What Everybody Ought To Know About Mortgage Problems

There is no secret regarding the current financial crisis in the real estate and mortgage markets. In this article, we take a look at what everybody ought to know about mortgage problems.

After one of the strongest real estate markets we have ever seen earlier this decade, things have fallen apart something fierce. Many homeowners are facing a financial crisis with their loans and home values. Millions are facing foreclosure or just turning around and walking away from their homes.

When faced with mortgage problems, most people panic. They just can’t deal with it. They stick their head in the sand and hope for the best. This is a huge mistake. First of all, you are not alone. A vast number of people are having problems. You can take steps to make things better.
If you are facing mortgage problems, the first recommended step might be a surprise to you. You should contact your lender. Yes, the lender. Why? Well, a lender is much more willing to work with a borrower that is proactively trying to resolve their problems.

If you communicate with your lender, you are viewed as a person. If you don’t, you are just a file number. A lender is not human, but the people who work there are. It is much easier to foreclose on a file number than it is on a person you have spoken with a number of times.

The next thing to realize is you have a lot of leverage. How can this be if you are behind or not making payments? Well, rule one is lenders do not want to own homes. They really don’t want to foreclose on borrowers. Bad loans are very bad for the bottom line and we all know banks pay close attention to that. The federal government and shareholders certainly do.
Given the fact the lender doesn’t want to foreclose on you, it will be highly receptive to helping you out. The first step will usually be to give you a forbearance on loan payments. This basically means you don’t have to make payments for three to six months or just have to make reduced payments. This gives you time to build up your savings to make future payments or sell the home if you can.

Lenders are also receptive to modifying loans. Some lenders will help a proactive homeowner by changing their loan in a manner that cuts the payments way down for a period of three years or so. This can make all the difference between foreclosure and riding this real estate market until prices start to rise again.

If you are having problems with your loan, take action. If you stick your head in the sand, you have no one to blame but yourself. The vast majority of lenders will work with you. Most situations end up as a win-win, but only if you make the effort to pick up the phone and get the process started.

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