How to Avoid Losing Your House From Credit Card Defaults

Even unsecured debt can affect your home and property interest.
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Credit cards help you to establish your credit, but when you default on them, you may face serious consequences. Credit card companies can garnish your wages and your bank account. They can also put a lien on your house or try to foreclose on the house in certain situations. By taking proactive measures, you can protect your home from creditors, and you can rebuild your credit to avoid facing similar consequences in the future.

Step 1

Avoid secured credit cards. Most credit cards are unsecured, meaning that you are not using any type of collateral to secure the credit. Secured debt is backed by collateral, such as a home, and allows the creditor to foreclose on the property when you default. If your creditor offers to transfer your existing unsecured balance to a secured card with a lower interest rate, refuse this offer. However, even unsecured debt can result in a lien being placed against your property if the creditor sues you.

Step 2

Attempt to pay off your debt. Contact your creditors and ask to get on a payment plan. A credit counseling company may be able to negotiate a favorable interest rate or have fees waived for you. Creditors may be willing to accept a lump sum debt settlement.

Step 3

Attend any applicable court proceedings. If a creditor wants to garnish your wages, garnish your bank account or place a lien against your house, he has to get a court judgment to that effect. Present any defense that you have, such as attempts that you made to pay the debt, extenuating circumstances or a statute of limitations within which the company did not collect. You may also assert your state's Homestead Act, if applicable. This act protects homeowners from having to sell off their primary home to pay off unsecured debt.

Step 4

File for Chapter 7 bankruptcy if necessary. This type of bankruptcy may allow you to remove your personal liability to unsecured debts while still allowing you to retain your home, depending on your state laws and how much equity you have in it. A bankruptcy attorney may be able to remove a lien on your house during the bankruptcy proceedings.

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