Need Underwater Mortgage Help? Here’s Where to Turn

Need Underwater Mortgage Help? Here’s Where to Turn

Once you’ve realized that you have an underwater mortgage, the first thing we want you to do is take a deep breath. This is not the end of the world, and you’re not alone—about 24% of US homeowners are in the underwater mortgage boat right along with you.

We know this doesn’t make you feel better. But, at least it should help you feel less alone and less like you did something wrong.

When you’ve had a chance to take stock and calm down, we want you to call your mortgage lender and see if the institution is willing to work with you in a way that will save you real money. We’re not confident that your lender will give you substantial help—but it might if it’s a small regional bank or credit union.

But even if you don’t get any real help, at that point you’ll know that you did everything you could to be fair to the mortgage lender. Right?

In the very real case that your mortgage lender’s employees give you nothing but a lecture on personal responsibility, it’s time for you to take stock and make some decisions. You took a risk when you took out that mortgage. You believed the economic “experts” who told us that real estate values would continue going up.

Or maybe you also got a little overly ambitious and bought more home than you could really afford. A lot of people did that, including Kristin and me.  And if the real estate market hadn’t tanked, we’d still be paying that mortgage.

Regardless of how you got into your underwater mortgage, you’re under now. Do you honestly believe you should have to sacrifice your family’s financial future and your retirement because of one mistake?

Let’s put it another way. What about the bankers who got us into the recession in the first place? You know—the ones who caused the 10% unemployment(or 17%, if you understand how the government manipulates the numbers to look better than they really are) , the loss of personal savings, and who as a result are responsible for putting all of these mortgages underwater in the first place?

They screwed the entire country, and have their lives even been affected? Not at all.

Why are we pointing all this out? So you’ll know that you don’t just need help with your underwater mortgage—you deserve it.

But where do you turn to get the help?

First, don’t trust anyone who has a financial stake in your decision! That certainly includes your mortgage lender!

Second, do trust yourself to do what’s right for you and for your family.

As for actual help with your underwater mortgage, what you really need is information. You need to learn about the foreclosure process, about short sales, and about how to protect your family from any foreclosure fallout.

If you have the right information and the right support, you can take care of your underwater mortgage yourself without the aid of overpriced consultants who will only charge you through the nose for advice we’ll be happy to give you.

Where can you find the information you need? Right here on this website and on other sites run by people who know the ins and outs of underwater mortgages. Kristin and I will tell you everything we know—and we’ve not only gone through this ourselves, we’re professional Realtors.

What we advise right now is that you stay calm, read all you can, and start making the plan for your family’s future. An underwater mortgage doesn’t have to ruin your life; all you have to do is to be ready to take action.