Mortgage Help and Advice

Unfortunately, with the recent downturn in the housing market, more and more consumers are finding themselves in the same dilemma you are facing. They are unable to meet their mortgage payments, partly due to increasing payments caused by adjustable rate mortgages. Thankfully, there is help available to consumers in your position. I can think of several options that may assist you in resolving your delinquency, but which option is best for your situation depends greatly on your income, the amount of equity in your home, and your credit rating, among other factors.

First, you may be able to refinance your current home mortgage. A refinance loan is essentially a new mortgage on your home–the refinance lender pays off your old mortgage company and becomes your new mortgage holder.

Bills.com makes it easy to compare mortgage offers and different loan types. Please visit the Mortgage Refinance page and find a loan that meets your needs at.

Thus, a refinance loan would bring your mortgage current and allow you to start from scratch with new payments to a new lender. Depending on the interest rate being charged on your current mortgage, a refinance loan may allow you to obtain a lower interest rate and lower your monthly mortgage payments. Whether or not you can qualify for a refinance loan, or at least a loan that will save you money, depends on your credit score and how much equity you have in the home. Refinance lenders base the interest rates they offer on the potential borrower’s credit score and the “loan to value” ratio (LTV) of the potential loan. Your loan to value ratio compares the amount of the loan you need to the value of your home. Ideally, your LTV should be 80% or less, meaning the refinance loan equals 80% or less of the market value of the home. However, depending on your credit rating, you may be able to find refinance loans at a higher LTV, though you can expect to pay a higher interest rate, as lenders are taking more risk lending at higher loan to value ratios. To learn more about refinance loans, I encourage you to visit the Bills.com Mortgage Refinancing page.

If you enter your contact information in the Bills.com Savings Center at the top of the page, we can have several pre-screened mortgage brokers contact you to discuss the refinance options available to you.

If you cannot obtain a refinance loan and are unable to bring your loan current, you may soon be facing the possibility of foreclosure. If your mortgage company refuses to assist you with a repayment plan to bring your loan current, you may want to consider filing Chapter 13 bankruptcy to prevent foreclosure on your home. A Chapter 13 bankruptcy is a court administered repayment of your debts, which should bring your mortgage current and allow you to repay your delinquency amount over the course of your Chapter 13 plan. A Chapter 13 may be able to bring your late mortgage payments current, but you will be required to continue paying your regular mortgage payments going forward, so if you cannot afford your future mortgage payments, a Chapter 13 will probably not improve your financial difficulties over the long run. However, if you can afford your regular mortgage payments plus your Chapter 13 payments, a bankruptcy may help you save your home from foreclosure. To learn more about bankruptcy, I encourage you to visit the Bills.com Bankruptcy Information and Resources page.

As mentioned previously, both a refinance loan and a Chapter 13 bankruptcy will require you to make your mortgage payments going forward if your wish to keep your home. If you are not confident that you will be able to maintain your future mortgage payments once your loan is brought current through a refinance or bankruptcy, you may want to consider selling your home. Keep in mind that a refinance loan may lower your mortgage payments, so you should definitely look into a refinance before you decide to sell. However, if you truly cannot afford the mortgage payments, selling the home should allow you to avoid foreclosure and to cash out whatever equity you have built in the home since you purchased it, which you would lose in foreclosure. While I understand that no one wants to admit that they cannot afford their mortgage payments, if you honestly believe that you are in over your head with your mortgage, selling your home should allow you to avoid the painful and costly foreclosure process.

I still think that the best solution to your mortgage difficulties is to work with your mortgage lender to establish a payment plan to bring the loan current, so I encourage you to continue trying to negotiate with your lender. However, if the lender refuses to assist you in bringing the loan current, one of the options I mentioned above may be able to assist you in resolving your mortgage troubles. I wish you the best of luck, and hope that the information I have provided helps you Find. Learn. Save.

Best,

Bill

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