For those facing foreclosure and unsure whether they need to hire an attorney to defend them, let me walk you through the process as to why hiring a foreclosure attorney is important.
Ultimately, hiring a good attorney may make a difference in whether or not you stay in your home or have a deficiency judgment against you waived by the bank. I have represented banks in thousands of foreclosure judgments, literally. Now, I represent homeowners in Florida in their fight against foreclosures.
While representing banks, the first thing I would check is whether the homeowner was represented by an attorney or whether they were representing themselves. When a homeowner was representing themselves, 99.9% of the time it was going to be a fast and easy case to get judgment entered and the property sold. While I definitely dealt with some smart people representing themselves, they lacked the experience and knowledge necessary to successfully defend the foreclosure lawsuit.
When I was handed a file and I saw an experienced foreclosure attorney was representing the defendants, I knew the case was going to be much more difficult and take much longer. When homeowners represent themselves in court, a bank may foreclose on the property in a matter of 2-3 months. When a homeowner hires an experienced foreclosure attorney to represent them, the homeowner may stay in their home for years without having to pay their mortgage. Further, an experienced foreclosure defense attorney will make the bank prove their case in court, which at times the bank has a very difficult time doing.
As you can see, hiring an experienced foreclosure defense attorney makes a big difference in fighting a foreclosure. If you are a homeowner and are facing foreclosure, you should heavily consider hiring an attorney to represent you.