There are numerous sources listed here, but please, if nothing else, take a look at the HUD site's resources.
Nonprofit organizations and other experts dedicated to helping property owners in distress to avoid foreclosure:
• Consider contacting your attorney or a local Legal Aid office, especially if you think you were the victim of questionable lending practices. A good place to start is at www.lawhelp.org.
• NeighborWorks® organizations work with the Homeownership Preservation Foundation to offer a nationwide assistance number—888.995.HOPE. You can speak with a counselor, day or night, to help you get back on track financially. (English and Spanish)
• Reputable counseling agencies, such as NeighborWorks® organizations, can help you avoid foreclosure. Look up your nearest NeighborWorks® organization at www.nw.org.
For immediate advice, call 888.995.HOPE to speak to a counselor on how to avoid foreclosure. Available in English and Spanish, 24/7. Or visit www.995hope.org for more information.
Look at www.makinghomeaffordable.gov for the U.S. program on Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP) loan modifications. They will not work for everyone, but are working for some homeowners. IMPORTANT: Avoid paying anyone, including an attorney, fees up front for a loan modification. Fees may not be collected for this service until the loan closes.
Fannie Mae: http://knowyouroptions.com - Resources for leaving your home or staying in your home, including re-finance, deed-in-lieu, forbearance, loan modification, repayment plan, deed-for-lease, short sale, foreclosure.
HUD Resources:
• List of HUD-approved counseling agencies: www.hud.gov/counseling. The list may be used as a starting point to find good counselors. You also can call 800.569.4287 or TDD 800.877.8339. Watch out for questionable counseling companies who advertise that, for a minimal fee, they will hire a lawyer to defend the foreclosure in court or negotiate lender assistance on your behalf. You should call a HUD-approved counseling organization, a local NeighborWorks® organization, or 888.995.HOPE before you pay or sign anything.
• “How to Avoid Foreclosure” (aimed at FHA borrowers but can help others as well). www.hud.gov/foreclosure.
Freddie Mac: “Keeping Your Home, Protecting Your Investment.” Go to www.freddiemac.com and search for this brochure by typing in the full name of the brochure.
Ginnie Mae: For a simple calculator to help home buyers estimate how much they can afford to spend, read “How Much Home Can You Afford?” http://www.GinnieMae.gov.
“Looking for the Best Mortgage” is a brochure issued by 11 federal agencies on how to shop, compare, and negotiate the best deal on a home loan.
www.federalreserve.gov/pubs/mortgage/mortb_1.htm.
Consumer Handbook on Adjustable Rate Mortgages (the “CHARM” booklet) issued by the Federal Reserve Board (FRB) and the Office of Thrift Supervision (OTS). http://www.FederalReserve.gov. At the FRB site, click on “publications and education resources” and then on “consumer information brochures.”
Americans for Fairness in Lending: To find consumer resources related to a variety of lending issues, go to www.affil.org.
Center for Responsible Lending focuses on predatory lending with consumer resources here: www.foreclosurelegalassistance.org/resources.
Credit-reporting agencies:
Go to www.AnnualCreditReport.com to ask for a free copy of your credit report, once a year, or call 877.322.8228. See also www.FTC.gov or www.myfico.com.
California Short Sale Information through California Association of Realtors:
