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Wed, Oct 31 2007

Ask the Piggy Bank: How Can I Avoid Foreclosure?

With the news that 2 million foreclosures are expected by 2009, many people are wondering if their adjustable rate mortgages will come back to haunt them when the mortgage interest rate reset takes place. One of the questions I was recently asked was this:

How can I avoid foreclosure?

The answer to such personal finance questions is never simple. But the most important thing you need to do is start preparing NOW. You need to look ahead and realize that a mortgage reset is going to result in higher mortgage payments. And you need to prepare for the inevitable. And you need to start at least six months before the reset.

Some things you can do:

Try to refinance to a fixed rate. This might be harder, since the lending standards have tightened considerably. But it’s still possible in some cases to refinance.

Curb spending on unnecessary items. Cut back on expenses. Say “no” to some things, like extra toys and eating out. If you have two cars, see if you can sell one. The savings in car payments and insurance will be helpful.

Rent your home. Downsize and then rent out your home out. Many families are looking to rent rather than buy right now.

Talk to your lender about other options. Short selling your home, or a deed in lieu of foreclosure are options that might be workable. But you have to get with your lender well in advance.

Foreclosure is not something that you can avoid at the last minute. You have to plan ahead and prepare in order to increase your chances of avoiding foreclosure.

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Comments

  1. Trackback
    1435 days ago
    Mortgages - Mortgage Market News: Countrywide Continues to Struggle - Banking Blogs, Expert Advice on Goldparked.com

    [...] have trouble for quite sometime. Subprime mortgage writedowns have plagued the company, and as the foreclosure rate rises, so do delinquencies on Countrywide home loans. The Motley Fool reports on the bad news [...]

  2. Trackback
    1435 days ago
    Mortgages - Michael Jackson Saves the Ranch from Foreclosure - Banking Blogs, Expert Advice on Goldparked.com

    [...] able to refinance is one way that you can avoid foreclosure. Many of us have to get refinancing through our banks, though. Most of us wouldn’t be able to [...]

  3. Trackback
    1520 days ago
    Michael Jackson Saves the Ranch from Foreclosure - Mortgage Rate News - Banks.com

    [...] able to refinance is one way that you can avoid foreclosure. Many of us have to get refinancing through our banks, though. Most of us wouldn’t be able to [...]

  4. Trackback
    1529 days ago
    Mortgage Market News: Countrywide Continues to Struggle - Mortgage Rate News - Banks.com

    [...] have trouble for quite sometime. Subprime mortgage writedowns have plagued the company, and as the foreclosure rate rises, so do delinquencies on Countrywide home loans. The Motley Fool reports on the bad news [...]

  5. Trackback
    1536 days ago
    Foreclosures Up, But Not as High as Expected - Mortgage Rate News - Banks.com

    [...] questions remain. Inman News points out that while some foreclosures may be forestalled for now, the inevitable could still take place down the road: “It could be that some of the [...]

  6. Trackback
    1536 days ago
    Foreclosures Continue to Rise | Quick Loan Finder

    [...] numbers for January foreclosures are in, and the news is that they are trending upward. According to Inman News, January foreclosures [...]

  7. By miranda

    Of course :0) The tips are all ways to arrange things so that you can make your payment…or pay off the loan.

    The real issue in many cases, though, is to get a home you can afford.

  8. By Steve

    Here-’s a great tip AND the only way to avoid foreclosure…MAKE YOUR PAYMENT