"center">You’ve Received A Foreclosure Notice – Now What?

threatening letter from your bank/mortgage company. They are going

to foreclose. Now what?

1.

"font: 7pt 'Times New Roman'">        Don’t panic. I

know, that’s easy for me to say – you are about to lose your

HOME! But I’ve been there and I know what you are going through. If

you have tried every avenue to work with the bank/mortgage company

and nothing has happened except the warnings - and finally the

Foreclosure Notice, keep talking to the bank. But, start making

preparations to move. 

2.

"font: 7pt 'Times New Roman'">       Eliminate. Yep,

not only are you losing your home, but now I’m telling you to start

throwing out your personal “stuff”. Look around – you will have to

transport everything you want to keep to your new home. Do you

REALLY need all that “stuff”? Again, I know I’m making this sound

easy – but I’ve been there. We all have too much “stuff” – and

there are people out there desperate for decent furniture, clothes,

etc. So donate to one of the local charities. Many have vans and

will be glad to come pick your donations up, saving you the cost

and time to move it. (Now is a good time to throw away those jeans

you’ll never get back into – I did!).

3.

"font: 7pt 'Times New Roman'">       DO NOT DAMAGE

THE HOME YOU ARE LOSING! I can’t say this loud enough. I have heard

of banks filing charges of theft against owners who basically

trashed the homes by removing sinks, toilets, cabinets, light

fixtures, etc. You will be able to hold your head up, knowing you

left the home in good condition. 

4.

"font: 7pt 'Times New Roman'">       Explain exactly

what is happening to your children. Sit them down and let them know

that things just did not work out with the house and you are

moving. Reassure them as much as possible and let them “help” pick

out your new home. Children are way too smart today and they know

allot more than we think. If you make a positive out of this tough

situation, they will look back and hopefully be able to better cope

with the hard times in their lives.   Also let them help decorate

their new room the way they want it. When you start going through

all your “stuff”, you will be amazed at what you find. It’s like

lost treasure being discovered!

5.

"font: 7pt 'Times New Roman'">       Ask for

help. You have family, friends, fellow Church members who will be

happy to help you get packed and moved. Now is not the time to

wallow in self pity. Now is the time to ask for the help you

need. 

6.

"font: 7pt 'Times New Roman'">       Cash for

Keys. Ask the Realtor who lists your home for the bank about

this. Most banks/mortgage companies will allow the homeowner a

certain amount of money to help them get into another

home/rental. You will need first and last month’s rent and a

Security Deposit, so don’t be shy about asking the Realtor.

7.

"font: 7pt 'Times New Roman'">       Go to my

website:

"http://www.homeownerscrisis.net/">http://www.HomeownersCrisis.net (also

known as

"http://RealEstateAgentsArePeople2.com">RealEstateAgentsArePeople2.com). I

have a Need Help Page that is loaded with assistance

information. Use it and pass it on. Our website is non-profit with

a goal to provide a similar Need Help Page for every county in the

U.S. For now, most of the information is for Baldwin and Mobile

counties. But we will grow.

8.

"font: 7pt 'Times New Roman'">       Use this loss of

your home to learn. My family sure has. We realized that even

thought we had lost our dream home, we still had each other. Be

thankful for what you still have. And I promise you, it will get

better!

this article who are not in danger of foreclosure, I have a few

things to offer to you as well.

1.

"font: 7pt 'Times New Roman'">        Don’t assume

that because your neighbor is losing their home – they are

losers. I’ve heard this repeated several times and I’ve got to tell

you – 99% of the homeowners in trouble are praying right now for

some way to save their home. They are not giving up without a fight

and certainly never dreamed that they could be in this

situation.

2.

"font: 7pt 'Times New Roman'">       Offer to

help. That’s right, just go next door, knock on the door and ask if

there is anything you can do. Right now that homeowner is feeling

completely alone. Any offer of assistance will help make this

easier for them. If they rebuff your offer, at least you

tried. 

3.

"font: 7pt 'Times New Roman'">       Take over a

meal. Something homemade is fine and will be greatly

appreciated. This family is going through a tough time and again,

any offer of help is a Godsend.

4.

"font: 7pt 'Times New Roman'">       Once the family

had moved out, don’t call them to complain about the “mess” they

left behind. Most people will be in a hurry to get out of their

home and may not be able to take everything. Hopefully only

curbside trash will be left, but if there’s a mess, chill out. The

Realtor assigned to sell the house will have a crew come clean it

up. Hopefully that Realtor will make sure the yard is kept up,

too. Normally that is part of their job. If the yard starts to look

bad, call the Realtor to complain, not the former homeowner.

5.

"font: 7pt 'Times New Roman'">       Be grateful that

it is NOT you losing your home and appreciate what you have. A

little sympathy for others who are struggling will go a long

way.

6.

"font: 7pt 'Times New Roman'">       Eliminate your

unneeded “stuff”. Take the time to see that maybe you have more

“stuff” than you need, too – and that there may be a family out

there who could use some of your unneeded or stored things.

7.

"font: 7pt 'Times New Roman'">       Keep in

touch. Just because your neighbors had to move away doesn’t mean

they’ve fallen off the face of the earth. If you were close before,

try to stay close now. If your kids played together before, let

them continue to play together now. 

8.

"font: 7pt 'Times New Roman'">       Talk to your

children about what is happening to the neighbors. Reassure your

children that you are not going to leave your home, too. Kids get

the darndest ideas – and I can just hear those wheels turning in

their brains as they watch that family next door move out.  There

may be several families in your neighborhood in the process of

losing their homes, so be prepared for concern from your

children.

9.

"font: 7pt 'Times New Roman'">       Pass on the

information to anyone in financial trouble, about our non-profit

website:

"http://www.homeownerscrisis.net/">http://www.HomeownersCrisis.com.  

Check out the Need Help Page – you may find some information on

there that you could use!

sound too lighthearted for such a serious issue, I apologize.  I

know how very painful this process is.  But I survived and so will

you.  Look at my additude after having gone through the loss of our

home as something to aim for.  Without our loss, my website would

never have been created.  And I would NOT appreciate my family and

friends the way I do today.   Life is Good!  Look around you and be

grateful for that life - and thank God for the opportunities that

will be coming your way!  Take a deep breath.  It will be OK! God

Bless.