[ringmaster]

I was wondering if anyone has been through having their home foreclosed. I know it's different in each state, I'm in NJ if that matters. It's my parent's home so I don't have too many details or say what happens.
I'm not sure the personal drama bits really matter... maybe one bit, my mom is on disability and the last few years has developed schizophrenia which sometimes makes it hard to talk to her or tell her anything. Like I told her to try calling the mortgage company to see if we can get assistance, but she says different things. like she did or needs to wait... I also tried to tell her we should start looking for cheap apartments that will take pets and she thinks since she is on SSI that we can not get thrown out of the house. I'm not sure if that true or how much the personal situation is taken into account since my mother can't always make clear decisions. At this point, my dad doesn't really seem to care what happens, he lost his job last November 10', didn't qualify for unemployment and hasn't done much since...I don't know the details there either or what's going on with him which is probably for another thread.

One of my biggest concerns is I have 3 cats and I worry what will happen to them if we lose the house. I know I could try to find them other homes, but 2 of the cats are older (11, 16), and one needs to take medicine so it might be harder to find homes for them...plus I've had the 16 year old since he was a small kitten...It just feels terrible that I might be separated from them, and it might sound silly and selfish, but they keep me going at times like these..when I need a hug, I can always go to my kitties.. I don't have any close friends, so they really are my support. I'm not sure I could really handle losing all my stuff plus my cats... I'm praying there will atleast be some compassion in help with trying to help me keep the cats... but who knows, I've never been too lucky with hoping for things. Of course I won't just leave them behind, if I need to I will find them a no kill shelter, but I just feel so terrible leaving them like that... I worry the older ones won't understand why I'm leaving them and who knows who they will end up with and if they'll love them as much as I do. I know the older one probably only has a couple of years left and I wanted to be there with him till the end

It seems like we are waiting for the very last minute to do anything, so what happens? If worse and comes to worst, do they just tell us to get out of the house and leave all of are belongings behind? We have no close family or friends to stay with, so do we get sent to a shelter? It seems like it would be easier to get assistance and some help in the right direction to getting out feet, rather than losing everything and try to start over from nothing.

I guess I'm looking for resources, suggestion, ideas from people who have been through similar situations to put me at ease since my brain might be over thinking the worst.

[friendlykat4u]

I'm sorry that you and your family are dealing with this situation. I know it can be very stressful for everyone.

I don't know how much of this you want to take on but the first step is to sit down and do a very careful budget. You need to include all the income in the household as well as all the expenses, right down to eating out, even if it's just a coffee in the morning. This will help determining if it's realistic to keep the house or not.

Some states have a judicial foreclosure process, meaning the mortgage company needs to present the case in court before they can take the house. Other states are non-judicial, meaning they don't have to go to court, they can just foreclose in the event of non payment.

A typical foreclosure in a non-judicial state can take from 5-6 months counting from the first month you didn't pay. You get plenty of notification by mail to let you know what's going on. Once a foreclosure date has been set you will be notified. They will place adds on local papers advertising the auction date (that's the actual foreclosure date). Most people wait until after the auction to move. If you don't they can start eviction process and that can vary depending on each situation.

As far as your mom getting a break because she's disabled, that only happens if they go to court and present the case. This would happen in a judicial state or in the case of an eviction. But there are never any guarantees she will get a break.

You should definitely try to talk to the mortgage company and see if there is anything they can do. If your name is not on the mortgage, have your mom or dad type a letter saying it's ok for them to talk to you.

Keep in mind that because there are so many people in trouble the whole process can take months. The good thing is that as long as the mortgage company is willing to work something out, the foreclosure can be postponed for quite some time. Again, it all depends on the company and the individual situation.

Check the website for HUD (HUD.gov). Under topic areas they have a section under "Avoiding Foreclosure". You will find a lot of information there.

I would also suggest looking into subsidized housing (section 8) as a possible alternative. Talk to your local housing agency and get more information there. The waiting list for that can be long but you can get more information as far as your options.

One last note, be very careful with people who promise to help you for a fee. Those companies are for profit and offer the same service a non-profit agency would offer. HUD has a list of local non-profit agencies that can help you.

Sorry if this is lengthy, I just have a lot of information about the subject. Best of luck to you and your family.

[nationalparker]

Instead of a no-kill shelter, maybe see if you could find someone to 'foster' them for a few months if necessary, while your housing situation changes. It sounds like it would be very hard for you to lose the cats on top of the adjustments at home. They ARE our family members and no need to feel funny for writing how they're a main focus of yours now. We all need that love.

Don't wait too much longer to find a place that will take pets, then at least you know you have several options if there are a few apt. communities that take pets. Then that stress is gone. Don't just hope for things, do some legwork and see what you can find out - then at least you're not worrying about the unknown.

Good luck to you!

[NEMom]

Google for a website called LOANSAFE.ORG. There is a ton of information on that site about foreclosure, what you can do to prevent it and what you and your family can do to prepare for it.
The one thing I have heard over and over from people in this situation is if foreclosure if the ultimate outcome, stay in the house 'rent free' for as long as possible and save as much money as you can.
Best of luck to you and your family.

[NiteNicole]

I'm not sure how old you are. Are you old enough to have power of attorney on your mom's behalf? Also, if the house is paid off, there is something called a reverse mortgage and you should look into that.

I'm so sorry you are dealing with this.

[Shannon in ATL]

You have gotten good advice already, so I won't add to that. I will say that you can get foreclosed if you are on SSI. Her SSI can't be garnished by a creditor, but foreclosure is fair game.