Avoid Foreclosure and Home Buying
Scams
for those of you with FHA
Loans
The guidance below is
applicable to homeowners with FHA Insured loans. While a
good deal of this information may apply to all homeowners in
danger of losing their homes, not all of the foreclosure
avoidance tools mentioned may be available to you if you
have a VA or conventional loan. Contact your lender for
details about your particular loan. "We Buy Houses" signs
are everywere, avoid foreclosure and don't lose your home
equity to home buying scams.
Q: What Happens When I Miss
My Mortgage Payments?
Foreclosure may occur. This is the legal means that your lender
can use to repossess (take over) your home. When this happens,
you must move out of your house. If your property is worth less
than the total amount you owe on your mortgage loan, a
deficiency judgment could be pursued. If that happens, you not
only lose your home, you also would owe HUD an additional
amount.
Both foreclosures and deficiency judgments
could seriously affect your ability to qualify for credit in
the future. So you should avoid foreclosure if possible.
Q: What Should I Do?
DO NOT IGNORE THE LETTERS FROM YOUR LENDER. If you are having
problems making your payments, call or write to your lender's
Loss Mitigation Department without delay. Explain your
situation. Be prepared to provide them with financial
information, such as your monthly income and expenses. Without
this information, they may not be able to help.
Stay in your home for now. You may not qualify for assistance
if you abandon your property.
Contact a HUD-approved housing counseling agency. Call (800)
569-4287 or TDD (800) 877-8339 for the housing counseling
agency nearest you. These agencies are valuable resources. They
frequently have information on services and programs offered by
Government agencies as well as private and community
organizations that could help you. The housing counseling
agency may also offer credit counseling. These services are
usually free of charge.
Q: What Are My
Alternatives?
You may be considered for the following:
Special Forbearance. Your lender may be able
to arrange a repayment plan based on your financial situation
and may even provide for a temporary reduction or suspension of
your payments. You may qualify for this if you have recently
experienced a reduction in income or an increase in living
expenses. You must furnish information to your lender to show
that you would be able to meet the requirements of the new
payment plan.
Mortgage Modification. You may be able to
refinance the debt and/or extend the term of your mortgage
loan. This may help you catch up by reducing the monthly
payments to a more affordable level. You may qualify if you
have recovered from a financial problem and can afford the new
payment amount.
Partial Claim. Your lender may be able to
work with you to obtain a one-time payment from the
FHA-Insurance fund to bring your mortgage current.
The Foreclosure
Fraud Alert Website http://www.foreclosurefraudalert.com/
The
Foreclosure Fraud Alert
Blog
http://www.foreclosurefraudalert.com/fraudblog
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