Serving Attleboro, Franklin, North Attleboro

Serving  Attleboro, North Attleborough, North Attleboro, Norton, Mansfield, .Foxborough, Foxboro, Plainville, Rehoboth, Seekonk, Taunton, Walpole, Wrentham an

SAVING THE FAMILY HOME FROM FORECLOSURE

BANKRUPTCY OPTIONS

 IF YOU HAVE FALLEN BEHIND IN YOUR MONTHLY MORTGAGE PAYMENTS AS A RESULT OF HAVING LARGE MONTHLY CREDIT CARD BILLS OR AS A RESULT OF A TEMPORARY LOSS OF INCOME FILING FOR BANKRUPTCY MAY AFFORD YOU AN OPPORTUNITY TO SAVE YOUR HOME.

 If you would like an initial conference to explore your options please download, and complete, copies of all five of the following documents. You will need to have Adobe Acrobat installed on your computer.

When you have completed these materials, please call our office at 508-222-0700 or e-mail us to set up an initial conference.

For other information about bankruptcy go to our main bankruptcy page.

Often mortgage lenders will threaten, foreclosure long before they actually begin the process. After the preliminary threatening letters have been sent the Lender may begin a proceeding in the Land Court under the Soldier's and Sailor's Relief Act followed by certified mailings, and publication in the newspaper of the date of a proposed foreclosure sale. Effective May 1, 2008 Massachusetts law requires lenders to provide homeowner's with a written notice of their intention to foreclose before they begin the process. M.G.L. Ch 244 Sec 35A. The entire foreclosure process may take a lender months to complete. However, the sooner you begin to address the pending foreclosure the more options you will have to deal with it.

In the meantime, here are some dos and don'ts that may be of help:

  • Prioritize your debt payments. Pay any mortgages, or home equity lines, first and on time. Pay first mortgages first. Pay second mortgages and equity lines next. Then pay on your car loans.  Always pay monthly credit card debt last. If you can't afford to pay the credit card debt, without missing a mortgage or car payment, don't!;
  • Call your lender and explain to them why your situation is temporary (if it is);
  • Stop using your credit cards;
  • Keep your eye on the news. Congress is considering revising the bankruptcy laws in ways that will help people in over their heads to keep their homes;
  • The President has signed the "Mortgage Forgiveness Debt Relief Act of 2007" which may offer assistance to some homeowners in limited situations;
  • Do not give away property to family or friends;
  • Do not refinance your home, or increase the amount due on your home equity line, without first seeing a lawyer and reviewing your overall situation;
  • Do not withdrawn money, or borrow against, any retirement funds you may hold without first seeing a lawyer and reviewing your over all situation. Retirement funds are usually exempt assets in a bankruptcy. Never use retirement assets to pay down credit card debt!;
  • Contact each of your lenders and ask them to send you a print out of your loan account statement(s);
  • Contact a real estate broker and obtain a "market analysis" for the current value of your home;
  • Come and see us to discuss your situation. The sooner you see us the more options you may have.

Our office is a "debt relief agency" as defined at 11 U.S.C. Sec. 101(12A)

We help people file for relief under the Bankruptcy Code.

National Association of Consumer Bankruptcy Attorneys

Click here to contact us


The information contained on this web site is meant to provide some background on the law of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts as of year 2008. It is not meant and cannot possibly substitute for legal advice given by an attorney who has had the opportunity to become fully familiar with the particular facts of your case.

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