Steps in the foreclosure process - SC

[Bob Ward]

A property owner left the county and walked away from the old house on which they still owed $79K on a 1977 mortgage. Medical issues and need to live with a relative. The owner moved out of county sometime in August and they died late October and by accident I rode by the house and saw the deceased owner's son when they were removing furniture. He implied that the family had 90 days to do something. Maybe he thought they had 90 days from the date of vacate. We seek a short sell and are communicating with an attorney who has no fee unless the short sale is a negotiated success. That said we were asked to check the clerk of court for a "special proceeding" file. Our inquiry to the lawyer was how far into the foreclosure process would make it too late to seek a short sale. The court told me all lawsuits start in their office and they have nothing filed on the deceased's name. How long does it take a bank to begin foreclosure process once they know the property has been abandoned? A relative of the deceased said they had already told the lender why they could not longer make the payments. There is liz pendens and other steps to the process. Thank you for your comments and advice and experiences with such matters.

How can we move this question to the foreclosure forum. Thank you.