Knowing that your home is facing foreclosure is one of the most stressful events you can experience. Chances are, you would do almost anything to be able to stop worrying and know that your home is safe. When you file for chapter thirteen, you are able to stop foreclosure on your home.
The first step in filing for chapter thirteen is to attend credit counseling. This is required by the bankruptcy code. Only certain agencies are approved for this counseling, so be sure to consult with your bankruptcy attorney to make sure the agency you use will qualify. The agency may come up with a plan for you to pay back your debts. If so, you have to give a copy of the plan to the court when you file for bankruptcy.
Your repayment plan must be submitted to the court within fourteen days from the date you file your bankruptcy papers. Most likely, your lawyer will submit your paperwork for you and will do it all at the same time. Sometimes the plan will be filed later so that you can have an earlier filing date so you can get the foreclosure process stopped and give yourself a little more time to prepare the plan.
You will be required to attend a creditor’s meeting, and all of the companies and people you owe money will have a chance to ask you questions. The purpose of this meeting is to give your creditors a chance to object if they do not feel you will be paying as much as you possibly could under the proposed plan.
After the meeting has been conducted, the bankruptcy judge can take up to 45 days to approve or deny your proposal. In any case, you are required to start making the payments proposed under the plan within 30 days, so that means you may have to start paying on the plan before you know whether it will be accepted.
The biggest drawback to using chapter thirteen bankruptcy to stop foreclosure is that if you are unable to pay the payments as agreed, you could still end up going through foreclosure. The judge can dismiss your case or make you go through chapter seven, where your assets are sold to cover your debts, if you don’t pay everything as agreed. For this reason, you should consider all of the potential risks and benefits before deciding to go ahead with filing for bankruptcy.
For assistance with loan modification contact a qualified loan modification attorney that will look out for you and your family’s best interest such as Janian and Associates.
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