Posts Tagged ‘Economy’

The Top 7 Foreclosure Assistance Solutions Options

Monday, June 28th, 2010

foreclosure
Peter Baptiste asked:


What can I do to stop foreclosure? Are there foreclosure assistance solutions available to help me? These are top questions that many Americans are finding themselves asking today. With so many foreclosures occurring, it leaves families in precarious positions, looking for foreclosure assistance solutions in lieu of foreclosure. Thankfully, there are some great solutions available.

John and Mary were an average couple. Both had jobs, a nice home, two cars, and were doing pretty well. However, John’s company was getting squeezed by the economy, so they laid him off, and at the same time the interest rates on their adjustable rate mortgage jumped, making their payment more than ever before in a time when they had less income than every before. Soon they were missing payments and facing foreclosure, frantically looking for foreclosure assistance solutions to help.

When you’re looking for foreclosure assistance solutions, there are several things to keep in mind. You want to make sure you choose the right solution for your needs, so here are several things to look for when searching for a foreclosure solution.

- Look for an Option That Will Help You Save Your Home – When you are weighing the various solutions available to you today, look for an option that will help you save your home if possible. This is not always possible, but the best choice.

- Make Sure You’re Not Getting Involved in a Scam – There are many scams out there, and when you’re trying to find the right foreclosure assistance solutions, keep your eyes open for scams.

- Don’t Pay for Help – There are many solutions out there and you shouldn’t have to pay for them. So, if they are asking for payment, this is not the right solution for you.

Solution #1 – Talk to Your Lender – Probably one of the best foreclosure assistance solutions to employ if you are facing foreclosure is to start out by talking to your lender. You need to let them know what the problem is. They don’t want to foreclose and can often offer you other great solutions to help.

Solution #2 – Loan Refinancing – Loan refinancing is another of the many foreclosure assistance solutions that is a great option for you. When you have an adjustable rate mortgage, this is definitely a top solution, since you can often save quite a bit in interest. This is a top way to avoid foreclosure but is not always an option.

Solution #3 – Forbearance – Forbearance on your loan can help you reduce your mortgage payments or even delay them for a time period without legal action. If you have dealt with a job loss or extreme financial problems, this is one of the top foreclosure assistance solutions to check into.

Solution #4 – Pre-Foreclosure Sales – If you are not interested in keeping your home and you’d rather make sure that you save your credit and avoid a foreclosure, pre-foreclosure sales can provide you with an excellent option.

Solution #5 – Repayment Plan – Some companies will offer special repayment plans that are great foreclosure assistance solutions. This is a very common method used and includes your lender allowing you to repay the past due amounts by adding part of it to your monthly payment each month so you can get caught up.

Solution #6 – Short Sale – A short sale is not one of the top foreclosure assistance solutions, and it means you’ll be giving up your home, but it is a good option as a last resort. It allows you to sell your home for less than the mortgage amount, but you’ll have to get your lender to agree to it.

Solution #7 – Deed in Lieu – Last of all, deed in lieu is another one of the many foreclosure assistance solutions available, but there are some big disadvantages. While it does help you to avoid foreclosure, it can still damage your credit.

These are just a few of the top foreclosure assistance solutions options that you have today. It’s important that you understand your options and how they work so you can make sure that you don’t get caught off guard by foreclosure. There is help for you if you are dealing with a possible foreclosure, so take the time to find out more about these solutions that are available to you.



Sunday, December 13th, 2009

foreclosure
Igor Mosyak asked:


There are more reasons to understand the foreclosure process in the US than ever before. In September, 2008 alone there were 81,312 homes that were lost to foreclosure. The 3rd quarter of 2008 showed a 71% spike in foreclosure rates as compared to last year at this time. These are record-high numbers and it should be obvious that lenders do not want this trend to continue. Still, the fact remains that over 851,000 homes have been repossessed since August of 2007. The housing crisis in America is smothering homeowners – along with the rising costs associated with fuel. People are being financially crippled and hundreds of thousands are falling under every day.

In September, 2008 there were over 265 thousand borrowers that received notifications of foreclosures. Although that number is down 12 percent from August, it is still a 21 percent increase from one year ago. Many times in the past have shown foreclosures to be a result of a weakened economy. This current cycle of foreclosures has in fact caused an economic downturn.

As a result, many states have relaxed their housing laws to slow the rate of new foreclosure filings. This accounts largely for the 12% decrease from August to September. Lenders are now being required to give significantly more lenient notices before initiating the foreclosure process against borrowers. Other law changes are being made as well in favor of the borrowers, but financial analysts fear that even these new relaxed laws are simply putting off what will soon happen anyway.

The effect seems to be that when borrowers receive a longer-term notice before the foreclosure process is initiated, they simply seem to get further buried in their debt. With each passing month, mortgage payments, late fees and costs associated with the foreclosure process continue to mount, and the borrowers are simply overwhelmed. They cannot catch up and so after the notification period extinguishes, foreclosure rates spike again.

The Federal Housing Authority initiated the “Hope for Homeowners” rescue bill on October 1, 2008. It was designed to re-instill investor confidence and absorb some of the poisonous debt that has accumulated. The US Treasury is also buying up troubled loans in an attempt to re-stabilize the various lending entities. As a result, it is projected that by the end of 2008, between 25% and 33% of all homes will be owned by banks and backed by the Federal Housing Authority.

The new laws in many states concerning the foreclosure process give temporary reprieve to tens of thousands of borrowers. It is highly advisable to take advantage of this leniency if you are one of those who are threatened with foreclosure. Consult with a qualified foreclosure consultant and explore the options that exist for saving your home. Many times, a professional foreclosure consultant can show you ways to have the foreclosure process negated and allow you and your family to stay in your home. To learn more about the foreclosure process and your rights regarding it, please visit Stop Foreclosure Help Today. We can help you to keep the home that you have worked so hard for.



Foreclosure Hits Unexpected

Wednesday, November 18th, 2009

CBS asked:


A new wave of homeowners who pay their mortgages on time are now facing foreclosure after losing their jobs in the slumping economy. Ben Tracy has more.