The new rent-free: No mortgage payments, no worries

Discussion in 'Economics' started by PocketChange, Jun 1, 2010.

  1. The new rent-free: No mortgage payments, no worries- NYT

    This snowball is gaining speed and getting much larger.

    The courts are overloaded taking almost 2 years to adjudicate foreclosure proceedings.

    The attorney in the article charges $1500 and will delay foreclosure by forcing the lender to prove its case.

    Even if you have “no defenses,” the form letter says, “you may be able to keep living in your home for weeks, months or even years without paying your mortgage.”

    Many mortgages were sold by the original lender, a circumstance that homeowners’ lawyers try to exploit by asking them to prove they own the loan.

    More than 650,000 households had not paid in 18 months, LPS calculated earlier this year. With 19 percent of those homes, the lender had not even begun to take action to repossess the property — double the rate of a year earlier.

    In Pinellas and Pasco counties, which include St. Petersburg and the suburbs to the north, there are 34,000 open foreclosure cases, said J. Thomas McGrady, chief judge of the Pinellas-Pasco Circuit. Ten years ago, the average was about 4,000. “The volume is killing us,” Judge McGrady said.

    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Assuming you bought your home for $300K and have $250K mortgage. Your property is only worth $200K in today's market and your note and taxes are $3K a month.

    If you follow this attorneys advise and stop paying and let him tie it up for just 1 year you save and squeeze $36K of equity out while living rent free. If he can stall it out for 2 years, You save $72K effectively making a profit on your property investment while living rent free.

    The case load is only increasing and the banks certainly don't want to spend $25k in legal fees foreclosing on a property that is already a big loss. By year 3 the attorneys may be able to make a low ball settlement with the lender for $100K and you get your house mortgage free from what you've saved. If not you saved $36K - $100K to go out and buy a new house for cash.
     
  2. And your credit rating is effectively wiped out for 7-10 years. Not to mention any tax liens or other such items that stay on - forever.
     
  3. Therein lies the source of the "US economic recovery".... mortgage cheats refusing to make mortgage payments (in an attempt to induce a morgagor/government "deal")... freeing-up $1200-$2000/mo. in their discretionary spending because they are not paying their mortgage obligation nor their homeowners insurance. Lots of fun time spending money if you renege on your home payment obligations...

    America. What a country!
     
  4. I have a crazy feeling that in 7 years, one's credit score will be the least of one's worries.
     
  5. Before you get behind on your mortgage, finance a couple new cars and max out the credit cards. Hire this lawyer to stall your mortgage payment, BK the credit cards, all you have in the car payments. Pay cash for everything else for those 7-10 years.

    Not an honest way to make a buck, but you will probably come out ahead.
     
  6. tman

    tman

    You may also get a 1099 from the lender when they write down the loss on the mortgage.
     
  7. Maybe not. Some of the "mortgage-relief stimulus" included that NO 1099s be sent to defaulting borrowers.

    Seems more and more... if you honor your mortgage obligations and pay off your home, you're nothing but a BONEHEAD, DICKWEED CHUMP! :mad:
     
  8. People have been saying this for 40 years now, yet still no zombies.
     
  9. Good luck getting a decent job with that on your credit report.
     
  10. I disagree. I think that, whenever some dictator-like government is formed to pick up the pieces of the assholes that destroyed us, the credit score will be one of the most important aspects to have.
     
    #10     Jun 1, 2010