One of the considerations in deciding whether you should hire a lawyer to help you fight your foreclosure is the cost. It’s essential to understand how legal fees work to make sure that you don’t end up paying more than you can afford. Most foreclosure defense attorneys structure their fee agreements with homeowners in one of three ways: Before you pay money to a foreclosure lawyer, consider whether you should hire a foreclosure attorney in the first place. Some foreclosure defense attorneys charge an hourly rate for their services. The rate can range from around $100 per hour to several hundred dollars per hour. With this type of fee arrangement, the lawyer generally collects an initial retainer; an advance payment to the attorney before starting to work on your case of several thousand dollars. The retainer amount and hourly rate vary widely, depending on the attorney’s experience and the customary rates in the area. Say you give your foreclosure defense attorney a $2,000 retainer. She charges $200 per hour. First, she reviews all of the documents in your case. Then, she prepares and files an answer and affirmative defenses to the foreclosure action. All of this takes five hours. The attorney also spends time preparing for and attending a foreclosure mediation with you. You’ll also get billed for the time it takes to make phone calls and emails related to your case. This work, too, adds up to five hours. The retainer is now gone, and the attorney hasn’t even attended any foreclosure hearings yet. Because the attorney must do more work, you’ll have to make further payments. Pros and ConsThe benefit to this type of fee arrangement is you’ll only pay the attorney for the amount of time actually worked on your case. The downside is that while the attorney will probably be able to give you a likely range of what you’ll pay in total, you won’t get an exact price as far as what the total cost of the foreclosure defense will be—and hourly fees can add up quickly. The benefit to paying a flat fee is that you know ahead of time exactly what the total cost of your foreclosure defense will be. Whether it takes five months or two years to dismiss the foreclosure or for the lender to complete the process, you know that this is all you’ll pay. The downside is that not all foreclosure attorneys offer this option, and you’ll have to pay the fee upfront, which is difficult for many distressed homeowners. Other Lawyers Charge a Monthly RateSome foreclosure attorneys charge an upfront retainer ranging from several hundred to several thousand dollars and then a monthly fee (like $500) for each month that the foreclosure is pending. In addition, attorneys have been known to charge an extra fee on top of this amount, called a “contingent fee,” if the case is dismissed due to the firm’s efforts. Pros and ConsThe benefit of paying a monthly fee is that you know what your attorney will cost each month without variation. Also, the attorney has an incentive to keep you in the property for as long as possible (if that’s your goal). The downside is that you must pay this amount each month, even if little activity takes place in your case during that time. Foreclosure defense attorneys will also charge for costs, like mailing, travel expenses, and court costs, on top of their fee. Beware of Unreasonable Foreclosure Defense FeesWhen the financial crisis occurred, it became difficult for many people, including attorneys, to find work. As a result, many attorneys became foreclosure defense “experts” overnight marketing their services to homeowners in distress. In some cases, the fees that attorneys charge for services related to foreclosure aren’t reasonable. So you need to be careful and do your research when hiring an attorney to fight your foreclosure. Ultimately, when trying to decide if a foreclosure defense fee is reasonable, ask yourself whether the attorney is charging a fair amount considering the services provided or whether the lawyer is trying to get a windfall from your situation. One of the biggest concerns of people in need of the assistance of an attorney is how much it will cost. The type of fee arrangement that is available to a client will often have a lot to do with the type of legal issues you are bringing to your attorney. There are several common types of attorney fees and fee arrangements: What Does A Foreclosure Defense Attorney Do For You?Foreclosure cases are rarely set in stone. Hiring an experienced foreclosure defense attorney early in the case gives you the best chance of success. The last thing you want to do is battle for your home in court without knowing all your options. Here are a few immensely helpful things a foreclosure attorney can do for you. 1. Provide You With Options: A foreclosure defense attorney knows the legal landscape better than you. Their experience and judgment will save you time, help you avoid pitfalls, and maximize your chances of saving your home. Depending on your situation, your best course of action may be to avoid foreclosure via loss mitigation, modify your loan, file for Chapter 13 bankruptcy, or have your foreclosure attorney represent you in court outright. An experienced foreclosure attorney in Los Angeles can help you understand the pros and cons of each option. When to Hire a Foreclosure Attorney?Your lender usually has to wait until you’re at least 120 days late on your payment to initiate either a judicial or nonjudicial foreclosure, depending on state laws. In a judicial foreclosure, you respond to the lender’s lawsuit through the state court system. To fight a nonjudicial foreclosure, which doesn’t require the lender to secure a judge’s approval, you have to file your own lawsuit for the court’s consideration. In either process, you should usually seek out an attorney for some situations in particular, such as when: via Ascent Law, LLC https://www.ascentlawfirm.com/what-is-the-average-attorney-fee-for-foreclosure/
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