By Roy Oppenheim
Oppenheim Law marked its 16th Monthly legal real estate workshop last Thursday and thanks to you – our readers – who attended or brought a friend, we continue to evaluate the real estate market.
For those not able to make the event, I have two pieces of good news for you:
- Oppenheim Law is already preparing for our next free real estate workshop scheduled on Wednesday, March 3.
- We have a recap of the workshop’s timely highlights
The most important message: things are changing.
- Florida Foreclosure Defense is constantly evolving and Oppenheim Law is finding new ways to defend foreclosures every day.
- The FL Supreme Court’s ruling requiring mandatory mediation between homeowners and banks already started in Palm Beach and Miami-Dade Counties.
- 70% of foreclosure cases that go to mediation are settled.
- The social stigma of foreclosure is evaporating: everyone knows someone who is in foreclosure.
- Walking away from an underwater mortgage is no longer a moral decision. The banks were allowed to walk away from their monumental debt and write it off as a “business decision.” Why can’t homeowners do the same?
- The crisis in Haiti will likely have an influence on the South Florida real estate landscape. Florida saw similar results after Hurricane Andrew when folks were searching for new places to live. Black Swan events like these are important to consider and watch.
Oppenheim Law stresses the importance of helping homeowners avoid deficiency judgments at all costs. Ignoring the foreclosure notice or moving out is perhaps not the best possible decision you can make.
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