It happens to everyone at some point in their homeowners career. You purchase a house, and vow that you will make every payment on time, if not early. You do too, for the first few months.
Then it happens. Something happens and you can’t make the full payment, so you send them half, vowing to send the other half as soon as you can. Then the next month comes along, and the trend continues. Soon you find yourself deep in this hole with your lender threatening foreclosure.
Finally the letter arrives, the summons appears and you realize that you are on the brink of loosing everything, including your home. You frantically try to figure out how you are going to stop it. Yet, do nothing. You think that it won’t happen, it can’t happen. Then it does.
Millions of homeowners a year face foreclosure. Many feel that they are fighting a loosing battle with their lender. Almost all of them will do nothing.
Did you know that there is something you can do? You can take action to prevent and even stop foreclosure on your home. Even if your are thousands behind. There a programs out there, lenders that will help you, steps you can take to stop the foreclosure process.
The very first thing you need to do is get yourself out of the mindset that it can’t happen. Because if you are not paying your loan, the lender is well within their rights to declare that you have defaulted. Once you are default, the foreclosure notice isn’t far behind. Be proactive. Yes, it is cheaper for the lender to keep you in your home then to foreclose, but it doesn’t mean they won’t exercise that option when the time is right.
Once you recieve your default notice in the mail, don’t just sit there and do nothing. Because if you do, then you are going to be standing out on the curb in a few months watching as a sheriff’s deputy hauls your stuff out onto the front lawn. Call your lender the day you receive that notice. Ask to speak to a credit specialist. There are programs that are out there to help you.
If your lender can’t or won’t help you, start looking to outside sorces. HUD (www.hud.com) has a few programs to help you. Watch your mail, because as soon as the lender decides to start foreclosure, the offers to help will come pouring in.
Stay in your home. Don’t abandon it. If you do that then many lenders won’t help you at all.
You don’t have to sell your home. Many programs enable you to retain possesion of your home.
Make payment arrangements with your lender, and follow through with them. Once you get on a repayment plan, it will stall the foreclosure process, but if you default on one payment, then the current foreclosure will become active again.
Know your rights. As a homeowner, you have certain rights available to you. Contact a real-estate broker, agent or attorney and see what you can do.
Above all else, don’t just sit there. There is always a soulution to any problem and you may be amazed at what is available to you. Be active, stay in contact with your lender, enter into a repayment plan and stick with it.
You can do it. I did.
