My wife and I must file bankruptcy – we need some advice?
We live in Washington. We own a home that has 95K in equity – but we owe the IRS about 85K. We have gone through the pre bankruptcy counseling and they say we HAVE to file – because we are in the hole 6K per month (long story – I owned a business and got very ill). My income is commission only – and I don’t have commissions coming in which is why I need to file Pro Se’. Basically – do I let the trustee sell my house? Do I need an attorney to make sure the taxes are discharged (they have been owing for over 3 years and over 2 years since I’ve filed – and also the 3rd rule I’ve passed too) because that would be horrible to walk away without them discharged. I have 2 cars I want to give back. If I file now – how long can i live in the home and when do I need to surrender the cars ? I don’t want to milk the system – I just want to find a place to live and have enough time to earn a commission (should be 30 days away)
They may have changed the rules – but I know you can do it pro se. The reason I would even try is I used to be a creditor rep that goes to court and I reviewed every petition to find fraud. I know most things – it’s just the tax lien stuff and the sale of the home I don’t. My attorney wants 00 up front. It is so embarrassing – I used to make K per week – and now I’m reduced to not being able to pay an attorney. Life goes on.