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Florida Foreclosure Questions & Answers
2 Answers | Asked in Foreclosure and Real Estate Law for Florida on
Q: We purchased a foreclosure property with a junior lien unfortunately (court records did not reveal any liens).

We purchased a foreclosure property with a junior lien unfortunately (court records did not reveal any liens). The bank (who is in possession of the senior lien) is now foreclosing the property through a private auction. Do we have the ability to claim any surplus from the bank sale to try and... View More

Barry W. Kaufman
Barry W. Kaufman
answered on Jun 13, 2023

After the property is sold, there will be a surplus or a deficiency. If a surplus, then the order in which payment is made is to the plaintiff, then to any lienholder, then to the owner. That's it. There's no.provision to be repaid, etc.,.etc. I think its section 45.032, Florida Statutes.... View More

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1 Answer | Asked in Foreclosure for Florida on
Q: Once the certificate of title is transferred to the purchasing bank in a foreclosure how long does the previous owner

Have to vacate the property?

James Clifton
PREMIUM
James Clifton
answered on Jun 7, 2023

Technically, once title transfers to the new owner the previous owners should vacate immediately. However, that is not feasible in many circumstances, and the new owner who purchased the property at the foreclosure sale may be willing to give the former owner assistance with moving in an agreement... View More

3 Answers | Asked in Foreclosure and Real Estate Law for Florida on
Q: Can we submit an ethic complaint to the bar for this matter?

Long story short, my uncle purchased a foreclosure property from a county auction. It turned out the property she purchased, there was a senior lien. Therefore, she ended up losing the house. Now the lawyer for the defendant (the LLC who got foreclosed), is claiming a surplus of funds. This LLC has... View More

James Clifton
PREMIUM
James Clifton
answered on Jun 3, 2023

If the defendant is claiming surplus funds from the foreclosure of the second mortgage that your uncle purchased at auction, the defendant is entitled to those funds subject to any claims of other creditors. If the defendant is claiming surplus funds from the foreclosure of the first mortgage, your... View More

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1 Answer | Asked in Divorce, Foreclosure and Family Law for Florida on
Q: Can a Judge put a stay on a foreclosure of your homestead property while going through Divorce?

Husband filed a DV Injunction and a Judge gave him temporary possession of the home and put me on the streets and wasn't making payments on the house or the home equity line of credit. I dont know what he told the post office but they returned my mail and anything with both names on it, they... View More

James Clifton
PREMIUM
James Clifton
answered on May 22, 2023

The judge in the divorce case cannot put a stay on the foreclosure, generally. However, the judge can order one or both spouses to make payments. If either spouse fails to make payment, the judge can hold that party in contemp of court.

To stop the foreclosure, you need an attorney to...
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1 Answer | Asked in Estate Planning, Foreclosure, Real Estate Law and Probate for Florida on
Q: My dad's estate is going through probate without a will in Florida. Can siblings live in the house until it sells?

My sister's were living in the condo with my dad until he died. Are any of all of us allowed to reside here until it sells?

James Clifton
PREMIUM
James Clifton
answered on May 4, 2023

If the siblings are in agreement, then any one of them may stay in the property pending resolution of the estate. If there is disagreement, any sibling residing in the property to the exclusion of the others may be liable to the estate for a reasonable amount of rent. The Florida probate attorney... View More

1 Answer | Asked in Consumer Law, Foreclosure, Real Estate Law and Collections for Florida on
Q: Is it legal for my management to threaten foreclosure on me for sending HOA invoices to an incorrect address?

I moved into a condo in Bradenton from New York. My HOA instructions and unique pin for accessing the payment portal was sent to the wrong address for consecutive months. I had asked 3 times for my management to send the paperwork to my new address. For this reason I was unable to pay my dues at... View More

Barbara Billiot Stage
Barbara Billiot Stage
answered on Apr 27, 2023

These are particularly troublesome issues to deal with because Florida law does not favor owners in these situations and owners are not familiar with dealing with the ins and outs of living in a community association, especially if you are just moving to Florida.

The first thing you...
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1 Answer | Asked in Foreclosure, Real Estate Law and Probate for Florida on
Q: Owner of house dies No will. House in Foreclosure. Can Family Estate Sale personal property in house before FC date??

Owner of house dies No will. House in Foreclosure. Can Family Estate Sale personal property in house before FC date??

James Clifton
PREMIUM
James Clifton
answered on Mar 28, 2023

In order to be able to sell anything, the family needs to file for administration of the deceased person's estate in the probate court of the county where the deceased person resided. If there has been no administration filed, you need to act quickly to make that happen so the personal... View More

1 Answer | Asked in Foreclosure and Real Estate Law for Florida on
Q: Owner of house dies No will. House in Foreclosure. Can Family Estate Sale personal property in house before FC date??
Terrence H Thorgaard
Terrence H Thorgaard
answered on Mar 28, 2023

Yes, the personal representative can sell the personal property. When and if the court orders and holds a foreclosure sale, the buyer would get title to the real property, and would not get the personal property.

2 Answers | Asked in Foreclosure for Florida on
Q: HOA Lien Foreclosure. Does FL 720 require that a lien be FILED/RECORDED w court before Intent to Foreclose is sent?

720.3085 (5) states the the notice for Intent to Foreclose must be substantially in the following form “This letter is to inform you a Claim of Lien has been filed…”. The text “has been filed” (past tense) leads me to believe the lien must be recorded before Intent to foreclose notice.... View More

James Clifton
PREMIUM
James Clifton
answered on Mar 6, 2023

The lien does need to be recorded prior to the notice of intent to foreclose being sent. Anytime you are dealing with a procedural irregularity it needs to be properly addressed. The appropriate legal procedure must be followed in the foreclosure action or the right to claim it as a defense may be... View More

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2 Answers | Asked in Foreclosure for Florida on
Q: How can I use a HELOC to save my home from foreclosure? I’m Florida
James Clifton
PREMIUM
James Clifton
answered on Feb 14, 2023

The only way a HELOC may save your home from foreclosure is if you can borrow enough to pay the delinquency on your primary mortgage and reinstate the loan. However, if you are late enough on your primary mortgage to be in foreclosure, the likelihood of a lender giving you additional funds in the... View More

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3 Answers | Asked in Foreclosure and Real Estate Law for Florida on
Q: I purchased house from county auction. It was foreclosed house. Three months later second mortgage showed up.

Second mortgage is after estate of deceased owner against his heirs (former owners of house). I talked to attorney of case, he told me he can’t discuss details with me since I am not in case. He told me they going after former owners of the house including bank who took money I paid for house.... View More

Jane Kim
Jane Kim pro label Lawyers, want to be a Justia Connect Pro too? Learn more ›
answered on Jan 25, 2023

When someone purchases a home, there are two legal remedies available to the banks for non-payment. One is foreclosure and taking possession of the home. Two, is a breach of note remedy or collection on the deficiency judgment.

Here, it sounds like you purchased and took possession of the...
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1 Answer | Asked in Real Estate Law and Foreclosure for Florida on
Q: Am I able to initial sale of our house when i am only on the deed and not the mortgage?

Initiate the sale... I am seperated from my husband. Our home is in His Name mortgage and deed and mine is on the deed. The Mortgage is not being paid and I have moved out. Want to sell so it does not go into forclosure. He is on drugs and does not seem to be doing anything. What am I able to do... View More

Liu "Margaret" Yang
Liu "Margaret" Yang
answered on Oct 26, 2022

Unfortunately, the deed is what controls who owns the property, and has a right to sell it. So all parties to the deed will have to agree. It is my understanding that a Realtor won't even entertain listing a property for sale without a signature from all the owners.

It may be time to...
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1 Answer | Asked in Foreclosure, Estate Planning, Probate and Real Estate Law for Florida on
Q: As a personal rep in FL am I able to sell a homestead property with a reverse mortgage if one of the heirs lives oversea

And is unable to be found( presumed dead) and the other also lives overseas but refuses to sign any documents?

Sherri B. Simpson
Sherri B. Simpson
answered on Oct 25, 2022

That is certainly not a simple question to answer and without more facts, I would be unable to do so with any certainty. I assume you have filed a probate action? I have handled both probate and guardianship cases and you always need a court order to sell an asset of the estate and if the property... View More

3 Answers | Asked in Foreclosure and Real Estate Law for Florida on
Q: Won a HOA foreclosure sale in FL. Bid is over the HOA Lien. Will the surplus funding assign to the first mortgage?

Won a county auction for a HOA foreclosure. Our bid is way over the foreclosure amount set by HOA. Want to know in this case, is the surplus funding (after paying off the HOA lien) will automatically assign to the first mortgage by the clerk of court? Or the surplus fund goes to the original owner?... View More

Barry W. Kaufman
Barry W. Kaufman
answered on Oct 21, 2022

Here's how it works: the plaintiff (HOA) is paid first, then any subordinate lienholders (subordinate to the HOA), then the foreclosed owner. The first mortgage holder (for example, the bank that holds the mortgage) doesn't get a dime.

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2 Answers | Asked in Foreclosure for Florida on
Q: what is the process of an association foreclosure. I need to stop foreclosure. I have a 1 day window to act.

I received a letter date August 19, 2022 informing me that a clubhouse association intends to foreclose on my property. I had 30 days to respond and dispute the claim (I missed this day) and if they did not hear from me within 45 day they would foreclose. This will take me to Monday to be the... View More

Barbara Billiot Stage
Barbara Billiot Stage
answered on Oct 2, 2022

Community associations, by law and the association documents, are entitled to interest, late fees, attorneys fees and costs for the collection of late assessments. Any payment is, by law, applied to these charges first, which means unless you pay the amount in full, you are at risk of foreclosure.... View More

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1 Answer | Asked in Foreclosure, Real Estate Law and Tax Law for Florida on
Q: Florida statue 95.18 question is about the "or" meaning you have a claim if you complete A,B, and

or when those under whom the possessor claims meet these criteria, the property actually possessed is held adversely if the person claiming adverse possession: A, B, & C not having possessed property for 7 years but did A,B, & C. In C it states: Has subsequently paid, subject to s.... View More

Terrence H Thorgaard
Terrence H Thorgaard
answered on Aug 4, 2022

If I understand correctly, you are asking whether the adverse possessor, after complying with the tax requirements of Florida Statute 95.18 (1) (a)-(c), must still continuously possess the "property under a claim of title exclusive of any other right" for 7 years. Yes.

1 Answer | Asked in Estate Planning, Foreclosure, Civil Litigation and Probate for Florida on
Q: How can someone in jail start probate process without representation?

I have a friend whose father passed away with no will. The son did not complete the probate process and is currently incarcerated in Volusia county jail. The fathers house is in preforeclosure right now, mediation scheduled for Oct 2022. The house/land is appraised at 300K+ and about 130K is owed... View More

Heather Printz
Heather Printz
answered on Jul 26, 2022

In some states, the person can sign a form that can transfer that responsibility to someone else. Is there someone else the friend trusts to complete this? Depending on the resources available within the jail, it may be difficult to complete some of the tasks required.

2 Answers | Asked in Contracts, Foreclosure, Real Estate Law and Banking for Florida on
Q: I have a question regarding unprocessed payments and who should get the money.

My brother in laws house was foreclosed on, prior to this the mortgage company stopped cashing the payment checks (for five months) He was allowing a family member to stay in the house, and they paid $500 per month. As they didn’t have a checking account I sent the checks for them to the... View More

Terrence H Thorgaard
Terrence H Thorgaard
answered on Jul 23, 2022

You have no obligation to pay anything to the mortgage company, merely an obligation to hold the funds you received from the "family member". You should pay those funds to whomever the "family member" tells you to pay. And, by the way, if the "family member"... View More

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1 Answer | Asked in Collections, Foreclosure, Real Estate Law and Landlord - Tenant for Florida on
Q: HOA Property mgmt company has sent my account to collections without notification. How can I avoid pay of addtl fees?

Company stated they sent an email however we did not receive that. There was no written notice sent to our address nor has their attorney contacted us regarding money owed. What are my legal rights? I would like to try to pay all assessments owed without any of the collection/legal fees. What are... View More

Barbara Billiot Stage
Barbara Billiot Stage
answered on Jul 22, 2022

Florida Statute 720.3085(3)(d) now requires the HOA to mail you a Notice of Late Assessment giving you 30 days to pay before you can be turned over to any attorney or collection agency for collections. This statute went into effect July 1, 2021. If you were with the attorney before then it would... View More

1 Answer | Asked in Foreclosure and Real Estate Law for Florida on
Q: I purchased an estoppel letter for a house I hope to purchase at foreclosure auction in florida

The estoppel only said delinquent and in collections but had no dollar amount as I understand it if I purchase the property I will have to pay any delinquent amount owed by the previous owner but how would I know how much since it is not listed on the estoppel

Barbara Billiot Stage
Barbara Billiot Stage
answered on Jul 2, 2022

If it is in collections it should have given the name and address of the attorney handling collections. You need to hire your own real estate lawyer before you bid on a foreclosure. There could be other liens that are not wiped out in a foreclosure.

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