rate, depending on what your current circumstances are. According to Dickson Frolich, HASP is intended to help homeowners who owe more than their home is worth or who have more debt on their home than income.
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You don’t want to lose your home, but foreclosure may be inevitable. In order to avoid some of the problems that come with foreclosure, you can attempt a short sale on your home. Before you do this, though, you need to get permission from your lender, or you may end up in significant legal trouble. The purpose of making a short sale is to sell the home for enough money to make up what you owe to your lender. If you aren’t able to sell it for that amount, you may have to pay the remaining balance of the loan. A short sale isn’t always a good option, so make sure you do your research before you decide on this option.
Bankruptcy should only be used as a last resort because it has some pretty severe consequences and it may not be successful in allowing you to keep your home. When you file for bankruptcy, all lenders and creditors you have are given a stay on your loans, meaning they can’t collect until your bankruptcy case has been settled, but this stay doesn’t last forever. Depending on the type of bankruptcy you file for, you may be able to restructure your debts and create a payment plan to allow you to keep your home or you may be forced to sell your home as part of a liquidation of your assets. Before you decide to declare bankruptcy, talk to a financial adviser to make sure that this isn’t going to cause you more problems.
You may be able to modify your loan with your lender, or you may be eligible for the government Homeowner Affordability and Sustainability Plan (HASP), which allows you to restructure your mortgage
First Alliance Credit Union Collections Manager Leanne Trom explains more about what happens to your credit score when you file for bankruptcy on KIMT.
If your lender has started the foreclosure process, they cannot repossess your home until everything has been worked out
A foreclosure doesn’t have to be the end of your home or your credit score. You have to take the right steps quickly, though. Contact First Alliance Credit Union to have one of our experts explain all the options at your disposal.
Want more information? Listen to this episode of our Good Money Moves podcast where we discuss options for paying off debt.
We do our best to provide helpful information but we cannot guarantee the accuracy or completeness of the information presented in the article, under no circumstance does the information provided constitute legal advice. You are responsible for independently verifying the information if you intend to use it in any way. Additionally, the content is not intended to be reflective of First Alliance Credit Union’s products or services, for accurate and complete details about our product and service information you must speak to an advisor at First Alliance Credit Union.