What is a Deficiency Judgment
Deficiency judgments are court orders that make you personally liable for unpaid debt. They are often associated with foreclosures (and less often times short sale), when a home’s selling price is not enough to cover the loan balance. Let’s take a closer look at what deficiency judgments are, and if you should expect one.
Deficiency Judgment Overview
When you default on a loan and the lender repossesses your property through foreclosure, or in the case of a short sale when the property is sold short, the proceeds from the sale of the property may not be sufficient to pay off the loan. For example, you might owe $200,000 on your home, but if it only sells for $180,000, you’re $20,000 short.
Because the lender wants all of the money back, they may take further legal action against you. Legal action to collect the remaining amount is called a deficiency judgment.
How Much is the Deficiency Judgment?
It will be no surprise that the unpaid debt ($20,000 in the example above) is part of the deficiency judgment, however, lenders can also sue for the costs associated with the foreclosure (including the unpaid interest, unpaid property taxes and homeowner’s association dues, attorney fees, etc.) and pursuit of the deficiency judgment.
If The Deficiency Judgment is Successful
If your lender successfully wins a deficiency judgment against you, you are personally liable for the amount of the judgment. You are legally required to satisfy the deficiency judgment, and the lender can go after you if you don’t. They may be able to garnish your wages or take personal items (not necessarily your home, car, or other essential items).
Retirement accounts are generally not at risk in a deficiency judgment, but you should check with a local attorney if you are at risk.
Is a Deficiency Judgment Likely?
If your lender is allowed to pursue a deficiency judgment, there is no way to know whether or not they will. In many cases, your lender will not go to the trouble. Legal action is expensive and time consuming, and people who just suffered a foreclosure often don’t have the assets or income needed to satisfy a deficiency judgment. If you had the resources, you wouldn’t have missed your payments in the first place.
For some loans, deficiency judgments aren’t even an option. State laws dictate whether or not lenders can pursue deficiency judgments after foreclosure. If a loan is a non-recourse loan, a deficiency judgment is out of the question. Click here for more information on recourse loans and individual state laws.
If you™re facing foreclosure you™re facing some very important decisions. We want you know you™re not alone and we are here to help with any questions you may have to assist you in making the best decisions for your situation. There is no charge for this service and we are happy to help! We offer confidential and professional real estate advice.
The Opland Group Specializes in Real Estate Sales, Luxury Home Sales, Short Sales in; Bexley Columbus Delaware Downtown Dublin Gahanna Grandview Heights Granville Grove City Groveport Hilliard Lewis Center New Albany Pickerington Polaris Powell Upper Arlington Westerville Worthington
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