What are my chances of getting approved for a decent loan amount...

[Anonymous]

How would we negotiate a settlement? Do we get the CA info from the Clerk of Courts office? Would we need an attorney? Sorry, this is new to me.

[StartingOver10]

First thing, is go to the clerk of courts to get a copy of the judgment.

There will be a case number on the judgment. Look up the case number and download a copy of the entire case. You may have to actually call the Clerk's office to see the best way to get a copy of the case. In fact, you might actually have to visit the Clerks office to get a copy of the file. Make sure you get a copy of everything.

Once you have the case info you can check to see if the judgment creditor did everything correctly. It might be too late to challenge the judgment because its been almost ten years, but its never too late to negotiate. But check anyway to see if they followed procedure, it could come in handy when you are negotiating with them for a reduced amount.

However, if you are not familiar with negotiating then get a good consumer attorney to help you. Make sure you don't tip your hand by telling them you are cleaning up credit to buy a house.

[Anonymous]

Thanks! The less money we can pay them the better- I am sure a ton of it is fees and interest.

[StartingOver10]

Each state has a statutory amount they are allowed to charge for interest. Look up your state's amount. Check it for the past 10 years. At least then you can see what the maximum interest that can be charged. You want this info before you ever call the CA.

You also want to make sure that the CA has the actual authority to collect on behalf of the judgment creditor. Good luck in your negotiating! It can be done. By the way, see if you can negotiate for the judgment creditor to VACATE the judgment upon payment. I don't know if that is possible, but that would be the very best thing for your husband. Then the next best thing is a full Satisfaction.