At the end of a foreclosure sale a referee will advertise your home to be sold on the court house steps. The notice of the sale is published in local newspapers where the homeowners reside a minimum of four weeks prior to sale date. When this happens the homeowner usually receives notice of the scheduled sale date. Please note however if the homeowner has not hired an attorney or participated in the foreclosure litigation the financial institution and their attorneys are not legally obligated to give the homeowner notice of the foreclosure sale.
Stopping the Foreclosure Sale!
There are 2 main avenues a homeowner can pursue to stop a foreclosure sale. The first avenue is by filing an emergency order to show cause in the New York State court where the foreclosure is pending. The second avenue is by filing a bankruptcy in the United States Bankruptcy Court (a Federal Court) and obtaining an automatic stay from a bankruptcy judge to stop the foreclosure sale pursuant to the State Court order.
Bankruptcy Options
The filing of a bankruptcy guarantees that the foreclosure sale will be immediately stopped. Bringing an order to show cause in the New York State Court where the foreclosure is pending will require the judge assigned to the case to use their discretion as to whether to stop the sale.
Types of Bankruptcies
There are 3 types of bankruptcy that can stop a foreclosure sale. These are a Chapter 7, Chapter 13 and Chapter 11 bankruptcies. Chapter 13 and Chapter 11 bankruptcies are reorganizations involving terms designed to allow the homeowner to catch up on the mortgage arrears. A Chapter 7 bankruptcy is a straight bankruptcy that simply eliminates or “discharges” the debt.
Should you be facing a foreclosure sale it is strongly recommended you immediately contact a foreclosure lawyer and review the aforementioned options with him or her.
Elliot S. Schlissel is a partner in Schlissel DeCorpo LLP, a law firm that has been fighting foreclosures for more than 3 decades. He can be reached for a free consultation at Elliot@sdnylaw.com or at 800-344-6431. The law firm maintains offices in Nassau, Suffolk and Queens Counties.
