Where To Start If You're Afraid To Lose Your Home

You're either behind on your mortgage already, or your rate (and payment) are about to jump significantly, or perhaps you're current on your mortgage but you owe more than it's worth and now you need to move. What do you do?

There are an over-abundance of people and companies who will try to tell you what you should do. But who can you trust?

The Homeownership Preservation Foundation (HOPE) is a non-profit organization funded by the financial services industry and Fannie Mae that operates a hotline to help homeowners understand the options available to them and how to work through them. Each HOPE counselor is HUD-approved and has a credit counseling certification. As a non-profit, the services are provided free of charge and without bias of any kind.

HOPE is probably one of, if not the best place to start. The number is 1-888-995-HOPE. It is open 24/7 and has operators that speak English and Spanish. HOPE can also be found on the web at http://www.995hope.org

If you are looking for a local non-profit credit counseling agency, you can also check out http://www.hud.gov/offices/hsg/sfh/hcc/hccprof14.cfm and search for local HUD-approved counseling agencies located throughout the country.

If you are in a pickle, do something about it. If you're not sure where to start, and want good quality, unbiased information, this is the best way for you to start.