Legal Question in Family Law in New Jersey
I am fully divorced and I have a non modifiable alimony agreement for 5 years in which I pay my ex-wife $23,400 a year. This comes out to about $1,950 a month which is quite significant as I only make $87,500 a year. This settlement is substantial due to the fact that my ex-wife refuses to work due to alcoholism and depression issues. At the time of divorce she did not have a job for 3 plus years. I guess she was considered to be permanently unemployable. I am not close to living a lifestyle that I used to live which was all courtesy of my hard work. I even had to pay down extra money to reduce the alimony to 5 years. We were married for 13 years, 14 by the time the divorce was final. I have a little over 3 years left on my alimony obligation.
I have enough for a down payment for a house but I am restricted to how much I can afford. With the job market as it is these days I fear a potential job loss within the next year. My question is should I hold tight and not buy a house or should I take a risk and buy a house. My worries are if I lose my job then alimony payments take precedence to mortgage payments and I would have to worry about foreclosure. Currently I am renting an apartment and I am just wasting my money and I am not building any equity. At the same time I would be worried if I owned a house and lost my job then I would have to worry about foreclosure. This is a very tough decision for me and I never get a straight answer from anyone. Going back to my divorce lawyer is not an option as he would just want to charge me for any advice. I had to cut him off as he tried to charge me for post divorce activities. Anyway please give me some proper advice so I don't continue to frustrate myself on a daily basis.
1 Answer from Attorneys
You may want to reconsider.
You have a complicated problem. You are also paying a lot of money, almost $2000 per month.
Wouldn't it make sense to spend some money on a lawyer, to get some idea what you can do to deal with this problem?
If you want a lawyer's assistance, then give me a call. Please call my office to make an appointment. It sounds like you could really use some good legal advice.
Robert F. Davies, Esq.,
Phone: 201-820-3459, Hackensack New Jersey.
Let my secretary know you found me through LawGuru.
Disclaimer: This answer is based only on the statements you have made, and may not be accurate. Your question and any response does NOT create an attorney-client relationship between you and this law firm. You can not rely on the statements made by an attorney given over the internet. The exact facts of your situation, including facts which you have not mentioned in your question, may completely change the result for your situation.
For more information on family law and divorce, see my website: http://www.attorneyrobertdavies.com
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