BEST ANSWER
FIRST ANSWER
you need to go to the bank and sit down and talk to them face to face. The people at the local branch will not be able to help you, but they will be able to tell you the specific department of the bank that you need to talk to and give you the correct information on how to contact that department. You also need to find out if your local community has a fnancial assistance program that provides free counseling and guidance to help guide you through the foreclosure procedures.
I'm sorry, but no lender is going to lend you money to buy another home while you are behind (even slightly) in paying the mortgage on your current home. Keep in mind that you will have to pay closing costs on both the home that you sell and the home that you buy and they will consider that at well. If you will have to bring money to the closing table in order to pay off the mortgage on your current home (ie you will not be able to sell it for as much as you owe the bank on it) and you do not have that much money, then it is considered a short sale and the bank will have to agree to take less than that amount when the home is sold. The bank has the right to not accept those terms and to insist that you sign a promissary note saying that you will continue to pay them the difference between the sale price and the amount that you owe them on your current mortgage over the next XX number of years before they will allow you to sell the home.
I strongly recommend that you sit down with a Realtor who is experienced in working with people who are in your situation or with a program like Beyond Housing, Housing Assistance, Catholic Charities (There are many programs and I don't know which ones are available in your area - call your local city hall and ask if anyone deals with affordable housing issues, then talk to that person to see, if you are in St Louis, call me and I'll get you the correct phone numbers to call). Good Luck.
Tue Apr 8 2008, 12:18