Minnesota Foreclosure Recovery

How to use the Minnesota foreclosure process to keep your home

By Emmet McMahan

The best way to begin to recover foreclosures in Minnesota is to let your lender know when you will not be able to make a payment. Lenders usually end up losing money in the foreclosure process and do not actually want to foreclose on your home.

Lenders therefore have an interest in exploring all possibilities in the Minnesota foreclosure process, including forbearance, partial claim, payment modification and payment suspension. More of these options will be available if you are only one or two payments behind.

There are three key actions to take in the Minnesota foreclosure recovery process:

1. Review and answer all correspondence from your lender. These notices will contain important information on the foreclosure recovery process in Minnesota and any pending legal actions.

2. Make a missed payment by raising money quickly. You may be able to sell a second car, jewelry or other assets, or a family member may be able to get an extra job.

3. Avoid foreclosure recovery scams. Many companies will charge you for information you could get for free. Others may ask you to sign over the title to your house.

Know how Minnesota foreclosure laws will affect you

Laws on foreclosure vary considerably by state so you should be familiar with at least a summary of foreclosure laws in Minnesota. You should also read your loan documents to know what your lender can do if you can't make your payments.
Try: Foreclosurelaw.org offers a summary of Minnesota foreclosure laws and a glossary of common foreclosure terminology.

Get assistance with Minnesota foreclosure recovery information

There are housing counselors and online resources available to help you understand your options, assist you in organizing your finances and negotiate with your lender, if needed.
Try: Consumer Credit Counseling Service offers an online tutorial through its CredabilityU website to help you keep your home, as well as many other financial tips. DebtAdvice.org is a service provided by the National Foundation for Credit Counseling that allows you to locate housing counselors based on your zip code and search radius.

Retain foreclosure attorneys in Minnesota

You may need Minnesota foreclosure lawyers to protect your interests, especially if you need to sign documents. If your regular attorney does not handle Minnesota foreclosure law, he may be able to make a referral.
Try: Mackall, Crounse & Moore is a mid-sized law firm based in Minneapolis with extensive experience in real estate law. Wendland, Utz, Stahl and Mintz is in Rochester and employs a community-based approach to real estate law.

Watch out for mortgage recovery scams

The Federal Trade Commission warns that there are plenty of bad guys operating in the foreclosure recovery business who will take your money and provide no service. Some warning signs, according to the FTC: advertising terms like "guarantee" and "97% success rate", upfront fees before services and company names or websites designed to make you think you're dealing with a government or nonprofit agency.
Try: Educate yourself about foreclosure recovery scams through the Federal Trade Commission. The FTC recommends you only seek foreclosure help from government sanctioned counseling agencies like the ones recommended by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development or the federal Making Home Affordable program.

You may want to include refinancing in your Minnesota foreclosure recovery process if you have built up some equity in your home. You would usually require at least 10 percent equity to have a reasonable chance at refinancing and it will be easier with more equity. However, you don't want to simply take out a new loan to repay the original mortgage.