How To Stop Foreclosure

Losing your house to a foreclosure can be very scary.  There are times when circumstances are out of your control and your house ends up in foreclosure.  However, there are things that can be done in order to stop a foreclosure from actually occurring. 

Many people do not have a full understanding of their options when faced with a foreclosure.  Nor, do they completely understand the overall process of foreclosure.  Therefore, educating yourself on foreclosures is the first step in stopping a foreclosure.

Refinancing is usually the most obvious answer.  On the surface, refinancing may seem like the perfect way to stop a foreclosure.  However, many people who are facing foreclosure have less than perfect credit.  Therefore, they are unable to obtain a loan with a reasonable interest rate. 

Another problem people often have when facing foreclosure is that they have little or no equity in their house.  So this makes it even more difficult to secure a refinance loan.  Many people are then faced with the option of using a predatory type lender. Predatory lenders often come with astronomical interest rates and outrageous fees. 

A retirement plan such as a 401K loan is another option.  This type of loan is not a favored loan however.  You can either take a loan out against your retirement plan or withdraw the money all together. 

If you chose to withdraw the money, you will end up paying federal income tax, as well as a penalty tax.  If you chose to withdraw the money, be sure to research it completely beforehand.  That way, you are aware of exactly what you will end up paying. 

When trying to stop a foreclosure, you could ultimately file bankruptcy.  Depending on what type of bankruptcy you file, you may only slow down the foreclosure process versus actually stopping it.  Reports indicate that nearly 96% of people who file bankruptcy to stop a foreclosure are still foreclosed on.

A viable, but less favored option is to sell your house.  It may be the case that you can no longer afford the house you currently live in.  So selling the home in order to stop a foreclosure is a great alternative.  You can then either try to buy a house that is less expensive or rent.  So, although you may dread selling your house and moving, if you don’t stop the foreclosure, you may be forced to anyway.  Only this way, you are able to walk away from the home without a foreclosure looming over you. 

No matter how you ended up facing a foreclosure, know that there is hope.  Begin by educating yourself on the overall process.  And most important, do not wait too long to take some type of action.