Florida foreclosures Archives - FREE CONSULTATION

Florida Second in the Nation for Evictions and Foreclosure Moves

Posted on June 6, 2023by Admin

As the number of evictions and foreclosures have increased across the country, these types of legal actions have increased more in Florida. As a result, Florida now has the second highest rate in the country when it comes to evictions and foreclosures.

According to figures from ATTOM, American consumers are facing a significant increase in both evictions and foreclosures. They reported that a total of 324,237 foreclosures were in the court system in the U.S last year.

In 2022, a total of 204,000 American consumers reported that they were facing eviction or foreclosure in the U.S. During this year, the rate of evictions and foreclosures increased by 56 percent (56%).

Foreclosure Defense, Foreclosures

Florida Foreclosure Filings Increase by 71 Percent Since 2021

Posted on November 17, 2022by Admin

Foreclosure rates in the State of Florida are on the rise by over 71 percent since 2021, according to new foreclosure data released by real estate company, ATTOM. As a result, Florida now ranks number two for the top five states with the highest level of foreclosure starts.

Rates have been steadily increasing throughout the year as pandemic relief programs have ended. ATTOM reports that 9,284 foreclosure filings were made in the past quarter with 6,671 of these being foreclosure starts. Fortunately, foreclosure starts are still behind where they were before the COVID-19 pandemic hit, even though numbers are starting to rise.

Foreclosures, Housing Market Trends

Florida’s Mortgage Delinquency Rates Increase, Slightly Higher than National Average

Posted on July 12, 2022by Admin

Mortgage delinquencies slightly increased from April to May 2022, but Florida’ mortgage delinquency rates have increased more than the national average. Nationwide, one in every 4,549 housing units had a foreclosure filing in May 2022, according to a recent report issued by Knight Data & Analytics. Florida led all 50 states with a high rate of one in every 2,788 housing units.

The national delinquency rate decreased in May 2022 to a low of 2.75 percent. However, Florida’s delinquency rate stayed at a consistent 2.0 percent. Lenders initiated foreclosure proceedings on 22,099 properties in May 2022. While this number may be down one percent from the previous month, it is up 274 percent from one year ago.

Foreclosure Defense, Foreclosures

Foreclosure Report 2021: What to Expect in the Coming Months

Posted on February 18, 2021by Admin

Foreclosures have been essentially at a standstill due to the moratorium issued by state and local governments on foreclosures and evictions, as well as forbearance programs to help keep families remain in their homes during this difficult time. However, these efforts will expire at some point, which has many worrying about what will happen once these programs end.

According to the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, approximately 500,000 borrowers avoided foreclosure during the last quarter of 2020 due to various relief programs available to them, including the forbearance program offered through the CARES Act.

Foreclosure Defense, Foreclosures

Foreclosure Rates in U.S. Dip to a 20-Year Low

Posted on October 25, 2019by Admin

The national foreclosure rate has fallen to the lowest levels seen in two decades following housing reports from July 2019. Financial experts believe this drop is due to a stronger job market and a lower unemployment rate.

According to Bureau of Labor Statistics, the national unemployment rate fell to a 50-year low of 3.5 percent as of September 2019 with 136,000 jobs being added to the market. In addition, the hourly earning for all employees has gone up 2.9 percent from the prior year. As Americans have more money to spend, the chances of them falling short of meeting their monthly expenses also goes down.

Foreclosures

Florida Sees a Sharp Increase in Foreclosures

Posted on June 21, 2019by Admin

While the nation is seeing a drop in the number of foreclosures, Florida is seeing the opposite. For the 12^th month in a row, Florida has seen a double-digit annual increase in foreclosure filings.

These figures come from a study published by ATTOM Data Solutions, which reviewed foreclosure starts from May 2018, comparing these figures to those reported in May 2019. On a national scale, foreclosure filings were down nine percent when compared to figures from May 2018. Florida, on the other hand, saw an increase in foreclosure starts of 23 percent when compared to the previous year.

As of May 1, 2019, one in every 1,238 homes had a foreclosure filing in Florida. These numbers are the third highest in the country, behind New Jersey and Maryland. Of the metropolitan areas in Florida, Jacksonville reported the second highest foreclosure rate, reporting that one in every 764 homes were involved in some stage of foreclosure proceedings.

Since January 2019, these numbers have been increasing incrementally. One of the contributing factors for these high foreclosure numbers has to do with the fact that while the cost of living in Florida has gone up, wages have stayed stagnant for several years. Not only have the cost of purchasing a home gone up, but so have insurances and taxes that come with owning a home.

Other factors leading to higher foreclosure rates could have to do with natural disasters that hit the sunshine state more than others, namely hurricanes. Depending on the severity of the storm, homeowners could lose their jobs or even their homes after a hurricane. Insurance can also skyrocket following a natural disaster, also making it difficult for the person to maintain payments on the home.

Choosing the right attorney can make the difference between whether or not you can keep your home. A well-qualified Miami foreclosure defense attorney will not only help you keep your home, but they will be able to negotiate a loan that has payments you can afford. Miami foreclosure defense attorney Timothy Kingcade has helped many facing foreclosure alleviate their stress by letting them stay in their homes for at least another year, allowing them to re-organize their lives. If you have any questions on the topic of foreclosure please feel free to contact me at (305) 285-9100. You can also find useful consumer information on the Kingcade Garcia McMaken website at www.miamibankruptcy.com.

Related Resources:

https://miami.cbslocal.com/2019/06/17/florida-bucks-trend-sees-increases-in-foreclosures/

Foreclosures

Florida Sees an Increase in Foreclosures for the Eighth Consecutive Month

Posted on June 3, 2019by Admin

While overall foreclosure activity has declined nationwide, Florida has seen a steady annual increase for eight-consecutive months (one in every 1,415 housing units), according to ATTOM Data Solutions’ US Foreclosure Market Report. Major metros in Florida in which foreclosure activities increased from last year included Orlando, Fla. (up 90%) and Miami, Fla. (up 45%).

Receiving a notice of delinquency in the mail does not automatically mean that you are going to lose your home. Florida has what is called a judicial foreclosure process, which means that every homeowner is entitled to a hearing before the court to determine whether or not the bank is entitled to foreclose. The most important thing to remember is that the homeowner has rights. There are things you can do to slow down the foreclosure process and even keep your home, while getting your financial life back on track.

Click HERE to read more on this story.

Foreclosures, Timothy Kingcade Posts

5 Steps to Slow Down the Foreclosure Process in Florida

Posted on May 23, 2019by Admin

Educate yourself. Read over everything you have received from the lender, including the mortgage itself. Many notices will contain information on foreclosure prevention options. It is only after you have not paid your mortgage for a period of 90 days that foreclosure proceedings will start. Remember, Florida is a judicial foreclosure state, meaning the lender must file a lawsuit against you before moving forward with the proceedings.
Contact your lender. The lender will likely be willing to work with you as the foreclosure process can be lengthy and costly in Florida. There are different options they may extend to you, which include: refinancing, a repayment plan, forbearance or a loan modification.
Contact a HUD approved housing counselor. There are federally funded agencies in each state that work with a variety of lenders to secure affordable repayment options for struggling homeowners. But with this option, beware that there are many non-legitimate companies looking to scam borrowers. Research these options carefully and use caution. Make sure you are working with a free, federally approved agency.
Consider doing a short sale. If you do not see yourself being able to repay your mortgage with a loan modification or repayment plan, a short sale may be a good option.
Consider filing for bankruptcy. Filing for bankruptcy will not only eliminate your unsecured debt, but as soon as you file for bankruptcy an “automatic stay” goes into effect, which stops all collection attempts and halts the foreclosure process.

Click HERE to read more on this story.

Foreclosures, Timothy Kingcade Posts

National Foreclosure Scam Results in 11 Indictments

Posted on March 27, 2019by Admin

Eleven people involved in a national foreclosure scam were indicted this week by a federal grand jury in connection with a scheme to defraud homeowners desperate to save their homes. These 11 people come from five different states in connection with the scam. They stand accused of making promises to homeowners that they would negotiate with their mortgage lenders to protect them from losing their homes in foreclosure but never did anything on behalf of the homeowners after money was paid. This is a common scam we have seen so many times before.

The formal indictment listed MVP Home Solutions, also known as “Stay In or Walk Away,” Bolden Pinnacle Group Corp, also known as “Home Advisory Services Network” and “Home Advisory Services Group,” and Silverstein & Wolf Corp, as parties to this legal matter.

What these parties are accused of doing is using multilevel marketing schemes for recruiting homeowners facing foreclosure. The companies encouraged their employees to be aggressive in pushing homeowners to get on board with the program. They would search court records and online databases to find people who they know were facing foreclosure and were vulnerable and desperate to do whatever necessary to stay in their homes. The individuals targeted were living in states where foreclosure rates were particularly high- including Florida.

The reports show some examples of how persistent these companies were at recruiting homeowners to cooperate with them. In southern Ohio, more than 22,000 postcards were mailed to homeowners, indicating that the company could stop the foreclosure from proceeding or could stop a sheriff sale if the homeowner paid a fixed fee to the company first. In addition, these companies made promises that they could also negotiate the release of mortgage loans for a deed in lieu of foreclosure sale or a short sale or could stop a foreclosure sale from proceeding. They also made statements that, for a fixed fee, the company could achieve the short sale price at a fraction of what the homeowner owed on the mortgage.

Once the victim of the scam paid the upfront fee, there was never any negotiation done on their behalf. It was a typical “take the money and run” scheme, and the homeowner wound up not only losing their home but additional money in the process that they paid to the company.

The released indictment included charges involving conspiracy to commit mail fraud and wire fraud, four counts of mail fraud, seven counts of wire fraud, one county of bank fraud, 12 counts of bankruptcy fraud, and even one count of aggravated identity theft.

So far, eight of the 11 individuals listed in the indictment have been arrested in Ohio, Virginia, New Jersey, and New York. Three others named in the indictment, including a Rafiq Bashir from Jacksonville, FL, have not yet been arrested.

Click here to read more on this story.

Foreclosures, Timothy Kingcade Posts

Foreclosure Rates Reach Pre-Recession Record Low

Posted on February 6, 2019by Admin

Good news has come from the housing market involving mortgages and delinquencies across the nation. According to a recent report, the rate of foreclosures and loan delinquencies is now at the lowest it has been since before the 2008 financial crisis.

The report comes from the Data and Analytics division of Black Knight, Inc. and showed that just shy of four percent of mortgages nationwide were delinquent as of 2018, which is down 18 percent from 2017. One word of caution from the report was that it was possible that these figures could be inflated by the after-effects from the 2017 and 2018 hurricanes. The effect could not be too significant, however, since areas that were not impacted by hurricanes were also down 11 percent from 2017. It is anticipated that these rates will decrease even more and could even go lower than they were before the recession.

Mortgages that were seriously delinquent also went down as of the end of 2018. A mortgage is said to be seriously delinquent when the payment is more than 90 days past due. Foreclosure starts, as well as foreclosure sales, were at an 18-year low, according to Black Knight’s reports.

Of all of the states, Colorado reported the lowest serious delinquent rate at 0.37 percent, while Mississippi was at the highest at 3.06 percent. The national foreclosure rate was also down 19 percent over 2018, dropping 0.52 percent from 2017. Even more promising were reports that five states experienced more than 30 percent declines in their foreclosure rates, including New Jersey, Oregon, Nevada, Washington, Utah and D.C.

States that reported the highest number of non-current home loans, meaning loan obligations that were in some level of delinquency or were past due, were from southern states, including Mississippi, Alabama, West Virginia, Arkansas, and Louisiana. Colorado, North Dakota, Idaho, Washington and Oregon reported the lowest number of non-current loans.

As of the end of 2018, 60,000 loans were in foreclosure to the point where the borrower had not made a payment in over two years. Over 40,000 loans had not received a payment in at least five years. These figures may seem high, but the report also showed that the aged foreclosure inventory rate was dropping, as well.

In fact, foreclosures that were ongoing for five or more years dropped by 35 percent from 2017 to 2018. Interestingly enough, the aged foreclosures seem to be from two states, including New York and Florida. These two states alone claim 40 percent and 20 percent respectively of aged foreclosure loans.

Many borrowers are taking this opportunity to refinance their mortgages. The report indicated that the lower rate of mortgage foreclosures in the last two months alone led to a 50 percent increase in the number of borrowers seeking a refinance on their mortgages.

Please click here to read more.

Choosing the right attorney can make the difference between whether or not you can keep your home. A well-qualified Miami foreclosure defense attorney will not only help you keep your home, but they will be able to negotiate a loan that has payments you can afford. Miami foreclosure defense attorney Timothy Kingcade has helped many facing foreclosure alleviate their stress by letting them stay in their homes for at least another year, allowing them to re-organize their lives. If you have any questions on the topic of foreclosure, please feel free to contact me at (305) 285-9100. You can also find useful consumer information on the Kingcade Garcia McMaken website at www.miamibankruptcy.com.