Will I Owe Money After Foreclosure?
Many people who call our office want to save their homes from foreclosure. In other cases, a foreclosure has already taken place. There are many different reasons why a foreclosure may be scheduled, ranging from market conditions to change in homeowner circumstances. One of the lingering effects of the foreclosure crisis is the rise of the deficiency […]
Foreclosures are Way Down, But Not in the District of Columbia
Nationally, foreclosures are way down, but not in the District of Columbia. According to CoreLogic’s National Foreclosure Report for June 2016, the U.S. foreclosure inventory declined by 25.9% and completed foreclosures declined by 4.9% compared with June 2015. The number of completed foreclosures nationwide decreased year over year represents a decrease of 67.5% from the […]
Washington DC Area Tops List for CFPB Complaints Nationwide
As of March 1, 2016, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) handled approximately 834,400 complaints, including approximately 22,800 complaints. The Washington, DC area has three of the top seven jurisdictions for CFPB complaints per capita. By a wide margin, Washington, D.C. leads the nation in CFPB complaints per capita with 713 complaints per 100,000 residents. […]
How to Write a Financial Hardship Letter
This article addresses how to write a financial hardship letter for loss mitigation, whether you’re seeking a modification, deed-in-lieu of foreclosure, or short sale. If you fall behind on your mortgage, you will have to submit a lost mitigation package to avoid foreclosure. Part of the loss mitigation package is the financial hardship letter (or “letter […]
Why is My Mortgage Company Suing Me in Washington, DC?
With just 97 completed foreclosures, the District of Columbia had the nation’s lowest annual number of completed foreclosures in January 2016. But Washington, D.C. also had the fourth highest foreclosure inventory rate in January 2016 at 2.3 percent. So why is my mortgage company suing me in Washington, D.C.? The answer is: because now they have […]
Boomerang Buyers Are Back!
Boomerang buyers are back from the housing crisis. “Boomerang buyers” is the name for homebuyers who had lost their homes to short sales and foreclosures during the housing crisis. Mortgage default rates skyrocketed in 2006, and in the years following nearly 9.3 million borrowers lost their homes. Today, over a million of these boomerang buyers […]
Fannie Mae: DC is Now a Judicial Foreclosure Jurisdiction
On March 16, 2016, Fannie Mae updated its Foreclosure Time Frames and Compensatory Fee schedules to recognize that DC is now a judicial foreclosure jurisdiction. The table specifies Fannie Mae’s maximum number of allowable days between the due date of the last paid installment (or “LPI”) and the foreclosure sale date. Fannie Mae had originally […]
Get a Second Chance at Life with Bankruptcy
Dealing with unmanageable debts can completely take over your life. You don’t get that many opportunities in life to start over. But you can get a second chance at life with bankruptcy. Worrying about losing your car or home can keep you up at night. And debt collectors can make you afraid to answer your phone. […]
Beware of Offers to Modify Your Mortgage for a Fee
Since the subprime mortgage meltdown of December 2007 to June 2009, mortgage modifications have saved many homeowners from foreclosure. Yet many illegitimate companies and individuals have preyed on people seeking modifications. My advice to you is to beware of offers to modify your mortgage for a fee. On February 17, 2016, a federal grand jury […]