The Helpful Pointer

Do you own your own home or business? If you have a mortgage, and you are working, struggling to survive from paycheck to paycheck you are not alone. There are millions just like you were are in jeopardy of losing their home, because of foreclosure. Foreclosure is when one is behind on the mortgage payment, when you miss two or more payments to the financing company and the bank decides to take your home from you.

Foreclosure is going to wreck your credit, and it is going to leave you homeless. You will have to move out and to another place to live, and sometimes you can even end up owning additional money to the bank even after they take your home or business. If you are unable to pay your monthly payments, you need to find a way to get your finances back on track, to catch up on those payments, and to keep your home.

To get your personal finances back on track you can do a few things. First, if you have already received a letter from the bank about foreclosure you should call the bank. Find out if you can set up any payments to avoid foreclosure. Ask if there is anything you can put up against the house to avoid losing your house. Foreclosures are not something that the bank or financing company likes to do, but must do in the case of your non payment. If you have a retirement account, if you have CD’s or any type of savings this could be the time it is going to pull you out of trouble and for you to avoid foreclosure.

If you have nothing you can fall back on, and the bank states there is nothing you can do to avoid foreclosure you need to get moving on a back up plan. You need to find a place to live, and for your family to move. You need to get out of the house that is being foreclosed, and you need to take with you the stuff you can before the house is locked up by the foreclosing company. The foreclosure of your home mortgage, can often times include the sale of all your personal items to help the bank recoup some of their money they lost on your mortgage. The foreclosure of your home is going to cost the bank money, in interest, payments, and more money in the cost of having to resell your home, which is why items in the home are often auctioned off by the bank.

A foreclosure process is actually quite a long one. If you have missed one payment on your home mortgage loan, you will receive notification by the bank of your missing that payment. If you miss more payments, the bank will begin calling your home. The foreclosure process is going to start. You will not have more than three months, generally, before the foreclosure process begins not only to affect your credit, but also where you live, the items that you own, and your ability to obtain any type of help in resolving the matter.

To avoid foreclosure on your home, get a second job. Cut back on the money that you spend when you are out on the town. Avoid spending money on things such as a cell phone, the car, television shows, extra activities, gifts and presents, avoid spending money that is not being spent on your home. Catching up on your mortgage payments for your home is something you must do to avoid foreclosure by the bank, and to avoid them taking your home.

When the foreclosure of your home by your lending institution seems to be looming just around the corner, it can be a frightening and embarrassing situation. But if you happen to be facing foreclosure, it’s important for you to contact your lender, have an open, honest discussion about your difficulty, and then try to work with them to come up with a short-term alternative plan that will get you back on track when your financial situation improves. You’ll generally find your lender to be sympathetic and eager to help.

In some surprising results, a 2004 Freddie Mac study showed that borrowers who contact their lenders and work out a customized payment plan can reduce their chance of losing their home to foreclosure by an amazing 80 percent! Among low-to-moderate income borrowers, the figure is somewhat lower, but it’s still right around 68 percent. Either way, those figures represent a significant chance for you to save your home — and they are options well worth pursuing.

Wells Fargo Home Mortgage also discovered a similar trend in their own recent study, and as a result, the company has begun to actively try to educate borrowers about what their options are when they find themselves in financial difficulty. The Wells Fargo study mirrored the Freddie Mac findings, but the truth is that most lenders will be similarly helpful when a borrower contacts them and lays out their situation so an amicable agreement can be arranged.

Make no mistake: facing foreclosure can be one of the worst times in a person’s life, but you CAN save your home if you’re willing to summon the courage to talk openly and honestly with your lender to find a short-term solution to your current financial woes.

Remember, your lender doesn’t WANT to own your home, so they’ll generally be glad to work out an arrangement to help you keep it. If you want to get some ideas about what kinds of arrangements can be made, call your lender and ask them about a “Workout Plan.”

Don’t wait. If you’re late with a mortgage payment, gather all your mortgage information, figure out what you can do to make up past payments, and call your mortgage company.

Copyright © 2006 Jeanette J. Fisher

FREE Credit Help Teleseminar. Get expert advice on building your credit from mortgage and real estate college instructor Jeanette Fisher. More free credit tips http://worryfreecredit.com

When looking for a mortgage, it’s essential to understand the different products that are available so you can be sure you get the right one for you. Lenders offer different interest rate options and this will affect your monthly payments. So choosing the right deal could save you money.

With so many product choices available it is essential you get professional indepenedent advice.

Types of mortgage products available:

Standard Variable Rate Mortgage

With this mortgage, your payments will go up and down as the lender’s standard variable rate goes up or down. Usually any changes in the lenders variable rate will be in line with movements in the Bank of England base rate. The Bank of England Monetary Policy Committee reviews this rate on a monthly basis.

Is it right for me?

Yes - if you can afford to pay more when mortgage interest rates go up and want to take advantage of lower payments if rates fall.

No - if during the early years you would be unable to cope if repayments increased because of rising interest rates.

Base Rate Tracker Mortgage

This is similar to a variable rate mortgage. But the interest rate will go up and down exactly in line with any changes in the Bank of England base rate. Your mortgage payments will go up and down too as the interest rate changes. The tracker period is usually for a specified time, which can be from one year up to the lifetime of the mortgage loan. At the end of the tracker period, your mortgage interest rate will change to the lenders standard variable rate. This product may carry an early repayment charge.

Is it right for me?

Yes - if you want to be sure your mortgage rate falls by the same amount as the Bank of England base rate falls, but the drawback is the mortgage rate also rises in step when the base rate increases.

No - if you find yourself locked into a rate above the base rate, which may be higher than the standard variable rate.

Fixed Rate Mortgage

Your mortgage interest rate is fixed for a set period only, during which your mortgage payments will stay the same. At the end of the fixed rate period, your mortgage interest rate will change to the lender’s standard variable rate. Fixed rate mortgages are usually available for between one and ten years, however they can be available for longer periods depending on market conditions. This product may carry an early repayment charge.

Is it right for me?

Yes - if you need to budget with certainty for the next few years, or you think mortgage interest rates will rise, or both.

No - probably not if you think mortgage interest rates will fall.

Discounted Rate Mortgage

The lender offers a discount off their standard variable rate for a set period, normally one or two years. Your mortgage payments will still vary in line with changes in the standard variable rate. At the end of the discount period, your mortgage interest rate will be the same as the lender’s standard variable rate. This product may carry an early repayment charge.

Is it right for me?

Yes - if money is tight when you first take out the mortgage, but you’re confident your income will increase.

No - if you won’t be able to cope if interest rates rise later on, increasing your payments.

Capped & Collar Rate Mortgages

With a capped rate mortgage the interest rate can go up or down in line with movements in the lender’s standard variable rate, but cannot go above a set upper limit, known as the ‘cap’ or ‘ceiling’. This type of mortgage can also have a set lower limit, known as the ‘collar’. For these mortgages the interest rate can move between these limits but cannot fall below the collar or go above the cap. This product may carry an early repayment charge.

Is it right for me?

Yes - if you like to budget with some certainty, think mortgage interest rates might rise above the cap, or you want the security of knowing your payments cannot rise above a set level and would like to benefit from any fall in interest rates.

No - if your mortgage adviser can find a fixed rate set at a lower rate than the capped rate, and you think rates are unlikely to fall below the level of the fixed rate deal.

Cashback Mortgage

The lender pays you a cash lump sum after completion, which you can use for any purpose. This product may carry an early repayment charge.

Is it right for me?

Yes - if you need a cash lump sum, for example to do up your home, or you expect the cashback to more than compensate for any rises in interest rates during the period when an early repayment charge may apply.

No - if you can manage without a cashback now and can get an alternative deal.

Remember your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage.

Bluestone Asset Management is a fee based independent financial adviser firm based in London. We provide free interactive learning modules about finance and money on our main site http://www.bluestoneam.co.uk

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It is no secret that the current real estate market is hot, hot, hot. Sellers can receive multiple bids for their property on the same day. In the rush of the moment, your emotions can carry you into a bidding war. Using timing clauses can help avoid such a situation and protect you from buyer’s remorse.

Timing Clauses - Drop Dead!

A timing clause is inserted in an offer to avoid open-ended bidding wars. You do not want your offer to be “on the table” indefinitely. Such a situation inevitably leads to a bidding war where sellers “auction” up the price of home to a sellers benefit. To avoid this, you should choose to put a “drop dead date” on your offer. You would include language that says something like, “This offer is open until withdrawn or until 9:00 P.M. on Tuesday, June ____, 20__, whichever comes first.”

Let’s look at an example of how a hypothetical situation might work out.

Say the asking price of the home is $995,000. Your offer is $995,000 with a drop dead date of September 1, 2005. On August 29, 2005, the seller informs you of a competing bid for $1,000,000. While your immediate reaction is to panic and up your offer, you should instead calmly ask to see the competing offer. If the seller drags their feet or won’t produce it, the bluff is called. Now the seller has to make up their mind before the 1st. They may decide not to accept your offer, but at least you will have avoided bidding against yourself. Alternatively, if the seller produces a competitive bid, you will know where you stand and make an informed decision on whether to raise your bid.

Timing clauses are fairly standard practice in most parts of the country. Make sure you use one to force the seller to make a decision. You don’t want to be left twisting in the wind.

Raynor James is with www.fsboamerica.org - providing homes for sale by owner, “FSBO”, properties. Are you thinking, “Should I sell my home?” Visit www.fsboamerica.org/seller.cfm to sell your home sale for free for one month.