Foreclosure Laws & Procedures, Talking Law TV

Summary of Florida’s Foreclosure Laws

Judicial Foreclosure Yes
Non-Judicial Foreclosure No
Security Instrument s Mortgage
Right of Redemption Yes-brief and subject to court procedure
Deficiency Judgments Yes
Time Frame Usually 180 days

Judicial foreclosure in Florida is completely controlled by the court. The lender sues and obtains an order to foreclose. The court then defines the procedure to be followed. The court may or may not order that the notice of sale be published in a newspaper. If so ordered, it is the responsibility to place the notice for publication on the terms ordered by the court.

The sale technically ends any equitable right of redemption; however the court may extend the time for redemption, but rarely does so. In fact, there is a period following the sale during which the court reviews the sale to ensure a fair price has been paid. This usually takes about 10 days, and right of redemption remains in effect until court confirmation of the sale.

Should the court, for any reason, not confirm the sale, another sale is ordered.

The lender may also sue for a deficiency judgment.

Backround

I created this website to help the thousands of Florida families faced with the foreclosure of their home. Whether you are in foreclosure, facing a short sale, or even a bankruptcy I sincerely hope that the information on this site helps you to make an informed decision.

John

Disclaimer

None of the information on this site should be construed as legal advice. You should always consult an attorney for advice about your specific foreclosure situation.

How Wikapedia.org explains foreclosure…

Foreclosure is the legal process by which a mortgagee, or other lien holder, usually a lender, obtains a court ordered termination of a mortgagor’s equitable right of redemption.[clarification needed] Usually a lender obtains a security interest from a borrower who mortgages or pledges an asset like a house to secure the loan. If the borrower defaults and the lender tries to repossess the property, courts of equity can grant the borrower the equitable right of redemption if the borrower repays the debt. While this equitable right exists, the lender cannot be sure that it can successfully repossess the property, thus the lender seeks to foreclose the equitable right of redemption. Other lien holders can also foreclose the owner’s right of redemption for other debts, such as for overdue taxes, unpaid contractors’ bills or overdue homeowners’ association dues or assessments.

The foreclosure process as applied to residential mortgage loans is a bank or other secured creditor selling or repossessing a parcel of real property (immovable property) after the owner has failed to comply with an agreement between the lender and borrower called a “mortgage” or “deed of trust”. Commonly, the violation of the mortgage is a default in payment of a promissory note, secured by a lien on the property. When the process is complete, the lender can sell the property and keep the proceeds to pay off its mortgage and any legal costs, and it is typically said that “the lender has foreclosed its mortgage or lien”. If the promissory note was made with a recourse clause then if the sale does not bring enough to pay the existing balance of principal and fees the mortgagee can file a claim for a deficiency judgment.

Five Warning Signs of a Loan Modification Scam

http://www.expert-loan-modification.info. Many American homeowners today are falling behind on their mortgage payments. Sadly, a close family member was one of them. Faced with the threat of foreclosure by his bank he started looking into the possibility of refinancing the mortgage to reduce his monthly payments. He knew that if he could get the payments down, he would be able to keep his family’s home. This article provides an overview of some key lessons he learned during this painful process.

I won’t go into all of the details of his personal journey through the loan modification process but let’s just say that it was pure hell. He tried to figure out the process on his own and quickly found out that he needed some expert advice.

He then started contacting “loan modification experts” and that is when things got really confusing. He expected to deal with professionals. Instead he was swamped with annoying calls from kids, fresh out of college, who didn’t even know how to spell mortgage let alone renegotiate my loan with my bank. He learned the hard way that most of these amateurs (who called themselves specialists) were really part of a complex network of loan modifications scams.

Here are the top 5 warning signs that the company you are talking to might be part of a loan modification scam.

1.They charge a large upfront fee. Many scammers will ask for $1,000 or more up front hoping that they can pocket your money before you catch on. There are lots of good firms that will charge a small fee ($200 or less) to get started but a large fee is a big warning sign.
2.They claim to have “secret information” that will help save your home. That’s a load of (you know what). There are no secrets in the mortgage industry. All legitimate businesses play by the same set of rules.
3.They use high pressure sales tactics. Constant follow up calls, trying to push you to make a decision, describing how your family will end up homeless…these are signs of a scammer at work.
4.They can’t (or won’t) provide references. Ask for a list of families they have helped. If they can’t give you references they are either a scammer or really bad at the loan modification process. Either way, you should avoid them.
5.They “guarantee” that they can save your home. No legitimate and ethical business would ever guarantee that they can fix the problem until they know the details of your situation. If someone guarantees the results to get you to sign up with them they are probably a scammer.

How do you protect yourself? Start by dealing with a free service that already screens out the scam artists. Click here to visit the company that he used.

Find an expert to help you with your loan modification by going to http://www.expert-loan-modification.info

Don’t get ripped off by a scammer!

The following news articles contain references to Florida’s foreclosure problem

Lastest Foreclosure Florida News

Where fewer foreclosures are now bad for business
Across the nation, troubled homeowners have cheered the news that some banks are slowing the foreclosure process to review questionable documents. Then there are places like Lee County, Fla., where not everyone is applauding.
Read more on San Diego Union-Tribune

Lastest Foreclosure Florida News

Late mortgage payments rise sharply in 3rd qtr in Northeast; nationwide rate increase slows
NEW YORK – Late mortgage payments jumped sharply in several Northeastern states during the third quarter, while the national delinquency rate rose at a far slower pace.
Read more on Minneapolis-St. Paul Star Tribune

3rd-qtr mortgage delinquency jumps in Northeast

3rd-qtr mortgage delinquency jumps in Northeast
Late mortgage payments jumped sharply in several Northeastern states during the third quarter, while the national delinquency rate rose at a far slower pace.
Read more on Philly.com

Where fewer foreclosures are now bad for business

Where fewer foreclosures are now bad for business
Across the nation, troubled homeowners have cheered the news that some banks are slowing the foreclosure process to review questionable documents. Then there are places like Lee County, Fla., where not everyone is applauding.
Read more on WXOW 19 La Crosse

New Homestead city manager to have full plate

New Homestead city manager to have full plate
As city manager of Fort Lauderdale, George Gretsas faced huge deficits and ballooning pension costs. He’ll take on similar issues as he takes the helm as Homestead’s top administrator.
Read more on Miami Herald

Where fewer foreclosures are now bad for business

Where fewer foreclosures are now bad for business
CAPE CORAL, Fla. (AP) — Across the nation, troubled homeowners have cheered the news that some banks are slowing the foreclosure process to review questionable documents. Then there are places like Lee County, Fla., where not everyone is applauding.
Read more on Daily Record

Lastest Foreclosure Florida News

Pasco business digest
By Jean Hayes, Times Staff Writer Friday, November 19, 2010 ?The clinical laboratory at Community Hospital, the future Medical Center of Trinity, has been awarded accreditation by the College of American Pathologists based on a recent inspection. The laboratory at the hospital is one of more than 7,000 CAP-accredited laboratories worldwide. The CAP laboratory accreditation program is recognized …
Read more on St. Petersburg Times

Lastest Foreclosure Florida News

Federal fund eyed to help wrongful-foreclosure victims
State officials, lenders are considering a general compensation fund is as a facet of any possible settlement of wrongful foreclosure cases.
Read more on Sun-Sentinel

Citigroup May Need to Refile Thousands of Foreclosure Documents

Citigroup May Need to Refile Thousands of Foreclosure Documents
Citigroup Inc., which has proceeded with foreclosures as some rivals stopped to recheck documents, said it may need to refile affidavits in cases that began before an overhaul of its procedures.
Read more on BusinessWeek

Lastest Foreclosure Florida News

Foreclosure attorney Stern struggling to pay his bills
The Law Offices of David J. Stern, which has helped banks seize thousands of homes from homeowners who missed mortgage payments, is now having trouble paying its own bills.
Read more on SouthFlorida.com