@2009 by Tony Barnes.

I am going to share some tips that the banks do not want anybody to know on how to avoid foreclosure. What is going on right now in this country is many banks made outrageous loans to just about anybody who could fog up a mirror. Now their strategy has come back to haunt them with the current foreclosure crises.

1.  If you have not missed a payment yet but think you are going to, the first step is to contact the bank and try to make arrangements to pay, or get a forbearance that allows you to delay payments for a short amount of time.

2. Ask for a repayment plan where you add a portion of the missed payments to the next few payments. This will help in the event of a short term unexpected expense or sudden repair that may take you by surprise.

3. If you are two or three payments late, the lender may still make arrangements to repay, but you may have to put up to half of the outstanding balance to resume the loan. Never ignore the lender letters and notices. Always keep in contact with the lender to keep them aware of the situation. Ignoring the problem only makes the situation worse and increases the costs.

4. You may get a loan modification through the lender bailout programs from the government. If you qualify the lender will adjust the terms of the mortgage to make the loan more affordable. They can lower the interest rate, re-amortize the past due amounts into a new loan, or lengthen the time period of the loan to reduce the payments.

5. Some companies may offer a short refinance where the lender forgives some of your debt and refinances the rest into a new loan. The lender is able to get more money this way rather than foreclosing on you which creates a win-win for both of you.

6. Deed in Lieu of foreclosure is another possible step that can help. Basically you sign the paperwork to give up your rights to the home and give it back to the bank. Then the bank can skip the foreclosure process without having to foreclose.

7. This last step is negative on your credit and should be avoided if possible. You can file chapter 13 bankruptcy to stop the foreclosure process and can force the mortgage lender to accept a more friendly payment plan. A bankruptcy will affect your credit for 10 years.

If all the seven steps above fail, you may still have one option. You can sell the property up until a few days before the sheriff sale. You can contact an investor such as me and we may purchase your home and put money back into your pocket if your situation allows it. For more details or to hear a free recorded message with these steps you can call 888-442-2320 x9004.

Here is the information an investor will need to know about your situation to see if you qualify.

By using these simple steps you may keep a foreclosure off of your record, possibly receive some money back and give you piece of mind by alleviating part of your financial responsibility and burden.

First, you need to understand how you got into trouble in the first place. This is something you want to have thought about before calling the lender or crafting a hardship letter. Have you had a loss of a job? Is your interest rate climbing in your adjustable rate mortgage? Have property values declined in your neighborhood making it difficult to sell. Once you put your finger on the problem, you need to face it head on. Ignoring the letters and phone calls from your lender won’t make the problem go away. In fact, it can make it much worse.Second, as soon as you realize you have a financial hardship, or problem that will prevent you from making timely mortgage payments, you need to contact your lender. If you’re in the position right now of being in trouble, contact your lender immediately. Most banks aren’t excited about having to resell your home. They’d rather work with you in most cases to keep your home.Third, determine if there’s a way for you to increase your income in order to put more money toward your mortgage payments. Can someone work a second job? Can you search for a job that’s higher paying?Fourth, it’s also important to see if you can refinance your mortgage at a fixed interest rate. This will keep your payments the same over the entire life of your mortgage. If you can refinance, you may be able to set up reasonable payments.Fifth, don’t be afraid to do a bit of thinking, “out of the box”, an option for your family, may be to rent your home if you can get enough rent to cover the cost of the mortgage. You may also want to consider allowing someone to rent a room to bring in extra income for your home.Sixth, if you can’t bring in more money and refinancing isn’t an option, you need to try to sell your home. As difficult as it may be to let go of it, it’s better to sell it than have a foreclosure. If you owe more than your property is worth, you should contact your bank. Many lenders will allow you to perform a “short sale” that will allow you to sell the house for somewhat less than its value and have the difference forgiven. Many banks allow this because in the long run it’s still less costly for them than trying to sell your home.Finally, if you’ve exhausted all of the possibilities and you can’t find a way to pay your mortgage payments and get out of trouble, you may have to walk away from your home. A foreclosure will be a dark mark on your credit for many years; however you should remember that you’re not alone. You simply have to take with you the lessons you’ve learned about home financing.K. Patrice Williams has a BA in Economics as well as a law degree. She has successfully managed both residential and commercial multi-million dollar income producing assets and budgets for more than 10 years. As a 1st year law student, Patrice established a real estate development and consulting business and acquired over 30 rental properties. As the housing market values decreased- like millions of other Americans-her properties were negatively impacted by shifting ARM’s, combined by a sluggish economy. Patrice has researched and personally implemented almost all of the pre-foreclosure techniques detailed in the book: “6 Simple Steps to Avoid Foreclosure”. http://www.avoidforeclosuremanual.com