Articles Posted in Foreclosure

Several recent posts have received nationwide attention, and we welcome the positive response. My office has fielded calls from hundreds of people all over the country interested in issues I’ve written about here. Unfortunately, if you live outside the metropolitan Washington, D.C. region, our office is unable to provide any information or advice beyond what’s…

Creditors expect not only to be paid, but to be paid on time. Mortgage companies are no different. When it comes to your mortgage, you can’t be a day late and a dollar short. When you’re dealing with your home, the stakes are too high to risk otherwise. Credit bureau reporting Mortgage companies report religiously…

If you fall behind on your mortgage, you have options, but you must be proactive. One of the best ways to get back on track with your mortgage is loan modification. But will a loan modification hurt your credit score? Loan modification can hurt your credit score The biggest negative effect to your credit from…

If your mortgage lender commences foreclosure proceedings, educate yourself about the process so you can chart the best way forward for you. You have options — but do your best to avoid the most common foreclosure mistakes. Believing that once the foreclosure process starts, you will lose the property. Not so fast. Your lender must…

Seek foreclosure assistance if you are facing a foreclosure auction in DC, Maryland or Virginia. If you want to keep your home, act fast while you still have options. Stop the foreclosure process In some cases, it makes sense to allow a foreclosure auction to take place. If you no longer want to keep the…

If your mortgage company forecloses, you may have defenses. Virginia and Maryland are nonjudicial foreclosure jurisdictions, which means you must sue the mortgage company to raise these defenses. But the District of Columbia is a judicial foreclosure jurisdiction. In DC, you can raise these defenses in your Answer to the Complaint for Judicial Foreclosure. Here…

Landlords in Virginia can legally evict you during a blizzard, but in Maryland and DC, whether you can be evicted depends upon just how cold it is. Cold weather evictions in Washington, DC In the District of Columbia, the U.S. Marshals Service executes writs of restitution issued by DC Superior Court judges. D.C. Code § 42–3505.01…

Almost every mortgage contains the requirement that your lender send a Notice of Intent to Accelerate before it can initiate foreclosure proceedings. What is a Notice of Intent to Accelerate? Sometimes called a Default Letter, the Notice of Intent to Accelerate usually states that a mortgage loan is in default. The letter will also state…

If you are facing foreclosure, you must take a pragmatic, level-headed approach to your foreclosure defense objectives. Often time is of the essence, and it will do you no good to explore unrealistic avenues of resolution. One important service that a good foreclosure defense attorney will provide to you is helping you to set realistic…

Individual states should impose foreclosure deadlines on mortgage lenders. Forcing lenders to foreclose within specific timelines would solve several problems facing individual homeowners as well as entire neighborhoods. States must individually legislate changes to foreclosure procedures because foreclosures are governed by state law. Federal law can impose reforms, but states must implement them. The most…