Will I lose my Home if I File Bankruptcy? Discussion
A San Francisco Bankruptcy Attorney answers this important bankruptcy question...
As a San Francisco Bankruptcy Attorney, I know that many people are worried that filing bankruptcy will cause them to lose their homes. Many times, that is not the case unless it is a Chapter 7 bankruptcy and there is equity in the home. People make this mistake because a Chapter 7 bankruptcy involves liquidating most of a debtor’s assets to pay creditors, including the home. But in reality, homeowners who end up filing often don’t have enough equity in their home to benefit creditors. They do not have enough equity because they’ve taken out a second mortgage or the home’s value has fallen or both. In these types of cases, the trustee handling the bankruptcy can decide not to liquidate the home, in which case the debtor gets to keep it. This is usually the case because the trustee will not take an asset that does not have money in it.
The home can also be saved via the Homestead exemption. In most cases, the Homestead exemption will allow you to keep your primary residence if your equity in it is below a certain threshold. It can vary widely from state to state: from $30,000 for a married couple filing Chapter 7 bankruptcy in Illinois, for example, to $75,000 for the same in California. So, the government has to pay you for the exemption before they will consider taking the home to pay the creditors.
If you have questions regarding bankruptcy in San Francisco or bankruptcy in the greater Bay Area please contact our San Francisco Bankruptcy Attorneys at (415) 946-8882 for a free consultation or visit www.bkanswers.com and we can connect you with one of our experienced San Francisco Bankruptcy Attorneys. After you have spoken with one of our Bay Area bankruptcy attorneys, we can schedule you for a free face to face appointment in an office location nearest you. Our team of Bankruptcy Lawyers, Bankruptcy Customer Care Specialists and Bankuptcy staff supporting San Francisco and Bay Area consumers in debt can assist you with all aspects of your bankruptcy or bankruptcy litigation case. If you have questions about filing a Chapter 7 bankruptcy, a Chapter 11 bankruptcy, a Chapter 13 bankruptcy, or would like to learn more about bankruptcy litigation, legal debt settlement, mortgage modification, lien stripping, cram down, stopping a foreclosure, wage garnishment, asset protection, discharging a debt, etc. we can help! We have bankruptcy attorneys located throughout California and Oregon who can assist you with all of your debt resolution questions. Please feel free to complete our free online bankruptcy evaluation and we can quickly determine if you are a qualified candidate for bankruptcy. We look forward to hearing from you, San Francisco Bay Area!
