House FINALLY being foreclosed on - how much should I do?

[Lesa13]

Opinions please -

I have not made a house payment in over 2 years and, believe it or not, it has taken this long for the mortgage company to foreclose. I got the letter today telling me I had until the 13th to "catch up" the payment (currently $17,000 owed) and make the Sept payment "or foreclosure action will be taken".

While I have not been living at the house for the past 2 years and have most of my junk cleaned out, there is still stuff there that is probably okay to go to goodwill etc.

My question is, how hard should I work to get EVERYTHING out and the house cleaned up? Or is it normal after foreclosure to get someone to come in and clean a house out and they kind of plan on that anyway?

Just wanting to know how hard I should work in the next month or so before (I presume) the foreclosure is finalized.

Thanks!

Lesa in MO
1 more year of Chapter 13 and counting!

[keepmine]

Don't knock yourself out. Get the stuff you want and leave the rest. It's the lenders problem now.

[SinkingFast]

Whoever buys the house at the Foreclosure Sale (generally the Lender) will become responsible for everything. Past due taxes and HOA dues. Any needed repairs. Etc.

Make sure you get out what you want. Don't worry about the rest if you run out of time to get the stuff out of the house.

[Lesa13]

Thanks. I am majorly stressing about this and can't figure out why - isn't like it is unexpected or a big shock. I guess I feel like I should have the house in "show room" condition or it makes me look like a bum when the mortgage company or whoever comes in....plus I have a lot of emotional issues with the house because the whole point of my BK was to save it and, thanks to my lousy attorney, that never happened...

Anyway, thanks for the good advice, and that's pretty much what I am going to do - just do the best I can with it and let it go to whoever gets it. I guess they have to figure what they buy at a foreclosure sale isn't going to be showroom condition!

[spell]

There was a foreclosure recently where the p'd off owner locked farm animals in the house prior to moving out.
That's about what a foreclosure buying is expecting. You've got a gem there.

So... why didn't you sell or settle on a deed in lieu or short sale? Especially once it was clear the mortgage company didn't want the house.

[Lesa13]

Believe it or not, I tried to communicate with the mortgage company concerning ANY other options I might have (I actually have 2 people who are willing to buy the property as-is for a much lower amount than owed and rehab it) but they refused to talk to me and told me I should wait for foreclosure. My lawyer did no better. My PARENTS even got a lawyer and had him contact the mortgage co to see what they would be told as investors and got nowhere. I think the mortgage companies are so overloaded with foreclosed homes at this point, they don't know which end is up. I would have loved to do a short sale to either my parents or any of the other interested parties, but could never get an answer or permission. Too bad - now they are stuck with it. Just doesn't make good business sense to me. but I've been told all these sub-prime loans going into foreclosure are just really throwing these companies for a loop.