10 Tips to Avoid Foreclosure
By Ki Gray

While foreclosure is the last thing a homeowner wants to face, it is an unfortunate reality of our current economic environment. However, by understanding what leads to foreclosure and the process that ensues, you may be in a better situation to act and avoid problems. The United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) suggests the following ten tips to homeowners facing foreclosure.

1.) Don’t ignore the problem- Avoiding the problem doesn’t make it go away. The sooner you act, the easier it is to get help based upon the delinquent fees on your account.

2.) Contact your lender at the earliest indication of a problem- Your lender may be able to provide you with a few options to help manage your house payment Contrary to what you may believe, your lender does not want your home- you lender wants you to be in your home with a reasonable payment plan. However, lenders are required to file a Notice of Default if necessary in order to protect their own interests.

3.) Open all mail sent from your lender- Again, ignoring the problem will not make it go away. In addition, lenders often provide helpful information that may provide a few options during the early phases of delinquent payments. Later in the process, important information regarding legal action and responsibilities may be sent by your lender.

4.) Know your mortgage rights- Read through your loan contract and contact your State Government Housing Office. Be well versed on what your lender may do if you can’t make payments and the time frames and laws in your state.

5.) Understand Foreclosure Prevention Options- A number of loss mitigation options are available including, but not limited to: payment forgiveness, extended time to make-up payments, spreading missed payments out over a longer period of time, changing terms of your loan, adding back payments to your loan balance through refinancing, or adding a separate loan through a partial claim.

6.) Contact a non-profit housing counselor- Counselors can help you with the laws and your options as well as organize your finances and represent you in negotiations. These counselors are available nationwide and are funded by HUD.

7.) Prioritize your spending- Next to your health, keeping your house should be your number one priority. Review your spending to see what you can remove to make more room in your budget for your house payment. Focus on optional spending, such as gym memberships, cable television, cellular phones and entertainment. Also, if necessary, delay payment on unsecured loans and debts, such as credit cards, until your mortgage payment is made. It is a good idea to contact the lender for your unsecured debt as well, as they may offer some options to help you manage your payments.

8.) Utilize your assets- Review your assets for anything that you may be able to sell for cash to make your payment or reinstate your loan. This can include a second car, jewelry, electronics or a whole life insurance policy. Also, if possible, attempt to take on a second job. What is important in these situations is that you have demonstrated to your lender that you are attempting to reconcile your financial obligations. Even though the financial gain may not be enough to completely reconcile the account, the display of effort is just as important.

9.) Avoid foreclosure prevention companies- With a number of non-profit agencies provided by the government, it is a good idea to avoid using for-profit agencies. You do not need to pay an user to provide you with information or negotiate with your lender when the capacity to do so is available for free. The payments you make to them (typically two to three months worth of your mortgage payment) is more adequately used to pay your loan itself.

10.) Be conscience of foreclosure recovery scams- If a recovery firm claims they can stop foreclosure by acting on your behalf, be careful of what you sign- you may be signing over your home to become a renter. Have the document reviewed by a trusted real estate professional, lawyer or HUD counselor prior to signing the document to ensure you understand all of the terms and conditions in the document.

Most of all don’t be embarrassed or ignorant of your foreclosure situation. With a number of options available, it is important to exercise all of them and work with your lender to get through your difficult financial situation.

Ki works, and lives, in Austin, Texas. He maintains a searchable database on his website focusing on Austin real estate. The site provides free search of the Austin MLS

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Connecticut lawmakers are considering extending help to more homeowners facing possible foreclosure as the problem broadens across the state.

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Stop Foreclosure - Wake Up! It Can Be Done!
By Kerminder Singh

Many people regard the process of foreclosure as a given. If they think that they cannot make the necessary payments or the fact that they have not made consecutive payments and there is little chance of getting back into the payments circle, they easily believe that they are in for foreclosure action by bank, or their lenders. There minds do not travel in any another direction that is positive. Such people get scared, do not answer their bank calls, and generally live a frightened life. They are waiting for the day when the bank executives or lending personnel will initiate the foreclosure actions against them.

There is an age old saying ‘Every Cloud Has a Silver Lining.’ Yes, if you think that there is no way to stop foreclosure then you are wrong. There are quite a number of ways that you can stall foreclosure action on your home and look at ways to make the payment, in a time frame and through a mode that is acceptable to you.

Understanding the Lenders Mindset

The best way one can avoid the prospect of foreclosure in by preventing lenders or banks from filing, what is known as the ‘Notice of Default’. You must understand the simple fact that no lender wants to foreclose the property. However, they want to protect their interests and hence will file the ‘Notice of Default’. Therefore, if you think, that there is a chance that you won’t be able to meet all your obligations with respect to mortgage, the first thing that you must do is make your call to the lender. There is no reason to put this off because of your embarrassment. Don’t ignore those letters from the lender because that would only go a long way in making the situation worse.

There are a number of options that are available to a person to stop foreclosure, dependent on various circumstances.

Timing and Forgiving

The lenders might just understand enough to wait for a particular amount of time before actually taking legal action against. The time gained would also help you chart out a repayment plan that will be great for you with respect to your financial situation and will also be affordable to you. There is a whole lot of negotiation required in this regard but at the end of the day a plan can be created that is advantageous, both for the lender as well as the borrower. You won’t believe it but there is also something called debt forgiveness. Herein, if only one or two payments are left and you cannot make them, the lender agrees to give you a break or even waives of the obligation. However, such waivers are rarely given. So, don’t depend on them.

At the end of the day, there are quite a few procedures available for borrowers who might be potential foreclosure victims. You as a borrower must be aware of them and the day you think that there is a good chance that your home might face foreclosure in the near future, you should start getting more information of how you can solve the problem.

Stop Foreclosure Now

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Telegraph.co.uk

Editorial: President Barack Obama's foreclosure plan comes with … MLive.com, MI by The Grand Rapids Press Editorial Board Home foreclosures have been a major piece of the nation's economic problems, and President Obama's plan is an earnest attempt to keep financially stretched people in their homes. The housing crisis hits home … Video: Federal Foreclosure FixCBS Helping avoid home foreclosures key to helping economyThe Newark Advocate Comment by Mike Larson Real Estate Analyst with Weiss Research Contra Costa Times all 3,819 news articles

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Some help could be on the way for Michigan homeowners facing foreclosure.

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The city of Moreno Valley will host a series of workshops starting this week aimed at helping homeowners at risk from foreclosure. Notices about the event are being sent to homeowners who are up to three months in default on their mortgages, city Economic Development Director Barry Foster said.

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WASHINGTON (AP) — Housing Secretary Shaun Donovan says it’s important that lending institutions “step up to the plate” to help make certain the Obama administration’s new home foreclosure initiative succeeds.

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Throw blame for foreclosures at right targets Atlanta Journal Constitution,  USA At long last, Washington is putting forth a proposal to deal with the heart of the economic crisis — home foreclosures. Though President Barack Obama’s multibillion-dollar plan comes too late for some, it may help millions of Americans still struggling … Video: Federal Foreclosure FixCBS Foreclosure plan can help, even in overbuilt FloridaPalm Beach Post Comment by Mike Larson Real Estate Analyst with Weiss Research MSNBC all 3,493 news articles

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Southwest Florida homeowners, experts weigh in on President Obama’s mortgage foreclosure initiative.

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Telegraph.co.uk

Fannie, Freddie to fund part of $75B foreclosure fix CNNMoney.com By Tami Luhby, CNNMoney.com senior writer NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) — The White House is using only $50 billion from the $700 billion financial industry bailout package to fund the foreclosure prevention program, a senior administration official … Video: Federal Foreclosure FixCBS Questions and answers about Obama's plan to avert foreclosuresSan Jose Mercury News Comment by Mike Larson Real Estate Analyst with Weiss Research Atlanta Journal Constitution all 4,306 news articles

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