rategy. Buy the house right, to begin with – then don’t tap the equity for silly reasons.

It’s a good idea to keep a minimum of 3 total mortgage payments in savings in case you run into trouble (temporary loss of income, etc.). This way even if you do have a set back, you won’t even have mortgage late pays on you credit. If discipline is tough for you, create a separate bank account just for this. Out of

In recent years there have been numerous factors that have led to record breaking foreclosures in many states. Some of the contributing factors have been unscrupulous lending practices, flat markets, and employment rates; but also uneducated or undisciplined choices by homeowners have played a large part.

We are going to briefly discuss some things that can be done to protect against finding yourself in this position, but also what to do if you or someone you know is already facing foreclosure.

First it’s important to understand that foreclosure processes are a little different from state to state, so some changes may need to be applied to this information for your state. However, foreclosure generally works as follows:

-At 90 days late the lender notifies its attorney to begin foreclosure.

-Attorney files appropriate document with county

-A sale date is set roughly 2 months out (depends on state)

-House gets sold at auction (actual foreclosure)

-Homeowner has right to redeem for state specific period

Prevent Foreclosure before it ever starts.

A common mistake that gets people into a position to be foreclosed on is pulling out their equity to be used for consumer purchases (buying stuff!) No matter how good the interest rate you’ll get on the line of credit or refinanced money, if you don’t think you’ll use it wisely, don’t touch it.

Another common mistake is paying too much for the house to begin with, especially in a flat or slow market with little appreciation. Even in a hotter market, appreciation should be considered gravy—a bonus IF it happens, NOT a strategy. Buy the house right, to begin with – then don’t tap the equity for silly reasons.

It’s a good idea to keep a minimum of 3 total mortgage payments in savings in case you run into trouble (temporary loss of income, etc.). This way even if you do have a set back, you won’t even have mortgage late pays on you credit. If discipline is tough for you, create a separate bank account just for this. Out of

this position, but also what to do if you or someone you know is already facing foreclosure.

First it’s important to understand that foreclosure processes are a little different from state to state, so some changes may need to be applied to this information for your state. However, foreclosure generally works as follows:

-At 90 days late the lender notifies its attorney to begin foreclosure.

-Attorney files appropriate document with county

-A sale date is set roughly 2 months out (depends on state)

-House gets sold at auction (actual foreclosure)

-Homeowner has right to redeem for state specific period

Prevent Foreclosure before it ever starts.

A common mistake that gets people into a position to be foreclosed on is pulling out their equity to be used for consumer purchases (buying stuff!) No matter how good the interest rate you’ll get on the line of credit or refinanced money, if you don’t think you’ll use it wisely, don’t touch it.

Another common mistake is paying too much for the house to begin with, especially in a flat or slow market with little appreciation. Even in a hotter market, appreciation should be considered gravy—a bonus IF it happens, NOT a strategy. Buy the house right, to begin with – then don’t tap the equity for silly reasons.

It’s a good idea to keep a minimum of 3 total mortgage payments in savings in case you run into trouble (temporary loss of income, etc.). This way even if you do have a set back, you won’t even have mortgage late pays on you credit. If discipline is tough for you, create a separate bank account just for this. Out of

-Attorney files appropriate document with county

-A sale date is set roughly 2 months out (depends on state)

-House gets sold at auction (actual foreclosure)

-Homeowner has right to redeem for state specific period

Prevent Foreclosure before it ever starts.

A common mistake that gets people into a position to be foreclosed on is pulling out their equity to be used for consumer purchases (buying stuff!) No matter how good the interest rate you’ll get on the line of credit or refinanced money, if you don’t think you’ll use it wisely, don’t touch it.

Another common mistake is paying too much for the house to begin with, especially in a flat or slow market with little appreciation. Even in a hotter market, appreciation should be considered gravy—a bonus IF it happens, NOT a strategy. Buy the house right, to begin with – then don’t tap the equity for silly reasons.

It’s a good idea to keep a minimum of 3 total mortgage payments in savings in case you run into trouble (temporary loss of income, etc.). This way even if you do have a set back, you won’t even have mortgage late pays on you credit. If discipline is tough for you, create a separate bank account just for this. Out of

mer purchases (buying stuff!) No matter how good the interest rate you’ll get on the line of credit or refinanced money, if you don’t think you’ll use it wisely, don’t touch it.

Another common mistake is paying too much for the house to begin with, especially in a flat or slow market with little appreciation. Even in a hotter market, appreciation should be considered gravy—a bonus IF it happens, NOT a strategy. Buy the house right, to begin with – then don’t tap the equity for silly reasons.

It’s a good idea to keep a minimum of 3 total mortgage payments in savings in case you run into trouble (temporary loss of income, etc.). This way even if you do have a set back, you won’t even have mortgage late pays on you credit. If discipline is tough for you, create a separate bank account just for this. Out of

rategy. Buy the house right, to begin with – then don’t tap the equity for silly reasons.

It’s a good idea to keep a minimum of 3 total mortgage payments in savings in case you run into trouble (temporary loss of income, etc.). This way even if you do have a set back, you won’t even have mortgage late pays on you credit. If discipline is tough for you, create a separate bank account just for this. Out of site out of mind.

If you’re already late on payments:

Communicate with your lender. Express your hardship to them right away and that you are interested in getting it resolved. They will be willing to work with you at this stage if you are open. Communicate!

Cut back on any unnecessary expenses you can. If you have to talk to other creditors and explain that you will need to work out a different payment plan with them, do it.

Ask your lender about a forbearance agreement. This is basically when your lender agrees to take the arrears amount and divide it by 6 months or 12 months, then tack that amount onto your payments. Note: your payments will go UP in this situation, so your financial situation must have improvement. WARNING: most people don’t realist that during a forbearance agreement, you are still racking up late payments until everything is caught up. This can seriously damage your credit.

In very serious cases your lender may consider agreeing to a loan modification. This is when you and your lender restructure your existing loan, in essence replacing it with a new one. They will require specific documentation to do this. Communicate.

When you can not keep your house and must sell.

If your financial situation has not changed and you expect it to remain that way for quite awhile, it will probably be in your best interest to sell. In this situation time is of the essence.

Here you basically have 3 options:

• Sell the house yourself (FSBO)
• List it with a real estate agent
• Work with an investor

  We really don’t recommend trying