Friday, February 20, 2009

California Foreclosure Prevention - 8 Steps To Save Your Home

By Kylon Trower

There are countless families that are stressed out due to the fact that they are facing a California foreclosure and it is very important for you to know how to handle the situation if you are forced to save your home. Below are a some sound guidelines to follow if you are dealing with a foreclosure in California.

1. Don't bury your head in the sand and try to ignore the problem because that won;t save your home. The further behind you get on your mortgage, the harder it will be to get your loan caught up and the more likely it is for you to experience foreclosure in California.

2. Get in touch with you lender as soon as you realize there is a problem. The banks do not want your house as so many have gone into foreclosure they cannot afford to have them on the books. They may have some viable options to help you in getting through these turbulent financial times.

3. Open and respond to any and all mail correspondence you receive from the bank. The first thing you will receive in the mail will usually offer some good information about how you can avoid California foreclosure and may help you get through this difficult financial time. Other information you receive may include notices of pending legal action. Keep all of these documents together and remember that avoiding this information will only make it more difficult to save your home.

4. Know exactly what your mortgage rights are regarding California foreclosure proceedings. Find your loan documents and go through them carefully so you are aware of what your lender may do if you can't make your payments. Learn about the California foreclosure laws in your state (because every state is different) by contacting the State Government Housing Office.

5. Understand the California foreclosure prevention options. Valuable information about California foreclosure prevention (also called loss mitigation) options can be found on the internet at www.fha.gov/foreclosure.

6. Watch your spending. Other than your health care needs, taking action to save your home should be priority number one. Go over your family budget to see where you can tighten your belt in order to make your mortgage payment on time. Look closely at other expenses like cable television, gym memberships and other luxury expenses that you can cut immediately. Delay payments on "unsecured" debt and credit cards until your mortgage payment has been made.

7. Use your assets. Do you have assets -- a second car, jewelry, a whole life insurance policy -- that you can sell for cash to help reinstate your loan? Can anyone in your household get an extra job to bring in additional income? Even if these efforts don't significantly increase your available cash or your income, they demonstrate to your lender that you are willing to make sacrifices to save your home.

8. Don't forfeit your house to a California foreclosure recovery scam! Be extremely careful about signing any documents assigning another person to act on your behalf because you may be signing over the ownership of you home to a complete stranger! Only sign a legal document after careful reading and understanding the terms and getting solid professional advice from a trusted real estate or legal professional.

Refer back to the tips and advice above for guidance and and use common sense when making decisions about preventing a California foreclosure and taking measures to save your home. - 15224

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