Foreclosure Help

There have always been homeowners who, for whatever reason, one day have trouble making their mortgage payments. Circumstances change, people lose jobs, medical bills overwhelm or any number of bad things happen. It can happen to the best of us. It's beginning to happen more often in many parts of the country as some of the adjustable rate mortgages suddenly require much larger mortgage payments. And, some buyers who were encouraged to stretch more than they should have to buy a home, will now find themselves in trouble.

If you know you've got a problem, the first thing to do is not panic.  It's so easy to say, so hard to do! Don't panic, but also don't avoid the situation. It's important to intervene early in order to have the best chance of a good outcome for you and your family. Approach your lender immediately when you know you've got an issue. Many of them want to work with you to find a way for you to keep your home if at all possible.  Remember that it's expensive for them to take your home and resell it. And, in this buyer's market it's definitely not easy money for them! Often lenders will try to help you restructure your mortgage. That may mean adding a little to future payments to make up for missed payments. It may even mean they forgive some debt. Your situation and your lender's policy will be unique. But rest assured that there are other options than walking away or declaring bankruptcy.

There are foreclosure counseling services out there, but you should be very careful. Many of them are simply looking to prey on people who already are feeling desperate. HUD (Housing & Urban Development) a federal government department has certified certain homeowner counseling agencies. You can be sure that these agencies are not looking to take advantage of your situation. You can find a list of these agencies on HUD's web site at: http://www.hud.gov/offices/hsg/sfh/hcc/hcs.cfm

And, if I can ever be of assistance, please don't hesitate to call! There have always been people available to help me when things looked dark. I'm happy to pass that along when I can!