Have you found yourself in a financial bind and need to sell a house to avoid foreclosure? Maybe you’ve even asked yourself, Can I sell my house to avoid foreclosure? While each situation is different, in most instances you can avoid a foreclosure auction altogether. There are some ways to sell a house to avoid the foreclosing process. Foreclosure can affect more than just your credit. However, you do have a few options available.
What is the Foreclosure Process?
Many people do not understand the foreclosure process. Honestly, they just want the answer to the question: Can I sell my house to avoid foreclosure? The goal, of course, is to avoid the foreclosure auction if there’s any way to do so. Foreclosure doesn’t happen out of the blue.
Step 1: Missed Payments:
Maybe you got laid off at work, lost your job, lost a second income, or hit a rough spot financially. It happens to everyone at some time or another whether it’s illness or job related, a few house payments go unpaid. Once you have missed three and are 90 days behind on mortgage payments, lenders can start the foreclosure process. If you have not received a Notice of Default (NOD), there is still time to work out a deal with your lender.
Step 2: Pre-Foreclosure:
The lender will record a public notice that you are in default on your mortgage payments. The NOD is often posted on your front door. This is still considered a grace period and you still have three months to find a way to get out of “default” status on your loan. You may work out something with the lender, take out a separate loan to bring your mortgage up to date, or any other option, including to sell a house to avoid foreclosure.
Step 3: Auction:
If you have not been able to get out of default three months after the NOD, the lender will set a date to sell the property at auction. At an auction, your home will be sold to the highest bidder whether it is enough to pay off the mortgage or not. The homeowner will still be responsible for any balance remaining on the initial mortgage if it didn’t get covered by the auction.
How Does a Foreclosure Affect a Homeowner?
One reason many people want to sell a house to avoid foreclosure is that the foreclosure affects a lot more than just your credit rating. In most instances, after a home is lost through foreclosure, the individual’s credit score drops about 250 points on average. It can take at least three years of making every single payment on time to restore the initial credit score. Besides being devastating to your credit score, there are other areas affected. These include:
- Buying another house – After a foreclosure, it can be difficult to purchase another house. Some lenders only require a waiting period, others will not make a loan to a person who has been through foreclosure.
- Tax Difficulties – For many people who lose their home through foreclosure, there are tax implications. You may be liable for taxes on the home the lender sold through auction.
- New Jobs: In most instances, a foreclosure may not affect your job or ability to get one. However, you will not be able to work in the financial industry such as in a bank if you have poor credit ratings.
Can I Sell a House to Avoid Foreclosure?
Have you been saying, Just stop my foreclosure! You have options. There are always options, even if you just want to sell a house to avoid foreclosure. Look at the options you have available to see which one will work best for your situation. Every individual situation is unique, and finding an option may take creativity, but there is always a way out of a foreclosure. Here are some options to explore:
- Do a short sale to stop foreclosure. This can take a lot of work, and you are on limited time before the lender sets a date to auction the house. However, a short sale is a viable option for many. If your house is in the foreclosure process and you get a bid on the property, the lender is required to consider it as an option to foreclosure. You usually have the option to sell a house to avoid foreclosure.
- Discuss refinancing options with your lender. You may have some refinancing or mortgage modifications available that can help make your payments more manageable. In some cases, depending on finances and other criteria, lenders can lengthen the time you pay while reducing the amount you pay. This modification helps keep you in your house. However, before they make modifications, the lender may require that it be brought up to date. That may present a challenge.
- Sell to a cash buyer. The best option for homeowners who want to sell a house to avoid foreclosure just might be selling their house to a cash home buyer. The process is actually a simple one. The cash buyer takes a brief look at your house and then makes a cash offer. If you are comfortable with the offer, they give you the cash and complete the paperwork for the sale. Closing usually takes as little as a week since it is a much faster process. You take the cash to the bank and pay off the mortgage. It really is that simple. You do not have to show the house, prepare the house or make any repairs as a cash buyer is an investor and will take the house as-is. No preparations are necessary.
Want to Avoid Foreclosure Auction?
We understand that facing foreclosure is a scary and stressful time for you. That’s why we’re here to answer any questions you might have about the foreclosure process. At Arbor View Properties, we’re here to help you. Ready to sell, or just have a question? Give us a call at 770-810-5715. We’ll give you a no obligations cash offer to help you stop foreclosure in its tracks!