The Foreclosure Survival Guide: Keep Your House or Walk Away with Money in Your Pocket

Facing foreclosure? Put together a plan. Take action.

If your home is in foreclosure, you don’t have time to waste. You need to know your options and The Foreclosure Survival Guide can help. You’ll learn how to:

• determine whether you should try to keep your house

• find loss mitigation programs that could help you save your home

• apply for mortgage relief from your lender

• avoid foreclosure rescue scams

• bring your loan current in Chapter 13 bankruptcy, and

• if you can’t stay in your home, avoid unnecessary costs by filing for Chapter 7 bankruptcy.

This edition’s powerful yet practical advice also explains your most important tool—the 120-day foreclosure waiting period before foreclosure starts. You’ll also find information on foreclosure procedures, potential tax consequences, and more. 

In addition, this updated edition includes a new chapter covering HOA liens, foreclosures, and what you can do if your HOA threatens you with foreclosure. 

Amy Loftsgordon is a legal editor and writer at Nolo, focusing on foreclosure, debt management, and personal finance. She edits several Nolo books and is also the coauthor of The Foreclosure Survival Guide and Solve Your Money Troubles. Before joining Nolo, Amy worked in the areas of foreclosure and debt collections for over 15 years. Her broad experience includes helping people fight collection actions and enforcing debtors’ rights under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act and other laws. As part of a national settlement involving the mortgage industry, she has also reviewed servicer records to uncover extensive credit reporting errors. Amy received a B.A. from the University of Southern California and a law degree from the University of Denver Sturm College of Law. She is licensed to practice law in Colorado.

Cara O'Neill is a bankruptcy and litigation attorney in Northern California and a legal editor and writer with Nolo. Before joining Nolo, she practiced in the areas of criminal and civil litigation, and bankruptcy. She also served as an administrative law judge and taught law courses as an adjunct professor. She received her law degree from the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School, graduating Order of the Barristers—an honor society recognizing excellence in courtroom advocacy. Cara has edited, authored, and coauthored several Nolo books, including How to File for Chapter 7 Bankruptcy, Chapter 13 Bankruptcy, The New Bankruptcy, Everybody’s Guide to Small Claims Court, and Credit Repair.