One of the biggest mistakes that individuals make when faced with foreclosure is failing to communicate on a regular basis with their mortgage company. The mortgage company almost always wants to avoid a loan getting to the point of foreclosure because it costs the mortgage company a lot in lawyer’s fees and court costs which they would not have to pay if they can work something out with the individual who is trying to keep their home. There are free foreclosure help organizations that are provided by the government and non-profit agencies that can advise individuals and even help to communicate with the mortgage companies for the individual if it is needed.
Take It Step by Step
The first step to help stop foreclosure is to inform the mortgage company as soon as the individual knows that he will not be able to make a payment. If the individual has lost a job or has faced cutbacks in his employment, then he needs to notify the mortgage company immediately so that he can find out what his options are. Often, if he has been paying regularly and on time in the past so that the company has good record of his payments, they will be willing to let a payment or two go by in order to allow him time to find another job. This is one way mortgage companies will help to stop foreclosure is by offering these types of special forbearances, which gives a reduced rate or a suspension of the mortgage payments for a specified amount of time to allow the individual to get ‘back on his feet’ with his employment.
During the forbearance, or even during every stage of the process, individuals should check in with the mortgage company at least once per month to inform them of the progress and show that they are doing all they can on their side to help stop foreclosure. It is usually the individuals who choose to ignore the mortgage company and possibly abandon their homes who are the ones who end up facing foreclosure on their property. For those who have initially financed their homes on an ARM, one way to help stop foreclosure is to work with the mortgage company to refinance the loan at a lower, fixed rate that the individual can afford to pay. If this is not an option, individual can also do a pre-foreclosure sale of their house so that it never reaches the point of foreclosure. This can provide the means of paying off the remaining amount of the loan and to get out of the house without further damage to credit.