{"id":11216,"date":"2012-09-11T12:00:09","date_gmt":"2012-09-11T19:00:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/?p=1"},"modified":"2023-02-22T14:46:26","modified_gmt":"2023-02-22T14:46:26","slug":"house-is-underwater-gere-are-some-options-for-florida-homeowners","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fleysherlaw.com\/blog\/foreclosure\/house-is-underwater-gere-are-some-options-for-florida-homeowners\/","title":{"rendered":"Options for Florida Homeowners with Homes that are \"Underwater\""},"content":{"rendered":"\n
What are your Options if your House is Underwater? More and more Floridians are coming to the unsettling realization that their homes are now worth less than they owe on their mortgage(s). This unfortunate scenario is commonly referred to as your house being \"underwater.\"
One of the most common questions that clients ask is \"What are my options if my house is underwater?\" Generally, the answer is that you have 6 options and their descriptions are below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you can afford the payments and are more comfortable paying an over-priced loan than walking away from it, you may decide to keep paying.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you want nothing more to do with the property and are ready to \u201cwalk away,\u201d then offering the bank a Deed in Lieu of Foreclosure (\u201cDeed in Lieu\u201d) may be the choice for you. A Deed in Lieu describes a situation in which the borrower agrees to vacate the property. And, abandon any claim or rights to the property. Banks like this option because it saves them the expenses and delays associated with judicial foreclosure. In return, most banks are willing to waive any deficiency claims that may result after the subsequent sale.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A short sale is a type of pre-sale in which the bank agrees to let you sell the property for less than the full amount owed. And, to accept the proceeds of the sale as full satisfaction of the debt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The intent of a modification is to eliminate the arrearage and reduce monthly mortgage payments for homeowners who have recovered from financial distress but whose net income has been reduced to a level lower than it was before the default, such that they can no longer afford the original loan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If none of the above choices are acceptable to you, then you may be interested in pursuing a Foreclosure Defense strategy. In short, a foreclosure defense strategy affords you the opportunity to stop making payments on the mortgage, property tax, and property insurance while an attorney defends your legal rights against the foreclosure action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Filing a Chapter 13 Bankruptcy may enable you to \u201cstrip off\u201d any fully unsecured liens on your property. If your home is worth less than what you owe on your first mortgage, then any subsequent mortgages are fully unsecured in that there is no equity in the property above the first mortgage to secure them. In this scenario, a Chapter 13 bankruptcy may enable you to discharge the debts associated with the subsequent mortgages as well as strip off the liens completely. At the end of your successful Chapter 13 payment plan, you keep the house with only the first mortgage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you have questions about foreclosure<\/a>, loan modification<\/a>, bankruptcy<\/a>; or other alternatives, please feel free to call my office at 888-886-0020<\/a>. Or, send an e-mail to emil@fleysherlaw.com<\/a>, or complete the contact form below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n