How Bankruptcy Can Save Your Home From Foreclosure

Posted on July 3, 2009
Filed Under Debt Consolidation, Avoid Bankruptcy, Business Bankruptcy, Chapert 11, Chapter 13, Blog Carnivals | Leave a Comment

Well, as most of you may know by now; Washington is too busy bailing out the mortgage companies to help homeowners. Therefore, if you are having trouble making your monthly mortgage payments it is important to know that the existing bankruptcy laws provide several options.� To determine if you can/or should keep you house, follow these steps:

Create a budget:

First, you should total all of your net monthly income (take home pay) for both you and your spouse; be sure to include any rental income you receive. Second, write down all of your household expenses, which include: your mortgage payment, utilities, car payments, food, health care (if not deducted from your paycheck), transportation, insurance, gasoline, child care, child support, and other necessities that you require to meet your basic needs. Do not include payments to unsecured creditors, such as credit cards, medical bills, and personal loans in your budget.

Next, subtract the total amount of your monthly expenses from your family’s net monthly income; you should have an approximate total of your monthly disposable income. If this number is negative (or in the “red”), then it is likely that you cannot afford your mortgage while meeting your basic needs. In other words, you are sacrificing some of your basic needs to pay the mortgage, or you are paying for your basic needs while not making your mortgage payments. If the number is positive, then you can’t make your mortgage payments because of your debt burden.

Ask your mortgage lender about loan modification

If you cannot afford your mortgage payments; then bankruptcy cannot help you save your home. However, many times mortgage lenders will provide their customers an opportunity to lower their monthly mortgage payments by “modifying,” or changing the terms of the loan. These cha Read more