“Dear Steve,
I’m in Fairfax County, VA area. I am 4 months behind on house mortgage (HFC – foreign owned). Own tree service and am a partner in a small struggling marketing firm. Anyway, I have been in the tree service for almost 12 years and while it is always slower in the winter, yet at some point in March we start working everyday. This hasn’t happened and winter was also very dead. I took the partnership with the marketing firm and made a few thousand over the winter but that just became survival money due to the tree service being so dead…
I investigated bankruptcy a few years ago and found that laws had changed. You have to go to classes now, etc.
Do you have an attorney(ies) you recommend for mortgage modification and/or bankruptcy? I’m nervous because of all the scammers out there. I was on the phone with Nationwide Law Center this morning and looked them up and found out they are not solid in reputation (which is how I found you, by the way). Please help. Thank you.
Ann”
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The Answer
Dear Ann,
The best advice I can give you on the fear of bankruptcy is contained in this article. Don’t make assumptions about bankruptcy. And while you do have to take a B.S. class before you can file, you do it online. It’s no more than a pain in the butt and an inconvenience. The classes cost as little as $5.
Bankruptcy Articles and Posts You Must Read
To get ready to read the information below with the right frame of mind, please first read How Do I Get Out of Debt Quickly? Change Your Mindset.
Bankruptcy Advice
- How to Know if You Should File Bankruptcy
- So You Are Going to File Bankruptcy. That’s Great News. Congratulations.
- Easily Rebuild Your Credit After Bankruptcy
- The Truth About Bankruptcy Success Rates
- How to Get Out of Debt Calculator
- How Long After Bankruptcy Can I Buy a House?
- Is Bankruptcy Sinful and Bad or Right and Moral? An Examination
- What Does the Bible Say About Bankruptcy? Is Bankruptcy Scriptural?
- How to Get Out of Debt. The Honest and Unvarnished Truth
- The Emotional Seven Stages of Debt
- Getting a Job After Bankruptcy
- Chapter 7 Bankruptcy – What is the Truth?
- Low Cost / Pro Bono Bankruptcy Resource Locator
- Bankruptcy Should Be the Last Resort Many Say. But That’s Just Not True
- The Ethical Considerations of Bankruptcy
- Is Bankruptcy Right For Me?
- 14 Reasons You Should Not Avoid Bankruptcy
- How to Really Discharge Your Student Loans in Bankruptcy. Many Can. But Never Try.
- Life After Bankruptcy: How to Quickly Have Great Credit and Dumb Mistakes to Avoid
- How to Find a Great Bankruptcy Attorney
- You Have Not Failed if You File Bankruptcy
Life After Bankruptcy
If you are looking for mortgage help I suggest people contact a free HUD Housing Counselor as a good place to start to understand if a modification is even possible for you.
The good news here is that you are starting to take action to resolve the underlying financial difficulties. While that does not remedy the reduction in income, every dollar you can save offsets a dollar you would have had to earn.
Let me know what happens next for you. Keep me posted.
Please post your responses and follow-up messages to me on this in the comments section below.
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