With Pierce County apparently claiming the dubious honor of #1 in the state for home foreclosures, I find it shocking that there isn’t a greater effort underway to educate homeowners about Washington State’s Free Homeowner Counseling Line.
Just so you know, when a person falls behind in their payments and the forclosure process is started, it becomes a matter of public record. This means that homeowners are baraged with mail, phone calls, sometimes even personal visits from people wanting to charge them money to get them out of their situation.
Depending on what kind of services are being offered, it might be just the help the homeowner needs. Real Estate agents might be able to help them sell the home before it is foreclosed. Bankruptcy attorneys may be able to help the homeowner keep their home. Unfortunately some of the time, desperate homeowners are paying for help that is available to them for free.
I should mention that this homeownership counseling is also available for people who are just thinking about buying a house. This is great if you have a question about your loan and you want to independently verify that what your Real Estate Agent or Mortgage Rep is telling you is true.
When you are in trouble and are worried about losing your home, it can be isolating. Many people are embarrassed to ask for advice, so this is a tremendous resource for people to be able to access for free. Tell your friends and family. Spread the word.
