DIY Divorce in Florida

Do It For Your Kids - And Yourself

If you've been wondering where I've been, I quit smoking last week. And I used to blog and smoke. So right now being at the computer is dangerous territory for me. 

Today, people on Twitter reminded me that I'm worth it and gave me encouragement, as they have each of the past 7 days. And they pointed out that President Obama is still sneak smoking  and it's bad for his kids - and yours. He is the Example-in-Chief. That's how your kids think of you too.

I've quit twice before. This time I tried all the usual ways that worked before, but they didn't work. Quit dates came and went. I did not have a burning desire to quit. In fact, I LOVED smoking. But the facts are the facts and smoking IS dumb.

So enrolled in a class. The material wasn't new, but being accountable to the class members and teacher helped motivate me. It's been 7 days now. I don't recall it being this intense the other two times. If you are smoking, quit. It's an amazing, hellish, worthwhile thing to do- For your kids and for yourself. If you're interested in the teleclass I took, let me know.

So each day I have a little more concentration. I'll be back here soon. For now, I'm taking it one smoke-free day at a time and getting ready for the next Tele Test Drive Florida divorce class on Saturday.

If you are thinking about representing yourself in a Florida divorce, you should enroll in our complimentary Tele Test Drive class "Do You Have What It Takes to Represent Yourself in a Florida Divorce?"

Residential Mortgage Foreclosure Task Force Wants YOU

Many of you are facing foreclosure issues during your divorce. We're always looking for information to help you. Now, the Florida Supreme Court’s Residential Mortgage Foreclosure Task Force is offering you a chance to be heard. The Task Force has online surveys about mortgage foreclosure cases for borrowers, lawyers and lenders/holders at http://www.flcourts.org/gen_public/adr/index.shtml.  The borrowers survey is available in English, Spanish and Creole.

Is There a HARP in Your Divorce?

Today's post is from Delores Moore, a Home Mortgage Consultant with the Wells Fargo Home Mortgage Office in West Palm Beach.

You may have heard in the news recently that several new mortgage refinance programs have been released through the Federal Stimulus package. These programs  -- called the Home Affordable Refinance Program (HARP) - will no doubt be very instrumental in helping struggling home owners restructure their housing debt with more long-term manageable loans. Please note that only individuals whose existing mortgage is owned by either Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac will be eligible for these programs.

 

The guidelines for these refinances are uniform across the industry, and have some unique characteristics and requirements that could impact divorcing couples who need of mortgage relief.  In an effort to help empower you with the knowledge to make a sound decision, I have itemized below a few of the specific parameters of these programs that will directly impact any refinance of your marital home.

 

• RATE/TERM REFINANCE ONLY – The customer can only rewrite the existing balance of their first mortgage. They can not combine an existing 1^st and 2^nd mortgage into a new single loan amount.  They can not take out any cash, even if the purpose of that cash is to pay off a former spouse. Any existing 2^nd lien must be subordinated. 

• LOAN PARTIES ON THE REFINANCE –  In short,  additional parties can be ADDED to a loan (the new spouse, for example), but never can any parties be REMOVED as a result of the refinancing, even if