How Foreclosure Can Affect Your Credit

Having a foreclosure on your credit report can be even more damaging than a bankruptcy.  A foreclosure on your credit report will have a negative impact on your credit score for many years.  The best way to stop a foreclosure is to get your loan current and keep your credit score intact.
Before you decide on a type of foreclosure, you should understand it’s impact on your credit rating.

  • Refinancing:  You are paying off your old loan with a new loan that is more favorable to you.  This should keep your credit rating intact, besides any late payments.
  • Forbearance:  The promise to stay up to date on payments and agree to a re-payment plan for any delinquent payments and fees you have incurred.  Only late payments should affect your credit score.
  • Deed-In-Lieu:  This is basically handing your keys over to your lender.  Your credit score will be affected the same as if you have a foreclosure.  Your credit score could be hit 200-300 points.
  • Bankruptcy:  Should always be your final option.  Your credit score could go down 400 points, and be on your record for years.
  • Loan Modification:  Allows you to stay in your home.  This will not negatively affect your credit score, unless you have late payments.
  • Short Sale:  Your home is sold for less than you owe the lender.  Depending on the number of payments missed, your credit rating may be reduced 50-150 points.
  • Discounted Note Purchase:  An investor buys your note at a discounted rate.  Besides any late payments, it should not impact your credit rating.

You should consult with your attorney or accountant before you take any action to stop foreclosure.

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Foreclosure Options

As the economy gets tougher, we see more homes being foreclosed.  There is no immediate solution to this crisis, but there are some ways you can avoid foreclosure.

Do not ignore the problem, it is not going to go away without some help.  Face the problem, contact your lender immediately to come to some sort of payment arrangement that will allow you to keep your home.  Read all mail that you get from your lender.  They are offering you a solution to your problems.  Lenders offer you options when you are in the early stages of default.  Do not let this opportunity slip away.

Go through your loan documents to know the do’s and don’ts of your loan.  You need to know all of the consequences you might face upon default of your loan.  There are a lot of loan assistance programs designed to help you avoid foreclosure.  You may also want to contact a non-profit housing counselor that can help you understand the laws and what your options are.

Your focus should be on saving your home, so do not spend money on things that you really do not need.  Any money you can save, put towards your mortgage payment.  If you have junk laying around think about selling it to give you some extra money.  You may have to work 2 jobs for a while in order to save your home.  Do what you can to make sure you do not have to face foreclosure.

If you are having trouble paying for your home, you owe it to yourself and your family to do anything you can to save your home from a possible foreclosure.

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Foreclosure Assistance Programs

The Federal Government and most lending institutions are offering a lot of foreclosure assistance programs that are aimed at minimizing or stopping the number of people who are in danger of losing their homes.  Foreclosure rates are on the rise, but help is out there if you know where to look.

A Repayment Plan is one type of foreclosure assistance plan.  This plan helps people who have encountered short term financial difficulties.  If you were unable to make your mortgage payment due to an illness, a repayment plan would be good for you.  Contact your lender to find out the guidelines for this type of assistance program.

Short Sale is another option for those who are no longer able to pay their home loan.  With this loan option, you will have to sell your home at a discount that will allow you to pay off your debt.  If you are lucky, you may have some money left over for yourself.  If you choose the short sale option, you might have to pay certain taxes, and you can still end up losing your home and have no money left over.  Before choosing this assistance program, think carefully.

The most popular loan assistance program is loan modification.  This loan aims to help you make payments on your loan easier by negotiating the term of your loan.  Ask your lender about the payment schedule, the amount of your monthly payment, and what your interest rate will be.  In order to get approved for a loan modification, you have to show your lender that you can really afford the new payment terms.

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Loans To Save Your Home From Foreclosure

If you are in danger of losing your home to foreclosure, there are some options available, but you need to act now!  A foreclosure loan could be the answer you have been searching for.

Banks and lending institutions all over the country have special foreclosure loan programs designed to help people from losing their homes or property.  Believe it or not the bank does not want to see you lose your home either.  A foreclosure loan program is instituted through additional funds from companies that are willing to work with you to help save your home.

Foreclosure loans will pay off your old loan and give you a new loan.  The new foreclosure loan will let you pay your loan payments over a longer period of time.  By extending your loan, you have more time to make payments in an amount that you are able to afford.  Each plan will be created to your specific needs.

If this sounds like a great solution, contact banks and loan institutions in your area.  Ask them if they offer foreclosure loans.  You may also be able to get information from your local City Chamber Of Commerce.  Foreclosure loans are not available to everybody, but if you are facing home foreclosure it is worth looking into.

Most people that are facing foreclosure think they will not qualify for any kind of loan, but you may be surprised.  You have to take action if you want to save your home.  It may take time to find the right solution, but anything is better than having your home taken away.

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How To Stop Foreclosure Before It Happens

None of us want to lose our homes due to foreclosure.  You may be able to stop your home from being foreclosed before things become that bad.

As soon as you begin having trouble making your mortgage payment, contact your lender.  The actual foreclosure process does not normally begin until you are 3 months behind on your payments.  Do not let it get this far behind.  Call your lender, and try and work out some kind of payment arrangement.  You want to contact them before they have to contact you.  When you miss your first payment, you will be notified by mail, the second time you miss a payment, your lender will start calling you at home.  It is in your best interest to avoid these phone calls.

There are several options for you if you contact your lender before you become 90 days past due.  Once the account is over 90 days past due, there is not a lot you or your lender can do to save your home.  All you can hope is to come up with the money to get your mortgage current.  This can be almost impossible if you are already struggling to make your payments.

At 90 days past due your lender will notify you of the intent to exercise their rights and foreclose on your home.  When you signed your mortgage documents, you signed a paper that said if you default on your loan, the lender has the right to take your property back.

You have until the time of the foreclosure auction to pay everything you owe, including any fees.  Do not wait until you are facing foreclosure to take action.  Contact your mortgage lender as soon as you see you are no longer able to make your payments as scheduled.

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What You Need To Know About Foreclosure Laws

The home foreclosure process and laws are different in each state.  If you or someone you know is facing a possible foreclosure, here are some things you may need to know.

There are 2 types of foreclosures, judicial and non-judicial.  Judicial foreclosure means there is a judge involved, and non-judicial means that there is no judge involved.

In the states that require a judicial foreclosure judgment, the lender will have to go to court to plead their case as to why your home should be taken away, or put up for auction.  Normally when a complaint is first filed, the court date will be set allowing both the lender and the homeowner to present their cases.

The judicial foreclosure process takes time, if they win the case it could be months before the house may be auctioned off.  This time period is often beneficial to the homeowner, as it may give them time to fix the problem that caused them to be facing the foreclosure in the first place.  If the problem is not taken care of the home will be auctioned off.  Some states refer to this auction as a courthouse auction or a sheriff’s sale.  Once the sale is complete, if the homeowner is still living in the home, they will be escorted out.

In other states where they have non-judicial foreclosure, the lender simply files a notice of default with the county records office, and the homeowner is notified by mail of the proceedings.  Sometimes the notice of default will be published in the newspaper.  The homeowner is usually given some time to fix things with the lender, the time frame also varies by state.

If you are a homeowner who is struggling to make your mortgage payments, and facing foreclosure, find out the specific foreclosure laws in your state.

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What To Do When Facing Foreclosure

Today too many people are worried about losing their homes to foreclosure.  The best thing you can do if you are facing foreclosure is to ask for help before it is too late.

Call your mortgage lender at the first sign you are having trouble paying your house payment.  Letting them know your circumstances can go a long way.  You are taking responsibility for the problem, and telling them you will do what it takes to save your home.

Your lender may agree to set up a payment plan with you, rather than taking legal action against you.  You have nothing to lose by calling them to see what they can do to help you.  In rare cases a lender may give you a break and waive a monthly payment.  This does not happen often, so if you are given this deal, take advantage of it!

If you are late on your payments, your lender may let you pay more on your loan each month until you are current again.  If you have an adjustable loan, the lender may freeze the interest rate before it increases or they may even change your interest rate to something that is easier for you to afford.

If you have sufficient equity in your home, the lender may increase your loan payment to include any back payments.

You certainly do not want to lose your home, and most of the time your lender will work with you, to do what they can to help you avoid foreclosure.  If you are having trouble making your house payment, take the first step, contact your lender and find out what they can to do save your home from foreclosure.

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Solutions To Avoid Foreclosure

The thought of losing your home is scary.  There are too many people that have already lost their homes due to foreclosure.  You want to do whatever it takes to save your home from foreclosure.

Lenders have become involved in trying to help their mortgage holders.  Lenders are not the only ones stepping in to help people save their homes, the Federal Government has made bailout money available to a number of lenders.

If you need help avoiding a foreclosure, the best place to start is by contacting your current lender.  Many big lending institutions have been given bailout money to help their clients.  There are several programs out there, the biggest being the loan modification and federal mortgage refinance programs.  Seek help at the first sign that you are having trouble making your mortgage payment.

A loan modification in most cases will revise the terms of your loan.  Your interest rate will be lowered, making it easier to pay your monthly bill.  If you have a variable interest rate loan, it will most likely be changed to a fixed rate loan.  You will need the same type of paperwork as any home mortgage when applying for a loan modification.
You will have to provide an explanation as to why your mortgage became past due, as well as what you have done to change these conditions.  Your lender wants to be sure you are able to stay current on your new mortgage.

The hardest part of finding help with a foreclosure is knowing where to start.  Information is available.  There are ways that you will be able to save your home from foreclosure.

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How To Prevent Foreclosure

If you are having trouble paying your home loan, take action before things get worse.  You want to prevent your home from a foreclosure.

Be in contact with your lender.  Let them know you are having a hard time making your monthly payment.  This is the first thing you need to do to protect your home from foreclosure.  By getting in contact with your lender when you having difficulty making your monthly payment, they may be able to offer you options on how you can save your home.  Contacting your mortgage lender lets them know you are serious and willing to do whatever you can to prevent foreclosure.

85% of homeowners have lost their homes due to falling behind on their monthly payments.  Do not ignore the problem, it will not go away.

Your home lender may have all the answers to help you prevent foreclosure.  They have been in the business for years and will be willing to work with you to save your home.  Nobody wants to see someone lose their home.  Help is out there, you just have to ask for it.

Save money any way you can.  You may have to give up some things you enjoy in order to save your home.  You may not be able to go out to eat every Friday after a long week.  Rent movies and watch them at home, rather than going to the movie theater.  Small things add up quickly.  Use the extra money towards paying your mortgage.  If you have to, get a second job until your house payments are current.  Do anything in your power to prevent your home from foreclosure.

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Foreclosure Equity Loans

With unemployment rates higher than they have been in decades, many people are facing the possibility of home foreclosure.  Homeowners may be able to qualify for an equity loan modification.

An equity loan modification is a negotiation of the mortgage loan that takes place between the homeowner and the lender.  A home owner with high home equity can easily do a simple refinance, but this is impossible for homeowners who are already in financial trouble.

Homeowners who are struggling to make their monthly mortgage payments may also be able to negotiate a lower interest rate, a reduction in the principle amount, or a longer loan period.

The great part about equity loan modifications is the fact that homeowners do not have to wait to default in order to apply for this modification.  Lenders prefer to be kept informed when homeowners are having trouble making their payments.  If the modification process is started early, lenders are assured of still receiving payments throughout the negotiation process.  Lenders tend to be more receptive to people who are still making payments, showing them you are doing all you can to improve your situation.

Lenders consider loss of employment and extended hospitalization to be legitimate reasons for a person to get behind of their mortgage payments.

The government has stepped in to help stimulate the struggling housing market.  $75 million has been provided to help lenders with the equity loan modification process.

Negotiating an equity loan modification is not an easy process.  It is a good idea to seek the help of an experienced company that can negotiate the loan on your behalf.

Equity loan modification is a good alternative to help stop foreclosure.

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