Foreclosure: Work To Avoid It.

If your home is on the verge of foreclosure or you fear the chance of it, you certainly will do any possible means to save it. But the problem is how you will do it? The first step, is going to your lender and asking for help. DO NOT OVER LOOK THIS OPTION!

For some, contacting your lender at the first sign of financial problems seems to be not so good of an idea. It may be because you are embarrassed to discuss money issues to others or you simply don't see the need to inform your lender right away of your present financial standing. But the truth is, asking for your lender's help will save you a lot of trouble and it will could help you save your home.

People often have the perception that lenders, like banks, think only of themselves and don't care about the future of the borrowers. This leads to the common notion that lenders show no mercy to homeowners who have defaulted on payments and will take the homes when the very first window of opportunity opens. The truth is lenders like owners will do everything they can to avoid home foreclosures. So again, the best way to save your home is to work with your lender to solve the problem.

If you miss payments for 3 consecutive months normally the lenders usually send a Notice of Default. However if you know your in trouble DO NOT wait until you get the notice to take action. Call your lender as soon as possible. Inform them of your reason of default on a payment and ask for an alternative payment schedule or temporary lower rates until your finances have recovered. You can also ask for Forbearance where your lender waives some of the penalty fees as a result of default or a mortgage refinance without going through the process of re-application. Most mortgage lenders are more than willing to help you to avoid repossessing your home.

Talk to your lender, inform them of the situation, and ask for payment alternatives. Don't wait too long before you make a move to save your home. Act fast. Understand the gravity of the situation and do something. It is your obligation to pay your mortgage but when worst comes to worst, your lender will help you keep your home. This is more true during economic downturn.

Don't Give In To Foreclosure

Foreclosures are a nasty "monsters", apart from the worry and stress of possibly losing all you own, is the fact that you lose all control over the sale process.

The painful honest truth is that the finance company is only looking after it's own interests. There is no emotions involved here and they will take offers that do not even fully cover the debt, let alone recover some of your equity. To them this is just business.

Do not let it happen if you can help it. Take on another job, get your wife to take in laundry. Rake up the cash the best you can. Everyone has ways we can cut back or living expenses and increase our income a little.

Think outside the norm, maybe attempt to sell the property yourself. If the property market is difficult, advertise to exchange/swap your house for something cheaper. Look at how the property could earn you money. Maybe it has an apartment attached that could be rented out. Maybe it has a room at the back of the garage to rent out. Perhaps it might have an extra garage to rent out. If it is a big house maybe you could take in lodgers or students and charge them for room and board. All these little things will help to pay off your mortgage.

Can you restructure the loan?? Can you restructure the loan so that your repayments are lower than you are currently paying. You could pay over 40 years instead of 25 years. Maybe you could have half the loan over 40 years and half on interest only repayments with the ability to reduce the principal with lump sum repayments when you have the extra funds available. Or maybe look at simply getting another loan and paying off the original mortgage.

If a foreclosure is getting closer and you have been unsuccessful in averting it. You can accept the inevitable or you can fight the " monster" and take drastic action. However, if it means saving the equity in your house it may be worth it.