My husband and I found out quite by accident on the 5th of July that the house we had been in for 16 months was being foreclosed on. We had signed a lease purchase agreement, and paid $4,200 as a down payment. Having no trust for the homeowner, who acted as an "agent" for the "homeowner", we immediately began looking for another place to live. The homeowner called us and had a "sweet" deal for us, and he just acted like it was nothing that we had been getting advertisements to "save" our home, etc. I have saved everything we received in the mail, and thanks to the link below, found the legal notice from the newspaper. We did find a new place to live, and now I am doing research to see how or if we can get our $4,200 back. Unfortunately, we figure if the guy wasn't paying the mortgage, he won't have the down payment either, but it's worth a shot. Any comments/help will be welcomed!

Stacey,
I am an investor and I have about 2 properties in Loganville GA and I advise people that are coming to look at properties to ask the owner for the recent payment slip. This information will show the renter that the owner is not behind on their mortgage. I'm sorry that this happened to you, it makes it more difficult for good investors to get a renter.

Just in case you are still looking, you can contact me at 678-300-0008 and I will be happy to show you the properties that I have in the Loganville area.

Stacey you will want to contact the owner and simply ask. You may also want to check to be positive by checking with the county registry. There are some great links listed in the previous post. You then should speak to a real estate attorney or check with the bar association if there are any pro bono lawyers who assist people in this situation like yourself. If it is getting foreclosed you will have to start looking at another place. You will want to ask for your deposit back and attach the property or the landlords other property to secure your deposit, as well as assess if you should pay any more rent if he is not using it to pay his mortgage, at least put it aside in case the landlord does work things out. good luck with working everything out.

Stacey,

A number of options may be available to you. First, google the address to see if it appears. You can also check the Gwinnett County Newpaper for legal announcements. Click http://www.gwinnettdailypost.net/GDP-Legals/legals.html, scroll down and click on the foreclosures link on the left, then do a search (control F) on a few relevant terms (address, builder, owner's name, etc.) Another option would be to have an agent check the tax records for notice of sale flag.

Hope one of these works for you.

Thanks
Solomon Greene
REALTOR® / Consultant - Keller Williams Realty Atlanta Partners

This is a tough one because owners will have a hard time getting a renter in if they know the house is headed to the steps - and owners will withold that on occasion. There's not much lower than someone that does that, but this is the world we live in.

I think the best way is to rent from either agents or professional companies that screen their owners - but they can be snookered as well. In this case, Chad brings up good points, a lawyer might provide some guidance as well.

Hank

Stacey, I'm sorry to hear about your situation, it is not an easy one to be in. You are certainly not the only one going through it. If you are still in the home, there may be some options for you. Fannie Mae has a plan going into effect this month that would allow you to sign new leases with them or give you money to relocate (assuming they are the property owner). If you'd like to contact them, their # is 1-800-732-6643.

You also have rights as a tenant, which vary from state to state. Here's a link for you to find more detailed info regarding GA: http://www.hud.gov/local/ga/renting/tenantrights.cfm. If you have an eviction notice, call the lender or their lawyer, which should be posted on the eviction notice, to see if there is any way that they'll help you. You can call your local sheriff's department to find out about what the foreclosure process is for your area. This will help you determine a timeline to work with and prepare for whatever your next steps are.

Regarding other foreclosed or pre-foreclosed properties, I believe that you can get that information through your sheriff's department as well.

I am certainly not envious of your position, and I wish you the best of luck!

Stacey,
I am sorry for this happening to you and sadly it is more common than you might think. You can check the county records, I would also recommend you contact a real estate attorney. Best of luck to you.