If you are facing immense debt or a foreclosure of your home, you may wonder what your options are. You have far more than you might think. You should always consult with an experienced Georgia bankruptcy attorney prior to making any big decisions. This blog guide explains some of the options you have and decisions you’ll need to make.
Your Chapter 7 Option
All bankruptcy discharges debt, just in different ways. Chapter 7 sells off some of your assets in order to pay back debts. You typically lose little, but save a lot of money. If you have a $50,000 medical debt, or a $100,000 credit card debt, or a mortgage you cannot afford after being laid off, you do have options. You can file Chapter 7 bankruptcy to discharge these debts. You may be wondering what you’ll lose. Few bankruptcy filers who follow all the rules lose many assets when it comes to Chapter 7 bankruptcy. Technically your home, car, and other valuables can be taken, but this is a rare and there are ways to protect them. You might discharge other debts and continue paying on your mortgage, for example.
Your Chapter 13 Option
Chapter 13 bankruptcy also discharges debt, but it’s debt you are paying back. You are not eliminating this debt like you are in Chapter 7 bankruptcy nor selling off assets; you are paying it off and not selling anything. If you have an income, Chapter 13 bankruptcy can be a smart option. You stand to protect your home from foreclosure, your car from repossession, your wages from garnishment, and having other valuables taken from you. In Georgia, where foreclosures are a major problem, Chapter 13 bankruptcy can buy you time to pay off your debts and keep your home.
Your Foreclosure Options
Where in some states homes are being foreclosed on at 1 in 800 per month, in Georgia the number is closer to 1 in 250. So every month 1 in 250 homes are being foreclosed on. How can you avoid this? We went over one of your options: to file Chapter 13 bankruptcy. If you file before the foreclosure process is started, the judge will put an automatic stay on all your debts – and this stops collections against you and a foreclosure. If you wait too long, you may still lose the home. You have another option involving Chapter 7 bankruptcy. You might discharge certain debts but continue paying – called affirming the debt – on your mortgage. This way you can both save money and keep your home.
Your Lawyer Options
You have far more options than this, but let’s close with your options in hiring an experienced Georgia bankruptcy lawyer. You can look online, such as at the Georgia State Bar, found at GABar.com, where you can find many experienced bankruptcy lawyers. You want someone local. You want someone you can afford. And you want someone you can communicate well with. Bankruptcy can take some time. If you hire a lawyer you do not like working with, you can also fire him or her and hire another.







