Avoid Foreclosure
Use Refinance options To Avoid Foreclosure on Your Home
February 27, 2009 by Financemyhome · Leave a Comment
Many people wait far too long and end up facing foreclosure when it is not something that needs to happen. Many options, which can be done early on, can prevent this action from happen. One of the first things that can be done is a loan modification called a refinance. Refinancing allows you to lower your monthly payments as well as extend the life of your loan. You may also be able to lower interest rates and in some instances generate enough excess cash from your refinance to use for debt consolidation.
There are two types of refinance, a short refinance and a regular refinance. There is little difference between the two except for when they are used. A regular refinance can be done at any time and should be done prior to going into a distressed situation. However, if you are already in a distressed situation then a short refi or short refinance is the perfect option to refinance your home. It is similar to a short sale in that it is done quickly in order to avoid foreclosure but not at the expense of having to sell your home.
Getting into a situation where debt becomes a major factor in your life is not hard nor is it something many people plan for but things happen and come up and before you know it, you could be overwhelmed by the payments and end up going over budget every month. Your home is an essential aspect of life and you should not have to worry about losing it. A refinance can assist you in avoiding foreclosure and getting out of debt if necessary depending on your situation.
For example, if you were working as a two income house hold and suddenly became a one income household. You may not be overwhelmed with debt but you may find that your mortgage payments are harder to meet. By taking your current mortgage and refinancing even if you were to only take the amount you have left, you would be extending it over a 30 year period or a 15 year depending on how much you wanted to reduce payments and how much time you had left on your mortgage. This could also depending on interest rates drop your interest rate further lowering payments making it easier to keep your home even on a single income.
If you were in the same situation and needed extra funds to see you over or pay off bills then a refinance may be able to provide you with that little extra you need to avoid a serious situation. It has to be done in this instance before you reach a position of being distressed financially with your mortgage payments. Waiting until you are facing foreclosure and behind seriously in your payments will make this scenario less viable and make a short refinance one of your only options.
A short refinance is one of the ways that you can get out of a distressed situation. It is especially designed for people who are facing foreclosure and looking for ways to avoid it. It offers limited terms usually restricted to a 30 year mortgage and the interest rate is usually higher than on a regular refinance because of the financial situation that would be required in order to make a short refi your refinance option.
Debt consolidation is also a major factor when someone is faced with foreclosure normally foreclosure and overwhelming debt seem to go hand in hand and a refinance in any fore may be able to assist you in relieving the pressure of some of that debt and help you get back on your feet. Usually you can obtain a large amount of cash in a lump sum from a refinance depending on the value of your home, how much you have left on your mortgage in both value and time and so forth. This lump sum makes a great bank to use when settling debts especially high interest debts like credit cards.
The reason being is that many people get involved in having to pay off every debt that they often stretch so far past their means they end up facing things like foreclosure. By settling larger interest debts and netting them under a smaller interest single payment, you do two things. The first is that you reduce the number of bills you have. You are still going to be making the same monthly payment no matter how you use the cash from your refinance so why not use it to eliminate some of the debt that could or is causing you issues. The second is that each debt individually has its own interest rate.
For example, say you have five credit cards, each one of them has an interest rate so you are paying five times the interest on the total balance of all your cards. By consolidating your debt, you drop that to a single interest rate that is lower in many cases than the interest rate on your lowest card. This means that you have the interest you would be paying the other four times ultimately lowering the bill.
It also helps you repair your credit even if you did a short refinance option by settling your other debts you dramatically improve your credit score, rating and history and help to show that you are serious about getting back on your feet financially. Dealing with debt can be difficult but it does not have to cost you your home. Refinance options can be one way out whether you take it as soon as you think trouble is coming, as soon as you get into trouble or when you are faced with foreclosure. You can also use this option to consolidate other debts and get your financial situation looking brighter than ever no matter what issues may have put you in the situation of needing a refinance to begin with; you do not have to let debt take your home.
Powered By WP Footer
Avoid Foreclosure
Things You Can Do To Avoid Foreclosure
February 27, 2009 by Financemyhome · Leave a Comment
One of the most devastating things that can happen to you and your family is the loss of your home due to foreclosure. Not only does it leave you and your family without a place to live but it also creates a series of negative impacts on your credit that can follow you for years. There are however a few things that you can do in order to avoid foreclosure and keep that black mark from making its way onto your credit. While it will not prevent some damage from occurring, it can help to keep the damage at a minimum.
The first option is the short sale. This is where you sell the house for what is left of the mortgage. You do not obtain any benefits from this. IN other words, many people receive a lump sum of cash in addition to paying off their existing mortgage when they sell a home. This does not happen with a short sale, short sales are merely designed to pay off the existing debt.
They are designed to sell the house for as much as possible. In some cases, this may not pay off the entirety of the mortgage. Short sales are designed to sell quickly though they do have significantly more paper work because banks are involved than if you were simply selling the house through a real estate agent.
A forbearance or forbearance agreement may be possible as well to avoid foreclosure. This is an agreement that stops payments for a specific length of time to allow you to get back on your feet and begin making payments again. This is usually done only in certain circumstances and only if you meet the criteria. You should check to see if you qualify for a forbearance as soon as you experience difficulties. One instance where a forbearance may be granted is when a person in the household dies. For example, if the house was being paid off a single income and that income no longer exists, a forbearance may be granted to allow the other party time to get a job and begin making payments. This is just one example, check with your lender about the various qualifications necessary for obtaining a forbearance. This should be done when you initially set up your mortgage but the information should be available to you at any time.
A loan modification is another way that you can avoid having to face a foreclosure. Loan modifications are designed to create a series of creative financial options that allow you to make payments on your loan but at a reduced amount or on a different schedule. It may call for a reducing in interest rate, payments, it may allow for payments to be made on a weekly or to be made every other week. Refinancing is one form of loan modification.
There are other types but the important thing is to contact your lender as soon as possible before you start having serious issues and works out a plan to help you avoid foreclosure and stay in good standing with your financial institution. Most of them are more willing to work with you when you come to them as soon as you think there may be a problem than if you wait. This shows you are serious and proactive about maintaining your commitment to paying off your debt with them.
It also makes it easier to obtain certain types of loan modification such as the refinancing. Many times refinancing can provide you with smaller payments and a lower interest rate making it easier to manage on a reduced salary or during times of financial crisis. It also can help prevent widespread damage to your credit as well as help you pay off bills and ease some of the overall financial burden you may be facing.
Being proactive is the best thing that you can do to avoid foreclosure. Consider loan modifications first, these are usually easier to obtain than any other form of assistance. If you still have difficulties after this or if loan modification is not an option for you consider, a forbearance if one is offered in your mortgage contract, most of the time you will have some kind of option along these lines.
Finally, if all else fails consider a short sale. This will sell your home quickly and allow you to retain your credit score, for the most part, the reason being is that short sales usually occur after a person has experienced significant damage to their credit; however, you will not have a foreclosure which is more damaging than simply having missed payments and delinquencies. It also will show that your mortgage was paid off in full provided you are lucky enough to short sale your home for the remainder of your mortgage. If not you will still be responsible for the balance. However, this balance is usually reduced significantly and repayment options are usually available.
In order to avoid foreclosure follow these steps, review your mortgage document for information regarding what you can do in times of financial need. Talk with your lender or with other lenders about refinancing options as well as the options available for loan modifications. Do this step as soon as possible, do not wait as waiting may cause loan modification to be removed from the list of available options. If this is not an available option consider a forbearance if you meet the criteria. Being repayment as soon as possible and do everything you can to repair your credit or fix the problem. Forbearances usually have a time limit. This can be three months, six months or a year.
Finally, if nothing else works short sale as soon as possible. This means that your home will be on the market for a longer period of time enabling you to obtain the price you want. Rushing a short sale usually means you may end up short when it comes time to pay the bank.
Powered By WP Footer


















