According to CBS Miami, Florida’s foreclosures thus far in 2014 are down from the state’s total up to the same time in 2013. This would seem to be cause for celebration. However, in April Florida still led the nation in foreclosures!
Dealing with a foreclosure or the prospect of one can be a daunting task for any homeowner. Over 100,000 U.S. homeowners, on average, are served with foreclosure complaints per month. Nobody wants to forfeit property, but you have means to fight against that possibility should it arise.
What are the specifics a homeowner must know? Firstly, a foreclosure complaint is an urgent matter—should you receive one, you must act immediately! Give Gilbert and Smallman a call—you will be promptly set up with an experienced attorney. In the state of Florida, you must respond to a foreclosure complaint within twenty days, or else the bank will move for a default judgment. Avoid this at all costs!
Research firm RealtyTrac reported that, during the month of April, one out of every four hundred homes in Florida was the subject of a foreclosure filing. Furthermore, out of U.S. metro areas with populations of at least 200,000, eleven of the twenty metro areas with the highest foreclosure rates are in Florida! Orlando claimed the top spot, but plenty of other Florida cities followed closely after. Clearly, Florida has a foreclosure crisis on its hands. Florida’s overall foreclosure rate—again according to RealtyTrac—of 0.25% is nearly triple the national average of 0.09%. Even though those numbers are trending downward, they remain alarmingly high. According to MiamiDade Foreclosures, Dade County alone has thousands of foreclosed properties in line to be auctioned. Many more homes are threatened with the prospect of joining that ever-growing list.
Foreclosure proceedings are notoriously complicated, and carry high stakes. Legal battles of this sort are best left to trusted, battle-tested attorneys. So where are Floridians facing the prospect of a bank taking over their home to turn?
Tough times call for quality attorneys. If a bank is trying to take your home, don’t let them—get in touch with one of Gilbert and Smallman’s experienced Miami or Fort Lauderdale trial lawyers.
