A Cincinnati, Ohio couple faced a unique nightmare when facing a foreclosure action: they were facing thousands of dollars in tax bills and city fines for letting their home fall into disrepair, the only problem was they no longer owned the home!
In early 2007, the married couple was facing foreclosure because they had fallen behind on their mortgage payments due to poor personal financial management. The couple thought they worked out an agreement with their bank to proceed with a short sale. Under the terms of the proposed short sale the couple would be free from their mortgage and not have to declare bankruptcy but the bank that held the second mortgage rejected the deal. Since both banks had to agree to a short sale the couple had no choice but to have their home foreclosed on and the house was sold at a July 2007 Sherriff's sale.
A few months later the couple began getting tickets from the city ordering them to cut the grass and make repairs on the home or face fines. The couple called the city to tell them of their mistake but much to their surprise they were still listed as the property owners in the public record. The couple started calling everyone they could think of; the sheriff's department, the bank, the county recorder, to try to correct the error. Over the next three years the couple was unable to correct the error and in that time the house fell into extreme disrepair and the tab for the taxes and fines grew to almost $20,000.
Since no one seemed to care if they were left footing the $20,000 bill the couple wrote a letter to Judge Melba Marsh in an attempt to get her involved and force someone to take responsibility for the house. The judge looked at all the records concerning the house and just last week ordered all parties into her courtroom to explain how this happened. The Judge demanded the bank take ownership of the home as well take responsibility for the taxes and costs of the neglect that has happened over the last three years.
While this story is a worst-case scenario, there are many things within a foreclosure case that could present a nightmare scenario for you. If you are currently facing a Florida Foreclosure Lawsuit, or will be in facing a Florida Foreclosure Lawyer in the future, contact a Jacksonville Foreclosure Defense Lawyer today to discuss potential pitfalls of foreclosure and the foreclosure alternatives that may be available to you.
