Legal Question in Wills and Trusts in Maryland

Does a good faith letter expire? My house was in foreclouser,I have been in my home for 17 years. My sister help and paid if off. I put the house in her name to show her that I would paid her. Yes, she turned on me. She paid on price for the foreclouser and wrote a letter to let me know that once I paid her a higher amount that she would give me my home back. Will the good faith letter stand in court once I pay her? We have no written aggrement.


Asked on 8/19/10, 2:59 pm

3 Answers from Attorneys

Phillip M. Cook Cook Legal Services, LLC

You and your sister should pay an attorney for a couple hours of his time to draft up some documents that would properly reflect the arrangement between you and your sister. Let me know if I can be of assistance. Best of luck.******The above is for informational purposes only and does not create an attorney-client relationship.******

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Answered on 8/24/10, 4:28 pm
Sean T. Morris Law Office of Sean T. Morris

I know this is not necessarily helpful now, but it was a poor decision to transfer the home to your sister's name. There are other ways to secure a loan with real estate other than transferring full ownership. I wish you would have consulted a lawyer before entering this arrangement; a very modest amount of money then could have saved you this trouble now.

That all said (because I know it does not really help now), you should very strongly consider consulting a lawyer now to determine what your options are. You may have grounds to demand your sister honor your prior agreement, but it is impossible to say if that is so without knowing more facts. Many attorneys (including myself) offer a short free initial consultation. Feel free to email me ([email protected]) if you would like to discuss this matter further.

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Answered on 8/25/10, 5:54 am
Cedulie Laumann Arden Law Firm, LLC

As the above posters noted, your situation would greatly benefit from an attorney review. Note that the type of arrangement you described sounds like a foreclosure reconveyance agreement and may fall under the Maryland Protection of Homeowners in Foreclosure Act. This law very specifically deals with agreements to temporarily deed over property in exchange for getting the homeowner out of foreclosure and describes what needs to happen to get the home back. I suggest that you contact a real estate attorney who has some familiarity with PHIFA law.

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Answered on 8/25/10, 7:28 am


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