Help to Prevent Foreclosure

If you find yourself caught in a mortgage that you can no longer afford, you may need to find help to prevent foreclosure. The recent subprime mortgage crisis has prompted many local, federal and privately run agencies to develop programs that help to prevent foreclosure. Subprime mortgages are offered to borrowers with a few blemishes on their credit record that can’t qualify for prime rates. Usually offered with a limited time “teaser” rate that is significantly lower than the actual rate, these subprime mortgages cause many borrowers to find themselves with a mortgage that they can’t afford when the teaser period runs out. These are the borrowers that are looking for help to prevent foreclosure. Many times, these borrowers are not told of the actual cost of the mortgage until it is too late, making them victims of predatory lending.

The best place to start your information search for help to prevent foreclosure is your lender. Lenders have a lot at stake when a home goes into foreclosure. Research shows that a lender loses, on average, between fifty to sixty thousand dollars for each foreclosure. They are in the business of lending money, not owning or selling houses. They have many programs set in place to help you when you get behind in your payments. Never ignore communication from your lender. As they are willing to help and have many programs available to do so, most programs are designed to help those that are only 1-2 payments behind. Early intervention may be the difference between keeping your house and foreclosure.

The US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is the federal agency responsible for offering help to prevent foreclosure. Their web site if full of information, tips and advice to help prevent foreclosure. Because you can customize your search based on location, this web site is the most comprehensive place to find the help you are looking for. They also offer counseling by local HUD approved financial counselors. These counselors are able to evaluate your individual situation and make recommendations on their findings. They also provide local resources, such as county specific help to prevent foreclosure.

It is important when faced with a mortgage that you can no longer afford that you seek help to prevent foreclosure early. As there are many programs that have been developed to assist you, many can only be implemented before you get too far behind. Be sure to conduct thorough research before committing to any one program. Finding the help to prevent foreclosure that will suit your situation is possible, but you must be willing to do the research it takes to find it.