Children Facing Foreclosure & Homelessness Beg Your Understanding

Kim & Joe M. of Orlando, FL, fell victim to the shrinking house market. Both worked in financial services, Kim an administrative assistant at Wells Fargo and Joe a loan officer with a bank.

For five years, they stayed busy and saved money.

In July 20005, Kim lost her job…downsized. Wells Fargo didn't need her any longer. Not as many mortgage applications. Kim's job search lasted three weeks before she found a replacement for 75% of what she had previously earned.

In September, Joe suffered an auto accident, putting him out of work for six months and without an income as the insurance companies battled it out.

Kayle, 6, and Kyle, 8, knew something was wrong. Mom and Dad were preoccupied. Money was tight.

Kim and Joe and their two children quickly fell victim to bad luck and a slumping housing market. They fell behind in their mortgage payments on the same house in which they had lived for eight years. No irresponsible overspending here. No new BMWs; no Rolexes; no expensive vacations; no extravegence at all.

Joe got hurt…he couldn't work. Kim lost her job…she couldn't recover lost wages. Kyle and Kayle watched on…helpless.

According to the American Banker's Association, most people have less than 3 month's worth of cash in reserve.

Despite eight years of perfect payment history, Kim and Joe's mortgage company refuses to work with them. They've received a Notice of Default.

The foreclosure of your home can lead to the bank seizing your property, your cars, your stocks, your kid's college savings! Even the IRS can get involved with wage garnishment or levying your bank account. Kyle and Kayle watch on…helpless.

The National Association of Mortgage Banker's (NAMB) records show that more mortgages go into foreclosure 3-5 years after issue than at any other time. Credit is trashed and families are scarred.

Children, the most innocent victims of unfortunate tragedy, watch on…helpless.

Kim & Joe's horror will haunt them for life. More than 40% of borrowers took an adjustable mortgage in the past five years . Many of them have children.

Those "teaser" rates of 5% or less are set to explode their mortgage payments by 25-33% or higher when they adjust. In 2006, over $300 Billion dollars worth of mortgages will adjust with $1 trillion more in 2007, according to Freddie Mac, the secondary mortgage lender.
Homeowners are upside down…they have no equity. Some mortgage lenders, who shouldn't be in the real estate business, appear to want to take homes from Kyle and Kayle.

They appear not to want to work out payment plans to help families victimized by bad luck and a slumping housing market.

Adding insult to tragic injury, Kyle & Kayle learned about "deficiency judgment". The bank sold their home…the home where Kyle was born…the sale didn't cover the amount Kim & Joe owed.

The proceeds of the sale did not cover the total owed the bank, including legal fees, administrative fees, fee this, fee that.

If the bank cannot recoup their deficiency from you, Kyle & Kayle, and if your state will not allow a deficiency judgment, the lender will write the deficiency off on their taxes.

However, kids, the pain doesn't stop there. Now the IRS may enter the picture. This "deficiency" amount not collected by the lender is considered money you owe.

They will add it to your annual income and expect you to pay taxes on the total amount. This is business, Kyle & Kayle. Nothing personal. You'll get over it, Kids.

If your parents cannot pay, the IRS can come after everything you own, including your mom's & dad's paychecks.

Kim & Joe sought professional help as suggested. Kim & Joe's lender chose not to help them save their home. Tragedy strikes not just once but repeatedly, oblivious to children.

It's business. Real people with real children (scarred for life) lose their homes, get hit with a deficiency judgment & meet the Gestapo (the IRS).

It's not just the irresponsible overspenders carelessly losing homes to foreclosure. Some are real people with real children.

5 Quick Tips to Improve Your Credit Now

Credit is the foremost factor when deciding what type of loan you can get, or if you can get one at all. The plain fact is, is that if your credit is not good enough; you will unable to purchase a home.

Here are a few things you can do to right now quickly raise your credit score.

#1 Check Your Credit. If you do not know what your scores are, you have no idea where you stand. You may have errors that are affecting your credit score that you do not know about. A free resource to do this is annualcreditreport.com They will give you a 30 day free report once every 12 months showing all three of the Credit Bureaus information about your credit files (Experian, Equifax and Transunion). Check all information that has to do with your creditors information. If you see any inaccuracies, dispute them.

The reports you will see through annualcreditreport.com will not show your scores, but for free, it is a good start to see what you are working with. You will need a service that shows your credit scores.

MyFico will show you all three of your credit scores

Here is how to figure out which score a lender is going to look at. Lenders do not average your three scores. If your scores are 489, 510 and 562, a lender will look at the middle number from highest to lowest, which is 510. For a first time home buyer, this credit score can be approved with our programs.

#2 Dispute Inaccuracies. When you find inaccurate information, dispute it right away. All three credit bureaus will allow you to dispute items right online with the purchase of your credit report. The credit bureaus have to check your information and make sure that it is correct or inaccurate. It takes a while for the file to update (approximately 30 days), but when items drop off; your credit score will improve.

#3 Attain New Credit. If you have any credit cards that are at their max, it may be helpful to apply for another credit card. Make sure that you have the means and discipline necessary to be responsible with new credit. The wisest suggestion is to transfer some of the debt from other credit cards and distribute your debt evenly amongst all of your credit cards. Another credit card will not hurt your credit. If you lower your balance on all of your credit cards, ideally in the 30% range of your high limit, by adding another card and transferring debt, it will improve your score.

#4 Pay off Debt. This may not be the right time to pay off your debt. Sometimes, paying off debt can actually lower your credit score. MyFico has a good credit simulator that shows you how the choices you make affect your scores. If you are looking for a home it may even be best to leave it alone or deal with credit issues later when you are securely in your home. If you are struggling to come up with a down payment, it may be time to wait a little longer, or use down payment assistance such as AmeriDream or the Nehemiah Program.

If you have any collections, medical bills, small credit cards, or smaller items that have gone to a collection agency, it may be wise to call the collection agency and negotiate a settlement. If you explain that you want to do the right thing and pay off your old debts, try to get them to cut your payoff in half. Make sure you get an agreement in writing before you give them your money, and make sure that agreement says that the lowered payoff will zero out your balance, and that they will remove the item from your credit report. (check your credit report to see if this has been done after you have paid. If it still shows up, dispute the item off your report)

Remember!!! Items drop off of your credit report after 7 years, if your creditor does not renew them. If you have old items that have not been updated near the 7 year mark, LEAVE THEM ALONE. They are most likely to drop off your report and your score will increase shortly thereafter.

#5 Pay Your Bills. The best and most common sense way to have great credit is to pay your bills on time. This is sometimes easier said than done especially after the holidays or after big life events such as a wedding or misfortunes like divorce or job loss. But keep in mind, if you merely by pay your bills on time for 2 years will have good credit.