Home Foreclosure Help in Bellevue

Your Bellevue home is where you escape the everyday grind, make memories with your family, and feel safe. So, when you receive a notice of foreclosure, it can feel like you are losing a part of your heart. Fortunately, you've come to the right place.

Our Bellevue foreclosure attorneys know how devastating the thought of losing your Bellevue home can be. We've been helping your neighbors across Washington State keep theirs for over 30 years now. With our knowledge of the laws and how to use them to protect your rights, we'll fight to help you keep your home and find a path forward to a more stable financial future.

Get started now by calling our King County law offices and scheduling your free consultation with our Bellevue attorneys, who specialize in foreclosure.

In Washington State, most home foreclosures go through a nonjudicial foreclosure process, which means your lender doesn't have to take you to court to seize your home. Instead, they follow a strict legal process that begins with a Notice of Default and ends with a trustee sale if the loan isn't brought current. You typically have at least 120 days from the date you're served a notice before your home can be sold. During this time, you have legal rights to seek help, request mediation, or reinstate your loan.

Washington law provides specific homeowner protections under the Deeds of Trust Act (RCW 61.24). For example, RCW 61.24.030(8) requires that the trustee must notify the borrower of the right to request foreclosure mediation. Further, under RCW 61.24.040(1)(f)(ix), you have the right to receive a detailed notice at least 90 days before your foreclosure sale date. According to RCW 61.24.163:

"The trustee shall cause a copy of the notice of trustee's sale to be transmitted by both first-class and certified mail... no less than ninety days before the sale."

"The borrower may request a mediation session with the beneficiary or authorized agent... through the department [of commerce] within twenty days after service of the notice of default."

These protections exist to give Bellevue homeowners a chance to seek assistance, negotiate alternatives like loan modification, or explore legal options like bankruptcy.

If you've received a foreclosure notice in Bellevue, don't wait. The sooner you act, the more options you have. Here's what you need to do:

1. Read the Notice Carefully: Look for the sale date, amount owed, and your right to request mediation under Washington's Foreclosure Fairness Act.
2. Request Mediation Quickly: Contact the Washington State Department of Commerce within 20 days of the notice to request foreclosure mediation (RCW 61.24.163).
3. Call a Local Foreclosure Defense Attorney: Speak with a Bellevue-based lawyer who understands King County procedures and timelines.
4. Review Your Mortgage Account: Make sure your lender is not adding illegal fees or failing to credit payments.
5. Explore Alternatives: An attorney can help with loan modifications, short sales, bankruptcy, or reinstatement plans.
6. Document Everything: Keep a copy of all letters, notices, and emails with your lender or trustee.
7. Act Before the Sale Date: Once the trustee sale happens, it's extremely difficult to reverse.

Foreclosure is a serious concern, but it's not the end of the road. Our attorneys live and work right here in Bellevue. We've helped homeowners from Bridle Trails, West Bellevue, Newport Hills, Crossroads, Wilburton, Lake Hills, and Factoria, as well as near Downtown Park, Bellevue Square, Overlake Medical Center, and Bellevue High School. With our knowledge of the King County court system and the local housing market inside and out, we will protect your rights and your home.

In some cases, you can stop a foreclosure legally, and your attorney will advise you on how. We will consider:

• Asking for foreclosure mediation under RCW 61.24
• Negotiating a loan modification or forbearance with your mortgage lender
• Paying the arrears to reinstate your mortgage
• Paying back the overdue amounts to get your mortgage payments back on track
• Challenging lender actions in court if they violate Washington State laws
• Filing for bankruptcy to press pause on the sale

The sooner you contact our Bellevue-based foreclosure attorneys, the sooner we can get to work saving your home.

Your house is more than just property. It's your home, and you don't have to lose it. Call our knowledgeable Bellevue foreclosure attorneys today for a free consultation and real solutions.

When someone is loaded down with debt, needless to say, it makes it very hard to keep up with a mortgage. Trying to balance all the bills along with unexpected drops in income or unforeseen expenses can cause anyone to fall behind on a mortgage. Once the mortgage is chronically late, the charges can just keep piling up and suddenly you can find yourself months behind. A garnishment really plays havoc on the cash flow as well.

Bankruptcy will stop the foreclosure process immediately. The bankruptcy laws provide for priority of debt where the mortgage can be a first priority and other debts like credit cards, pay day loans and medical bills can just be wiped out.

Foreclosure takes months to complete. Foreclosures start when the bank sends a notice of default. Washington law requires banks to compete a couple other important steps before the notice of default is sent out. These steps include offering a meeting with the homeowner and offering a chance at mediation. The mediation request has to come from a certified housing advisor or an attorney. It is important to take advantage of these Washington laws if you want to delay the foreclosure. The final step in the foreclosure is an auction when the home is sold to the highest bidder. The auction can’t take place until four months after the notice of default is sent. A bankruptcy will stop the entire foreclosure process up to the time the home is sold.

Either a Chapter 7 or Chapter 13 will stop the foreclosure, though a Chapter 7 does not offer a long term solution to the foreclosure. A bank can get the bankruptcy court’s permission to continue with the foreclosure sale if the loan remains in default. Sometimes the filing of a Chapter 7 will help with the modification process, though. Sometimes the trustee in a Chapter 7 will take an interest in the house and try to arrange for a short sale to pay other debt as a part of the process. This could slow the foreclosure down as well. A Chapter 7 could help with cash flow to allow a home owner to get caught up on their own as well.

A Chapter 13 plan allows a homeowner to get caught up on mortgage payments over five years. Of course, the debtor must be able to pay the current mortgage payments with an additional payment to get caught up over five years. The Chapter 13 plan consolidates other debt, such as car loans, and can pay as little as 0% on some debt. Chapter 13 cases also allow debtors to remove second mortgages from the title of a home entirely if the value of the home is less than the balance on the first mortgage.

Generally, bankruptcy will stop a foreclosure immediately and offer some time for a homeowner to save his home. A Chapter 13 offers a long term solution but a Chapter 7 will at least stop the process for a while.