My New Blog

It is so easy to fall into one of the scams that are out there, always looking for someone to rip off and take their hard earned money. Why? Desperate people sometimes resort to desperate means, and let's face it, some of the scammers are good!

If you are in foreclosure, or simply behind in your loan, you need to be proactive, not reactive. What this means is that you need to reach out to someone and get the ball rolling, not sit back and wait for them to show up at your home. So the questions is "Where does a person start?" After all, its not like a legitimate agency is going to be easy to find.

My suggestion is to start with the government, specifically Housing and Urban Development (HUD) as that is who is in charge of the massive FHA housing program. I would encourage you to log on to http://www.hud.gov/foreclosure/ . This site has a mixture of booklets, forms, and place to research different topics from knowing if your home is in foreclosure, to some refinancing options to what to do if you are actually going to lose your home. This information is nonbiased and very easy to understand. You can even click on your state and city to find a HUD-approved counselor in your area. A quick check in my area of Columbus, Ohio found several agencies located around town waiting to help.

Another source would be the Homeownership Preservation Center, who runs the Homeowners' Hope hotline 24 hours a day to provide free couseling to people who are trying to avoid foreclosure. Yet another is the Institute for Forelclosure Legal Assistance at www.foreclosurelegalassistance.org that can provide subsidized legal aid to families facing foreclosure.

Bottom line is to do something, and make sure you are responsive to your lender. Make sure that any help you get does not cost you money or involve you in a scam or you will end up worse off then before. Always get help from reputable sources.