Trustee commended me on my pro se filing!

[MaggieMay]

It was hilarious, because I was TERRIFIED this morning at my 341 meeting and of course, he called me up FIRST. Oh boy.

We went through the meeting, I answered the questions and then at the end, he made a comment about how filing pro se is a very complicated, very difficult endeavor to achieve successfully and he wanted to thank me for making his job easier by filling everything out perfectly and filing everything correctly. He literally said "I am very impressed with this."

I said thank you, but inside I was like "Oh yeah, I just saved myself $2,000!"

So for those of you who want to go pro se, but are scared - it can be done and can be done well. Research research research. I am extremely OCD, so I researched almost every waking hour that I wasn't at work for a good 3 week before I even started filling out forms. You don't want to make mistakes.

My case was also pretty straightforward - a credit card that closed the account (only had a couple hundred on it), a car that I am keeping and a house I am surrendering. I don't have 401ks or stocks or IRA's or investment interest in anything, etc. That would probably make it more difficult.

But I wanted to tell you - it can be done if you want it bad enough (and don't want to spend the money bad enough!)

[justbroke]

Congratulations on your Pro Se discharge. I happen to love it when a Pro Se debtor does well!

Yes, it's all about the paperwork. Many Pro Se individuals actually file better (more complete, accurate) paperwork than some attorneys. You will always receive compliments when filing a thorough petition. When I did my personal property sheet (Schedule B), I listed everything worth $1,000 or more separately. That meant one of my TVs was listed individually (my "state of the art in 2005" plasma TV was prominently listed separately); the Trustee appreciated that! I was one of a very few that did not have an appraiser sent to my home (common for cases filed in Florida at that time).

Yes. It can be done.

[MaggieMay]

Thanks, justbroke! Not discharged yet, though... Still need to do the second course for finance management and send that in to the court.. It will be about 60 days until the discharge, yes?

I think you're right - I think pro se filers are so scared to make a mistake that they are VERY thorough!

[justbroke]

I read too much into that post, but I still commend you because it seems to me that you are on your way to a very smooth discharge.

The discharge will come "some time" after the 60 days have elapsed.

[MaggieMay]

Thank you, justbroke! I figured that is what you meant, but I just wanted to clarify for my own accuracy.

I hope it's smooth sailing from here on out. And now we wait for the foreclosure/look for apartments...

(I cannot WAIT to be a renter again! I will never buy another house as long as I live, mark my words!)

[Chrysalis]

Inspiring. I have done so much research, by the time we are actually ready to do something, maybe I can file pro se, also.

And BOY do I hear you about never buying another house! All five of us were having discussions last night & this morning about this place. I have always thought we'd keep it (umm, just because it is our home of 14 years and I don't know where else we would go). BUT -- when I make a mental list of all of the things wrong here, it is beginning to tempt me to let it go.

I have been without hope for awhile now. When considering bankruptcy, we really do have to look at everything and consider a fresh start.

[MaggieMay]

Inspiring. I have done so much research, by the time we are actually ready to do something, maybe I can file pro se, also.

And BOY do I hear you about never buying another house! All five of us were having discussions last night & this morning about this place. I have always thought we'd keep it (umm, just because it is our home of 14 years and I don't know where else we would go). BUT -- when I make a mental list of all of the things wrong here, it is beginning to tempt me to let it go.

I have been without hope for awhile now. When considering bankruptcy, we really do have to look at everything and consider a fresh start.

Don't lose hope. Just keep all your options open and learn as much as you can about each one of them. I recommend the NOLO book for filing chapter 7 bankruptcy. I wish I had it for reference when I filled out all the forms, but I read it several months ago (borrowed it through Interlibrary Loan, so didn't have access to it again) but it was a wealth of information, as well as the NOLO website and just googling everything I could find. Foreclosure forums and bankruptcy forums are also extremely helpful. I don't think I was in this house even 6 months when I started thinking about ways I could get out of it - I knew right away it was the wrong decision. It took me over 3 more years to actually take the plunge and deal with it. (The irony is that my old apartment where we lived for 8+ years before buying this house will be coming vacant soon and we might be moving back in. LOL!)

Just remember that a house is not a home. The people are the home and the house is just the walls and roof that cover you. Then again, easy for me to say, as I have never felt an emotional connection to this house. I just know that I did NOT want to start taking out huge loans to fix what needs to be fixed here. I would never be out of debt, especially considering how upside down on this house I am. Was! ;)

Good luck with everything - deciding, etc. You will make the right choice for yourself and your family, no matter what you choose. But don't let fear stop you from making any choices.

(The way I look at it is that I can rebuild my credit, but continuing to live here would bleed me dry for years and years and years..)

[kberly69]

Congratulations! It is incredibly empowering to know you did something so important yourself and with great success. I was called almost last for my 341 and everyone there had an attorney. I was amazed at how many missing pieces of paperwork, incorrectly filled out forms, and other problems that were brought up with some of the filers ahead of me with representation. One in particular was shuffling through his briefcase and never did find what the trustee needed, meaning her whole process was going to be dragged out even longer. I'd be livid if I paid for that!

[MaggieMay]

Congratulations! It is incredibly empowering to know you did something so important yourself and with great success. I was called almost last for my 341 and everyone there had an attorney. I was amazed at how many missing pieces of paperwork, incorrectly filled out forms, and other problems that were brought up with some of the filers ahead of me with representation. One in particular was shuffling through his briefcase and never did find what the trustee needed, meaning her whole process was going to be dragged out even longer. I'd be livid if I paid for that!

Thanks, kberly! (And sorry I am just now seeing your comment)

It did feel incredibly empowering because I was so nervous through the whole thing, from before I even filed until I finished my second class and sent the paperwork in to the court. I believe I am done now with everything I am responsible for doing, and through the whole process, I was very aware that if I messed anything up, it would be so stressful and really could be disastrous. But I truly believe that those of us who know why we are doing this and we know it's the right thing to do... we also know that we are our own best advocates, and I believe it is something you can do on your own if you are willing to put the time into the research on how to do it.

And yes, I'd be livid if I paid a lawyer who wasn't on his game, too!

[womanonfire]

Thank you, justbroke! I figured that is what you meant, but I just wanted to clarify for my own accuracy.

I hope it's smooth sailing from here on out. And now we wait for the foreclosure/look for apartments...

(I cannot WAIT to be a renter again! I will never buy another house as long as I live, mark my words!)

Congrats on your success! That's awesome that you were complimented by the Trustee and must feel great!

Are you positive that you have no claims against mortgage company? You'd be surprised at what they screw up. Because I was forced to become pro se in a case against my mortgage servicer, I have learned A LOT!

[womanonfire]

Don't lose hope. Just keep all your options open and learn as much as you can about each one of them. I recommend the NOLO book for filing chapter 7 bankruptcy. I wish I had it for reference when I filled out all the forms, but I read it several months ago (borrowed it through Interlibrary Loan, so didn't have access to it again) but it was a wealth of information, as well as the NOLO website and just googling everything I could find. Foreclosure forums and bankruptcy forums are also extremely helpful. I don't think I was in this house even 6 months when I started thinking about ways I could get out of it - I knew right away it was the wrong decision. It took me over 3 more years to actually take the plunge and deal with it. (The irony is that my old apartment where we lived for 8+ years before buying this house will be coming vacant soon and we might be moving back in. LOL!)

Just remember that a house is not a home. The people are the home and the house is just the walls and roof that cover you. Then again, easy for me to say, as I have never felt an emotional connection to this house. I just know that I did NOT want to start taking out huge loans to fix what needs to be fixed here. I would never be out of debt, especially considering how upside down on this house I am. Was! ;)

Good luck with everything - deciding, etc. You will make the right choice for yourself and your family, no matter what you choose. But don't let fear stop you from making any choices.

(The way I look at it is that I can rebuild my credit, but continuing to live here would bleed me dry for years and years and years..)

If you weren't paying mortgage, how did you pass the means test? That's an issue that Justbroke brought up in one of my posts on here because I'm not paying either. Did you move out and start paying rent somewhere else?

[sophieanne]

Hi womanonfire - you might not get a response to your notes. The dates of the posts you responded to were from 2017 (almost 3 years ago). If you have a question, you might want to start a new thread.

[womanonfire]

Hi womanonfire - you might not get a response to your notes. The dates of the posts you responded to were from 2017 (almost 3 years ago). If you have a question, you might want to start a new thread.

Oh rats! I didn't even notice the date! Sorry about that!

[sophieanne]

No problem..just don't want you to think you're being ignored if you don't get a response