4 Ways to Get Rid of the Property & Avoid Foreclosure

Avoid Foreclosure Monroe

The majority of people would like to find ways to keep their homes safe from the foreclosure sale. Additionally, they may not desire to retain ownership of the property. If this fits you, here are some ways to dispose of the property in order to prevent a foreclosure sale. These options will affect your credit rating a lot less than the actual foreclosure.

 - Selling the Property – This strategy to avoiding foreclosure involves simply selling the home for a profit. Typically, this is a viable option when you have equity, the property is marketable, and you are in a desirable area. You may work with a real estate agent whom you trust or sell the property yourself.

 - Sell the Property via an Assumption – This strategy to avoiding foreclosure involves finding a buyer who will assume your loan, move into your property, and continue making mortgage payments to your lender. FHA and VA loans are assumable. However, you want to make sure your lender will absolve you from any and all responsibility once the buyer has assumed your loan.

 - Pre-Foreclosure Sale or Short Selling – This option allows the homeowner to sell the property for less than the loan amount. Be aware of the following: 1) this may trigger a taxable event for the homeowner on the difference between the amount of the sale and the loan, and 2) this is a courtesy of your lender, not a right of the homeowner or an obligation of the lender.

 - Deed in Lieu of Foreclosure – This strategy consists of giving the property back, sometimes called deeding the property, to your lender prior to the foreclosure sale. Like a short sale, the lender is not obligated to do this. And, if they do, you should have enough equity to where the sale covers the loan. If not, your lender may not approve or you could trigger another taxable event on the difference.

 The key to disposing your property is to act fast. In this case, do not expect to fetch top dollar because the buyer, if they know the reasons for the sale, will want a discount. In many cases, if your objective is to avoid the foreclosure sale, you may have to accept what you are offered. Your most probable buyer will be an investor who has the funds to close and do it quickly. You will release more equity than you would like. However, you will avoid a foreclosure on your record.

 In summary, it’s never a good idea to give up your home. In some situations, this is your only option to protect yourself from a foreclosure by unloading the property to an investor; thus, paying the entire mortgage loan off quickly. Unfortunately, if you wait and the lender takes your home, you will get far less for it than you deserve and may still end up owing money to the lender.