Time is the most critical factor in any foreclosure proceeding. Homeowners never seem to have enough of it, and every solution to the problem takes too much of it. And all the while, the bank is accelerating fees and charges as time goes on, while its attorneys file one motion after another with the court to push the foreclosure through as quickly as possible. This is why borrowers who are defending against the lender need to obtain as much additional time as they can.



Obviously, there are numerous ways to do this, from requesting that the bank simply put the process on hold to filing bankruptcy to stop foreclosure. These methods can be quite effective, and most homeowners overlook simply asking the bank to give them an additional month to sell, refinance, or find another solution to foreclosure. And although most borrowers consider bankruptcy a last resort to save the home, it will put the foreclosure on hold indefinitely until the courts have sorted out the bankruptcy case.

But homeowners can also use their local court to gain additional time to save the house or put together a more suitable defense to the foreclosure lawsuit. By filing a Motion for Extension of Time, borrowers can typically receive at least an additional thirty days to file an answer with the court. Most of the time, lawsuit defendants are given 15-20 days to respond to an initial complaint, which may not be nearly enough time to research the applicable issues and put them into a coherently organized defense.

Borrowers who are facing foreclosure are also notoriously stressed out and uncertain of just how to proceed with their lives. Losing a job or facing a medical emergency can create a crisis moment in the life of a family, and having roughly two weeks to put together a defense to a lawsuit may be impossible.

Thankfully, courts are mostly favorable to a Motion for Extension of Time, and banks rarely even oppose them by filing an objection, especially if the request is for a reasonable amount of time. Of course, if the homeowners ask for an additional year in which to file their answer without repercussions of foreclosure, the courts will view this as nothing more than a blatant attempt to take advantage of the legal system and keep the foreclosure on hold forever.

But reasonable requests for additional time will most often be granted. Once the extra time has expired, however, the homeowners better have filed their answer, if they hope to utilize the government courts to stop foreclosure for good. If the answer if filed after this date, it will probably be thrown out and a default judgment awarded in favor of the lender. Thus, if a Motion for Extension of Time is filed, borrowers must use that time to put together their thoughts and answer the complaint.

Of course, if there is reason to file a Motion to Dismiss instead of an answer, this should be done. As discussed previously, an answer to the complaint does not have to filed until the hearing for the Motion to Dismiss has been held. If homeowners use their additional time from the Motion for Extension of Time to attack the bank's ability to bring the lawsuit at all, they can file a Motion to Dismiss, and avoid filing their answer to the complaint. This will drag out the foreclosure process even longer and make the bank defend its standing to sue in the first place.

The longer a foreclosure lawsuit takes, the more the bank may be willing to come to the negotiating table and offer the borrowers are beneficial solution. Few homeowners utilize the courts effectively and even attend the initial hearing for fear of being thrown into a mythical debtors prison or publicly humiliated, let alone defend the bank's efforts to take their property. But a few simple motions, filed in accordance with the applicable rules of procedure, will put lenders on notice that homeowners will not go down without a fight.