Real estate in the USA is subject to property taxes and those property taxes are collected at the county level. Every part of the property from ownership, liens and loans and of course the property taxes themselves are all available for review by the general public at the county recorders office. We collect this information in the normal course of our research and develop our list of people to contact.

all-cash

Technically speaking, almost every real estate transaction is "all-cash" instead of bartering or trading a house for something else other than money. However, this term has come to mean the buyer is purchasing the property without a mortgage. It identifies the buyer-side of the transaction as not dependant on some additional approval from a lender.

as-is

This term is a bit more direct and means what it says. The typical retail home purchase is usually mired in specific repairs, inspections, improvements and of course costs the seller has to contribute before the transaction can be completed. "As-is" means the buyer is accepting the property as it sits and the seller will not need to make any repairs or disclosures about known issues.

with all faults

This means exactly the same as the definition of "as-is" above and is often used in a short offer. The lender will at some point have to approve the short offer and this is the preferred term instead of "as-is" even though they mean exactly the same thing.

Chapter 7, 11, 12, 13; business, personal, federal. . . . which one will save my home?

There is no clear answer to this question. In most cases filing for bankruptcy protection will only delay the foreclosure, but cannot ultimately prevent it. There are far too many variables to give a simple answer. If you are considering this approach, it would be best to hire an experienced backruptcy attorney.

If you are having trouble making your mortgage payments on time, every month then some form of an exit strategy would be a good idea. Some people may qualify for a loan modification while others do not. When your loan balance is higher than the current value of your home and you cannot make the payments, a short sale may be the solution.

Stopping the foreclosure auction.

The only sure fire way to stop the foreclosure is to pay what is owed by bringing your loan payments current. If this is not possible then your lender may grant a delay for a compelling reason. The outcome is all too predictable and your lender will eventually move against you in a foreclosure. Some people sell their property before the foreclosure ever happens.