Pre-foreclosure question.

[gonebroke4no]

I am several months behind in my mortgage, and I am receiving payment calls from my lender (B of A) almost every day every since I was one month behind in my mortgage.

Today, I just received a colorful postcard with large words on the postcard reading “Avoid Foreclosure & Save Your Credit. Curios about Short Sales?” “Think foreclosure is the only option? Think Again”. Yet everything else on this postcard is in small print.

Though I have not formally received a foreclosure notice, yet I am wondering how did this fly-by-night company get word that I am behind in my mortgage payments? Is this information public record in regards to people that have fallen behind in their mortgage payments or is it public record of people that may soon be going into foreclosure or could the company that sent this postcard to me, be a subsidiary or partner company of B of A? The company that sent the postcard is called “Paul Clark and Associates @ wecareforeclosurehelp.com

One other thing I noticed is, when I look up this company, they only have 3 office locations (2 offices are located in two other states, and one office is located in "my state" and in "my city". So I am wondering if there is a city listing of homes that are about to go into foreclosure that is available to the general public?

[free2breathe]

These companies can get lists of people who are behind on mortgage and they send out blanket mailings.

[debee]

The "notice of default" is public record and as f2b said in her post, they use that to generate the mailing lists.

[gonebroke4no]

Okay, thank you both free2breathe and debee. I did a Google search for “notice of defaults, in my city and zip code”. It pulled up a lot of hits, but I did see one real estate website that has a listing of “for sale property”, which seems to only list “pre-foreclosure” and “foreclosed” properties. So in my zip code, there are 15 homes listed, but none on the listings on their list match my street name. WHEW!!! Yet all of the houses in this listing start off with the following statement:

This property is a Pre-Foreclosure. The homeowner has missed at least one payment and is considered delinquent. The homeowner may be willing to sell this home at an attractive price, in order to avoid foreclosure.”

So with that being said, I can now see that there is some sort of listing out there that is available that starts reporting when a homeowner is as early as one month behind in their mortgage and the powers that be do not hesitate making a list and putting those homes in a pre-foreclosure category, available to the masses. YIKES!!! I wonder if those listing get updated every month, to show exactly how many months people are behind in their mortgage?

Yet it would be great to see the list that this one company was able to get my name and address, so that they could send me this postcard, that I received today. As it worries me, because this postcard was hand addressed and not addressed to me with one of those peel-n-stick labels, like I keep receiving from those credit card debt help companies, that I receive at least once every 2 weeks.

Yet I am also worried, since my next door neighbor is a Realtor, so I am wondering if they might now know that I am in a pre-foreclosure stage. Because now knowing about such a list out there and them being in the Real Estate business, I think that it is going to be really embarrassing for me if they may "now" know that I am behind in my mortgage.

[debee]

An ordinary realtor won't be spending their time looking up NODs with the county office or wasting his clients time considering houses that aren't officially up for sale. I don't think you have to worry about that. Short sales are a specialty. Besides, the realtor probably doesn't address the cards they send out (like a giant net over all the people in the area who are in default), the underpaid secretary would do that. So if one of your neighbors is an underpaid secretary working for a realtor who specializes in short sales, the jig is up.

The sort of people who normally buy lists or pay a subscription fee to access lists or who access the information at the county recorder's office are usually investors. Especially bottom feeders who hope to profit from the misfortune of others.

eta: I just went to their website. Seems they're trying to drum up business. That's all.

[gonebroke4no]

Thank you for further input on this debee. I greatly appreciate the additional feedback.

WHEW!!! I just looked at zillow.com, and I do not see my house listed as being listed as a foreclosure there, but since I am in a pre-foreclosure stage, maybe they do not list pre-foreclosures on their site. Yet one house that is listed as a foreclosure on Zillow that is located about 12 house south of mine (on the same street and the same side of the street as my house), does not show up on that real estate website list of pre-foreclosures and foreclosures that are listed in my zip code, however there is a "for sale" sign in front of that house. Because that house has been up for sale for about 10 or so months now, and I just saw that sign and house when I drove past there yesterday. So I wonder why that house is not on that real estate office's list of pre-foreclosed or foreclosed homes in my zip code?

[CCsAreEvil]

I'm curious about this, too. I received a letter today saying the county has been notified of my foreclosure or something along those lines. However, when I check for the Notice of Trustee Sale document on the county web site, nothing is showing.

[debee]

So I wonder why that house is not on that real estate office's list of pre-foreclosed or foreclosed homes in my zip code?

I'm guessing that it's just a case of some lists being better and/or more comprehensive than others. I had a subscription to Realtytrac at one time and some of the houses that they listed as foreclosure sales took a year to come to market. Some of them had already changed hands but weren't showing as sold, etc. I think it's a sloppy process and there are bound to be glitches.

[gonebroke4no]

I'm curious about this, too. I received a letter today saying the county has been notified of my foreclosure or something along those lines. However, when I check for the Notice of Trustee Sale document on the county web site, nothing is showing.

CCsAreEvil, out of curiosity, had you already received a formal foreclosure notice from your lender or has the sheriff come out to your house already to serve you with the formal foreclosure notice?

[gonebroke4no]

Oh, okay debee, this makes sense. Thank you, I appreciating you sharing more information about this.

[gonebroke4no]

Out of curiosity, can anyone recommend a good online website that actually contains up to date “pre-foreclosure” and “foreclosure” information that one could view just to keep tabs of their own home or is this something you would have to go down to your city’s courthouse to best find?

[tyson24]

My house was in foreclosure for 2 years, or so they said. I got all those post cards that you are talking about, but could never find my house in any publication such as a news paper or anywhere else they have to report. I would just call the sheriff's office in your city or town. That's what I did and I got the same answer every time. "We have no record of your property being in foreclosure."

I know some sheriff's departments have listings that you actually have to go down and physically look at. The pre-foreclosure thing, IMHO, is a scare tactic to try and get debtors to cure their defaults. It worked on me twice to the tune of $20,000 before I gave up.

[debee]

You could check your county recorder's office website. There is no more reliable source. If they offer the option of checking online, you can do it from the comfort of your desk while still wearing your pajamas.

Your house shouldn't be listed for sale anywhere until after the auction. You are still the owner.

Out of curiosity, can anyone recommend a good online website that actually contains up to date “pre-foreclosure” and “foreclosure” information that one could view just to keep tabs of their own home or is this something you would have to go down to your city’s courthouse to best find?

[gonebroke4no]

Thanks tyson24, and deebee. I appreciate your help and advice.

One thing that I remember from some of the postings in the BK forum, it is not uncommon for the original creditors to send credit card debt help postcards and letters, since they either have a subsidiary credit card debt help company or they are in cahoots with a credit card debt help company . . . so I was just wondering (yesterday) if mortgage lenders work the same way (when I posted my first posting on this topic last night).

Because when I read that postcard, I was wondering how could I be receiving my very first “avoid foreclosure postcard” in the mail yesterday (from a company I never heard of before), since I thought that “maybe” only my lender kept the information that I am behind in my mortgage to themself, without my knowing for sure if they would sell or have that information recorded somewhere so that the general public would have access to that information as well (in my pre-foreclosure stage).

Yet it also blew my mind yesterday, when I came across that one real estate company online that was listing property on their website stating that the homeowner was as early as “one” payment behind in their mortgage payment. So I was shocked that somewhere people could get such quick access to information like that so quickly. Yet I figured if I asked my questions in this forum, that maybe others could shed some light on my situation.

Thanks so very much, I appreciate the input and help.

[chicagoannie]

This is how I was initially made aware that my former out of state landlord had quit paying the mortgage on the house I was long-term leasing. Lots and lots of foreclosure junk mail.