Top
10 Ways to Avoid Foreclosure
Taunton, Massachusetts – Short Sale – Bristol County
Article 1 of 10
A short sale in
Massachusetts is a
sale of real-estate whereby
proceeds from a sold property will come short of the balance secured by liens against the property. Basically, the
seller sells for less than what is owed on the mortgage, so he is ‘short’. Then, the seller cannot afford to repay the
liens' full amounts and where the lien holders agree to release their lien on
the real estate and accept less than the amount owed on the debt. It is
essentially a settlement where the house owner tells the bank, “I can’t pay the
mortgage anymore but I can produce a buyer where you (the bank) still make
money and where I (there seller), don’t go into deficiency because you let me
out of it. Short sale agreements in
Massachusetts should state specifically that they release borrowers from their
obligations to repay any shortfalls on the loans, otherwise, it is not usually
to their benefit. A short sale is often
used as an alternative to foreclosure because
it can potentially lower additional fees and costs to both the creditor and
borrower. Ultimately, the lender will go through a cost benefit analysis and
then you need to hire a lawyer to make certain you are getting a fair shake.
There are several alternatives to straight forward adversary proceedings and
that is where specialized mediators come in. If you hire a lawyer in this field, they will know the best of these experts who work
with everyone from Bank of America, to your local Trust-Bank.
1.
Short Sale Massachusetts
–
This
is usually the first thing people think of when trying to avoid foreclosure. There
are several criteria in which you would need to go through if you are wondering
if this is a good option for you. You need to decide if you want to keep your
house for one thing. The other is a question of mathematics. Usually this option
is only practical if you are in default without much hope of getting above
water. If your home is loaded with your hard earned money and we are on a
monthly with a small property turn down, you are better off waiting until the
market turns up and then selling it on your own to make money.
This
is an option that people use when they no longer want to keep the property.
Generally speaking this is where the homeowner/ mortgagor will hire an attorney
to negotiate with the lender for the sale of the house in ‘short order’. In
return, the lender/bank will forgive the deficiency that might arise. The bank will want to consider how much equity
you have in the house, how much they can sell it for, how far you are behind on
your mortgage, and of course, how much
they stand to gain.
For
example, if you’ve already paid the bank$100k in equity on a $300k mortgage,
then you fall behind and they agree to a short-sale, but now the property is
only worth $200,000; the bank still gets their $300k and legally you would
ordinarily have to pay a $100k deficiency but since you are so far behind and
the bank would have to wait a long time to foreclose. The alternative is a short sale where the bank
essentially agrees to swallow the deficiency to get a new owner and save on
foreclosure costs. This option suits both parties but make no mistake, requires
very tricky negotiation. It is also appealing because you may have lived in the
house for 10 years for that $100k. That is roughly what you may have paid in
rent and you took tax breaks the whole time, and got the benefit of ownership.
Now your property is devalued and you’re behind and you want to be out from
under the mortgage – this is the right option.
*Note
– this is usually a remedy for someone who is in impending default or recent
default. If you have been in default for 10 months and given the bank the run
around with loan modification talk, and now they have sent your foreclosure
documents, a short-sale is might not be an option. This is because the bank has already made
their investment towards foreclose. The right time to talk short-sale, is when
you’ve recently fallen behind and expect to fall more behind.
When
the bank has already paid the court fees and will probably get the house soon,
a homeowner has little if any leverage. Also, just because a bank has agreed to
work with you on a short-sale does not mean this is an end all option. They may
have back channels moving toward foreclosure so you are well advised to have an
attorney in your court at all times.
You
will still need to find a buyer and they have to name a price that the bank
agrees upon. If you don’t find either of these, you might still find yourself
in foreclosure. This is why if you are approaching default or you are in
default you should consult an attorney and find out what your best options are depending on your situation.
In the end – this process can take up to or
around 60 or less days. It is a viable option and I discuss it with my clients
frequently.
If you’re a Massachusetts
local and in need of legal representation for divorce and family law matters, I
would be very pleased to help. Please visit my website for my contact
information. www.finlaylegal.com
DISCLAIMER
– If you live outside Massachusetts, please consult an attorney admitted to the
bar association in which you live. This article only applies to People living
in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. There is no one perfect or guarantee
solution. Each situation is different and you should consult an attorney before
applying these principals.
