When you’re selling your home, you only have one chance to make a first impression. The first few seconds that your home comes into the view of the potential buyer can make or break the deal. The attractiveness of your home from the outside is a measurement of its “curb appeal” and includes the way the home, the yard and other surrounding areas of your home look to the potential buyer.

The great news is that you can use these guidelines as a measuring tool to determine how much curb appeal your home has, and take proactive steps in ensuring its first impression leaves a lasting good impression on potential buyers.

Color Scheme

Look at your paint or aluminum siding choice and then glance around to that of your neighbors. Does your house stand out or is it in line with the look and feel of your neighborhood? It’s okay if you don’t want your house to look exactly like every other house in the area, but your home should not stick out like a sore thumb either. For example, if the rest of the houses are neutral colors, then don’t paint your house an electric or neon color. Choose a color that blends in and complements the rest of the neighborhood.

Landscaping

Does your lawn, bushes and landscaping deserve a lawn of the month award or do your neighbors shield their eyes when driving by your house? Mow the grass and keep it mowed while you’re selling the house. Prune bushes, trees and flowers. Neat and clean is the way to go with your landscaping so that it’s inviting enough to make the buyers want to see what treasures the inside of the home holds.

Stash the Trash

Does the front of your home look like a used car dealership or a junk heap? If so, de-clutter and stash the trash. Remove any junk cars, parts and anything else that doesn’t belong in the front or back yard of the home.  You should even make an effort to hide or stash the trash and recycling bins so they aren’t sitting on display when the potential buyers pull up.

Curb appeal is what you want your house to have when you’re trying to sell it. You want potential buyers to pull up and get the right first impression on what your home has to offer them. In this case, buyers do judge the book by its cover, so make sure the cover is clean, de-cluttered and welcoming. The first impression really makes a difference in how they perceive the inside of the home and the impression they walk away with when the tour of your home is over.

We’re talking to sellers today, but if you’re on the other end of this spectrum, stay on top of your eligibilty.  See today’s latest mortgage rates and get your credit report.

Does Your Home Have Curb Appeal? was originally featured on Quizzle Wire

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 Your home is not only your castle, but it is also a tax savings haven. Homeowners enjoy tax deductions that non-homeowners don’t. Make sure that you are using your home to the fullest when it comes to tax deductions. It’ll save you a lot of money, blood, sweat and tears when tax time rolls around every year.

Mortgage Points

Record low interest rates in 2011 led many people to finally realize the American dream of homeownership. When you established your mortgage, the lender most likely charged you points. Each point you paid is one percent of your mortgage amount. These points are tax deductible for the tax year in which you paid them.

Record low mortgage interest rates also enticed many homeowners to refinance existing mortgages. Points that you paid on a refinance are also tax deductible. The difference is that you can deduct the points over the life of the loan on a refinance but all at once on a purchase.

Real Estate Taxes

While some tax deductions are one-time events, others are ongoing benefits of owning a home. Real estate taxes, or property taxes, are one of the ongoing tax deductions you enjoy as a homeowner. Your real estate taxes are fully tax deductible from your federal tax returns. You can deduct the property taxes for each tax year that you own the home.

Seller Costs

Another abundant action in 2011 was the selling of homes. Many homeowners chose to sell their current home to upgrade or downgrade their primary residence. At record low rates and purchase prices, it was prime time make the change. As a seller, you also incur costs, such as a real estate agent commission, marketing fees and fees the seller is responsible for paying when the buyer establishes a new mortgage. All of these fees are also tax deductible.

Mortgage Interest

Another ongoing deduction is the interest you pay on your mortgage. Generally, the mortgage interest is fully tax deductible. For each year that you own the home, the mortgage interest is tax deductible. Since you pay more interest in the first few years you have the mortgage, the first few years will have higher tax deductions than the latter years of a mortgage.

Homeownership comes with several benefits. One of the biggest benefits is the ability to write off a variety of costs from your federal tax returns, which equates to a great deal of tax savings for you.

See the latest mortgage rates and go into your next buy knowing where you can leverage your ownership to save on taxes. 

4 Ways to Turn Home Deductions into Tax Savings was originally featured on Quizzle Wire

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By: Daniela Baker

You already know that maintaining your car by changing the oil when you should, checking tire pressure regularly, and getting an engine tune-up once in a while is a great way to save money by preventing further expensive repairs down the road.

However, you may not think about similar things you can do in your home that can help you save money in the long run. Making a list of basic home maintenance tasks that are often overlooked will help you remember to do them on a regular basis and will allow you to prioritize appropriately. Here are just a few of the essential tasks you should do on a monthly basis:

1. Change heating and air conditioning filters.

Changing the filters can make your heating and air conditioning systems more effective, which means you save money on cooling and heating your home. When you change the filters, vacuum out the ducts immediately around them, too, which can prevent the next filters from getting clogged as easily and can keep excess dust particles from floating around in the air.

2. Clean out the lint from the clothes dryer.

Every time you dry a load of laundry, you should be cleaning out the lint screen. However, you also want to pull the dryer away from the wall and clean out the actual hose once a month. Also, check the outside vent to make sure it’s clear, too. This can save you money by keeping the dryer from heating up your home excessively, and it can also cut down on your risk of having a house fire, since a clogged dryer vent is the number one cause of fires in the home.

3. Check out your windows, walls, and doorjambs.

It’s in these locations that you’ll find cracks and other signs of a problem with the foundation. The earlier you catch this type of problem, the better off you’ll be, so make it a habit to visually and manually check these areas once a month.

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Check for mildew in places where it might build up easily, like around the bathtub, in the kitchen, and in other damp areas, like the basement. Take care of mold with a bleach solution as soon as possible. If there’s mold on the drywall that’s dark or prevalent, it may be a good idea to call in a mold remediation expert. It’s an expense you’ll have to pay now, but it can keep you from having to replace entire rooms of drywall (and maybe more) later.

5. Clean the refrigerator coils.

These coils can get a build up of dust on them, which makes them run less efficiently. When you clean the coils, you can save money on your monthly electric bills!

6. Clean the carpets.

Invest in a steam carpet cleaner that doesn’t necessarily require chemicals for cleaning the carpets. You can avoid using harsh chemicals that actually attract more dirt by filling the steam cleaner with a solution of water and vinegar. Deep cleaning your carpets regularly can keep them from wearing out as quickly, so you have to replace your carpet less often.

Just make sure you get a carpet cleaner that has optional spinning motion on the brushes. If you’re cleaning once a month or so, it’s a good idea to turn off the spinning motion so you’re just extracting dirt from the carpet and not wearing on the actual fibers.

This is just a quick list of things you can do monthly to keep your house in ship shape and to save you money on overall home maintenance tasks in the long run. Try adding one or two of these tasks to your weekly to-do list so that you spread them out throughout the month, which makes getting them done practically effortless.

Daniela Baker is a Social Media Advocate with CreditDonkey, a website that helps you find the best credit card for your lifestyle.

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Important Home Maintenance Tasks that Will Save You Money was originally featured on Quizzle Wire

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The cost of homeownership certainly doesn’t start and end with the monthly mortgage payment. When it comes to buying a home, the old adage, “Don’t judge a book by its cover” applies.

A home inspection is a small expense to pay upfront for a thorough inspection of your new home. It will identify any existing problems with plumbing, electrical, roofing and other home improvement matters, or what issues may arise in the near future.

First and foremost, whether the home you’re having inspected is newly built or an older home, hire a professional inspector. Just because your home may be a new construction does not mean that the house is perfectly built or that it does not or cannot have problems.

Review the Seller’s Disclosure

Start by reviewing the seller’s disclosure of the property. The current owner of the property, by law, must disclose anything that he knows is currently wrong with the property. The property owner is also required by law to let the potential buyer know of any past problems he knows about or has had with the property. While this review should not be in lieu of having a professional inspection, it may clue you into problems that could be costly or even some things that will set your mind at ease.

For example, if a hurricane blew through the area and tore off some of the roof tile, which led to a leak in the roof, the owner must tell you this. They must also disclose if there were repairs and how the repairs were made, such as producing the invoice from a licensed roofer. If the roof was completely replaced two years ago, this too is a disclosure factor, especially since it is a positive one. All of this information gives you an idea of when or if you may have upcoming repair or replacement costs if you buy the property.

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Ask your real estate agent or obtain a referral from someone you know to find some potential home inspectors. Do your homework to ensure that the inspector is licensed, and if it is someone that your real estate agent or friend has worked with, find out how thorough the inspector was. You want to hire a professional inspector that evaluates the home from top to bottom, from inside to out, to identify any current or potential problems with the home.

Review the Inspection Report Carefully

A professional home inspector will provide you with a written report of his findings – be it good or bad. Read and review this report very carefully to identify any problems. But even if you come across potential problem areas, it does not necessarily mean that you shouldn’t buy the home. It can be used as a negotiating point on the purchase, or at the very least, provide you with the knowledge that in a couple of years, you may have to replace the air conditioning unit, or make some other repair.

When you start to look for a home to buy, figure a home inspection into your plans. While a home inspection may cost anywhere from $200 up, it is money well spent to find out if you are really buying the home of your dreams or a money pit.

Get more home buying tips and tools at Quizzle.com, where you’ll find free home loan recommendations so you know how much home you can afford and an affordable credit improvement program in case your credit could use a little work before you start the home finance process.

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Home Inspection: Don’t Buy a House without One was originally featured on Quizzle Wire

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People talk a lot about the pride of homeownership. While there is an emotional side to owning a home, there are also some financial benefits. Specifically, there are several tax advantages that homeowners can enjoy that renters cannot. Learn at least five tax benefits that you may be able to take advantage of as a homeowner:

Mortgage Fee Deductions

Each time you get a mortgage to purchase or refinance a home there are fees involved. While some of these are sunk costs, others are deductible costs. You can typically write off mortgage fees, such as:

• Prepaid interest
• Origination fees
• Loan discount fees

You should consult with your accountant prior to deducting any points or fees, but these are the fees that are generally tax deductible.

Property Taxes

Once a year when your tax bill shows up in the mail, it may cause you to cringe. Some get especially frustrated when they see how much the school taxes are when they don’t have any kids in the county school system! The good news is that you can deduct your property taxes from your federal tax returns. This is an annual deduction for each year that you live in the home.

Mortgage Interest

Generally, you can also write off the entire interest portion of your home loan payment on your taxes as well. A typical 15- or 30-year fixed rate mortgage is mostly interest for about the first half of the mortgage term anyway, so you are truly maximizing your tax deduction during those years.

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Some lenders will allow borrowers to put less than a 20 percent down payment on a home purchase. However, when a lender finances more than 80 percent of the purchase price of the home, it typically requires private mortgage insurance, also known as PMI. Private mortgage insurance usually remains part of your home loan payment until you pay down the mortgage so that it is only 80 percent of the value of the home. While PMI is not typically expensive, it is also a payment that is tax deductible.

Selling Costs

When you sell your home, you also have the right to deduct some of the costs. Some of the selling costs you can typically deduct include:

• Real estate agent commissions
• Title insurance
• Legal fees
• Advertising
• Administrative costs
• Inspection fees
• Repair and redecorating costs 90 days leading up to the sale

While there is a lot of pride involved in being a homeowner, there are also some added financial bonuses. Owning your home allows you to make multiple tax deductions, depending on your situation. Some are one-time deductions, while others are ongoing ones. Now you can look at being a homeowner as both an emotional and financial investment.

Learn other ways to be a smart homeowner with helpful tips and tools from Quizzle.com. At Quizzle, you can find out if you can save money on your monthly mortgage payment and improve your credit so you qualify for the best mortgage rates.

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5 Tax Advantages of Homeownership was originally featured on Quizzle Wire

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By: Jade Evans

People move for all sorts of reasons. Sometimes it’s work or family,and other times it’s just the need for a change or more space. Getting a new home whether it’s your own house or a rental is always exciting and marks a new chapter in life. But it’s not an easy venture. As if just finding a new place, paying for it and packing weren’t enough; the move itself can come with a wide array of additional expenses. Here are only a few of the extra costs that could come up and some ideas on where to splurge and where to save when moving:

Packing Materials

If you need to put your entire life into boxes, you’re going to need packing supplies. That includes boxes, tape, markers and cushioning to protect your important items. You can go out and buy boxes and bubble tape and be on your way. But if you get creative with your packing, you may not have to.

Collect boxes from friends and family of course, but if you don’t get much help there, try local stores. Many businesses, particularly grocery and retail stores, have more boxes than they know what to do with and may be nice enough to hook you up. For securing your possessions, if you look around you’ll probably find some viable substitutes to packing peanuts around the house. Newspapers, bags and even old clothes and towels can all be used to protect your breakables. And using these materials will save you from buying supplies that you will probably throw out anyway.

Movers

Not everybody needs to hire movers. If you have some able bodied friends with a free Saturday then you may get off easy. But if you’re on your own, lifting a sofa is a little out of the question. Most moving companies and long distance movers charge by the item. So move everything you can by yourself, like boxes and small items, leaving only the big stuff for the hired help.

Trucks

Again, if you’re only moving across town and you have a friend with a pick up truck or an SUV who will help you move, you’re all set. But if you only have a Mini Cooper and a house-full to haul, physics are working against you. So you may have to suck it up and rent a truck. If you’re going to hire movers anyway, look for a company with their own trucks. But if you’re doing the manual labor yourself, trucks like Uhaul and Ryder can be rented at a pretty low cost. Of course you will most likely have to pay for gas on top of the rental fee. And depending on your driving distance these gas guzzlers can rack up quite a fuel bill, so be prepared.

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Do you ever look around your house and wonder; “When did I get so much junk?” Yeah, me too. We all have a habit of acquiring more than we need and when we move there isn’t always room in the new place for everything. When that happens you may need to make room in the budget for storage rental. Look for a storage facility close to your new home and once you’re settled, evaluate the need for what you have stored. You may discover you’ll get along fine without much of it and then you can sell what you don’t need to recoup the costs of the move.

Cleaning

Whether you’re moving out of a house or an apartment you’ll need to clean the old space before heading to your new one. If you’re moving out of a rental, the cleanliness of the space upon your departure can determine whether or not you get your deposit back. So if you want that sizable chunk of change, the place better be spic ‘n span. For this, you’ll need cleaning supplies.

Or, if you want to give yourself a break, you can hire a cleaning service. This is an expensive option of course, but if you’ve managed cut down on other costs like movers or trucks it may be a possibility. Having someone else clean out your old home can leave you free to focus on the new one. Conversely, if your future home is filthy, paying for help with the initial cleaning can be a real load off when you have a long moving in process ahead of you.

Dumpsters

While we’re talking about cleaning, if your old stuff is mostly garbage then get rid of it. Naturally, hauling everything out, packing it up and taking it to the dump by yourself adds to your workload. So if you have enough crap, it may be easier to rent a dumpster or a hire a junk collection service. It’s not essential of course, but it might be a way to simplify what is already a long and stressful operation.

Unexpected Repairs

If you buy a fixer-upper, you go into it expecting to lay out some cash for repairs and renovations. But if you buy a house that’s in “move in condition” you may not expect to have to start paying for upkeep immediately. But in some cases, things can get broken during the move, either yours or the previous owner’s. Or there may be minor issues with which the insurance company takes issue. Things like missing railings or broken sidewalks may require fixing as a condition of your home insurance coverage.

Utilities

Utility bills of the future aside, in the here and now you may have to pay just to get connected. Sometimes utility companies make you pay to turn a service on or off. The cable company in particular is famous for their installation fees and extraneous charges for every little thing. If you need more cable hook-ups than the previous owner or need wires moved, the bill can add up.

Cost Of Living

It’s not an immediate cost, but it’s one we don’t often think about. Any move is going to change your daily budget. But if you make a major location change, like moving to a new city or state, your day to day expenses can shift significantly. From gas for commuting to utility and grocery bills you may be facing a whole new cost of living. The more research you can do on where you’re going, the more prepared you will be for the costs of your new life in your new home.

There is a bright side though, if you are moving for work, then many of these expenses may be deductible on your taxes. There are time and distance requirements that will determine your eligibility, but it is definitely worth looking into at tax time.

Relocating is always going to be a hit to the wallet. But you can reduce some of the shock and avoid racking up debt when you make a plan for these kinds of costs ahead of time. Consider adding moving expenses into your original budget plan when you begin looking for a new home. It will help you get a much more realistic idea of what you can afford, and create a cushion for extra costs. Moving into a new home is a fresh start for anyone, and when you plan properly you can ensure that your new beginning isn’t tainted by unexpected bills.

Jade Evans is a writer for uShip, a company that helps people locate cross country movers for relocating. Jade has been a blogger and a writer for several years now, but she rarely loads the truck herself.

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Moving Ain’t Cheap: The Costs of Relocating was originally featured on Quizzle Wire

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If your home has never been in an officially designated flood zone, it may be now, as flood zone maps were recently modified by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Couple these changes with recent devastating flood events like those along the Mississippi River, and it has never been a better time to review your flood insurance policy or establish a new one.

Flood Claims

Even if you live in a relatively low-risk area for flooding, you may want to consider taking out a flood insurance policy. According to The National Flood Insurance Program, 25 percent of flood claims made in 2010 were by policy holders on properties that were NOT in high-risk areas.

Flood insurance policies start at $129 per year, but the national average for a policy is $600 a year, according to FEMA. Paying hundreds more a year on insurance may not seem practical, but if you weigh the costs against the average flood claim of $48,000, you may think twice. Paying for a flood insurance policy is a relatively small price to pay to protect your home and belongings from flood water damages.

Cost of Damages

Several factors go into calculating the cost of the damages a home and property sustain from flood waters. Floodsmart.gov shares some estimates on the damage costs on a 2,000 square-foot home, based on how high the flood waters rise:

• Six inches of water: $39,150
• One foot of water: $52,220
• Two feet of water: $62,880
• Three feet of water: $68,100
• Four feet of water: $74,580

Keep in mind, however, that these costs can vary from state to state and from home to home.

Evaluating a Flood Policy

When talking with your insurance agent or a potential insurance provider, here are a few things you’ll want to find out:

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2. What’s the ideal deductible for you? As is the case with most insurance policies, the higher the deductible on a flood policy, the lower the premium and vice versa. You should find the most affordable premium-deductible combination. Remember that you are responsible for paying the deductible in the case of a flood claim, while the policy will pay the amount of damages above the deductible.

3. Is there a waiting period? Waiting periods are another factor you need to check into when establishing a policy. The standard flood policy requires a 30-day waiting period from the date of purchase on a new flood policy before the home is covered. This means that if a flood claim is made from an event that occurs within the first 30 days of having the policy, the claim will be denied and damages will not be covered.

4. Do you have to pay up-front for the policy? Flood policy insurance companies typically require you to pay the policy premium in full. Some agencies and insurance companies are willing to make payment arrangements with you, but find this out up front, so you can establish a policy that you can afford to pay.

If your home is in an area where flooding is even a remote possibility, it’s smart to at least weigh the pros and cons of taking out a flood insurance policy. While a policy means spending hundreds more a year, the cost is minimal compared to covering the entire costs to repair a home devastated by flood waters. As is the case with any insurance, make sure you shop around and understand the policy you are taking out.

Learn other ways to more effectively manage your home and money at Quizzle.com. You’ll get a free analysis of your home loan so you can find out if you can be saving money on your largest monthly payment. And check out these other great money-saving articles:

• Should You Refinance Your Home Loan?
• Want to Save Money? Think Big!
• I Should Be Saving How Much?!
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• 3 Ways to Save Money while Someone Else Does the Work

Got Flood Insurance? What You Need to Know about Your Coverage (or Lack Thereof) was originally featured on Quizzle Wire

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Advice on how to save money often focuses on the importance of “small things” – stop buying $4 lattes every morning, cancel your cable TV and magazine subscriptions, and so on.

While these “small savings” can indeed add up to some significant amounts of money, the amount of time and effort that you put into scrounging up extra dough is often substantial as well.

What if you really want to save some big money? It’s time to stop thinking small, and think big.

Consider this idea: What if you could save more money on the purchases where you spend the most? After all, our financial lives are about more than just minor daily or monthly transactions and recurring bills; much of our financial picture is determined by how much we spend (or save) on a few big buys.

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Housing is most people’s biggest monthly expense – making up 28 to 32 percent of total income. Unfortunately, as the recent housing bubble and crash have shown, many people do not look to save money on their housing payments. If anything, we as a culture have taught ourselves to “stretch” to buy more house than we can comfortably afford.

What if you chose a smaller, more affordable house? You could save hundreds of dollars a month on mortgage payments, taxes and interest – and tens of thousands of dollars over the course of a 30-year mortgage. That makes up for a lot of $4 coffee drinks.

Rent smarter

Are you a renter who lives alone? Consider getting a roommate to save on rent. Find someone you trust, through your existing group of friends and family. Or if you have a big house with too many empty bedrooms, consider renting out a room to earn some extra income.

Communal living can be a bit stressful, but if you establish clear expectations up front about how you want this living arrangement to work (and sign a contract so both peoples’ interests are protected), renting out a room (or sharing a place with a friend) can make for a happier home and a happier budget.

Stay put.

During the housing boom, “house flipping” became a new national pastime as Americans constantly climbed their way up the property ladder. All those home renovation reality shows on HGTV are hiding an inconvenient reality – selling a house is expensive. Buying a new house is even more expensive. If you’re constantly buying and selling houses, chances are you’re not really getting ahead financially.

Every time you sell a house and move to a new one, there are huge costs to pay – closing costs, paying your real estate agent, home inspection fees, not to mention the new (often larger) house payment awaiting you at your new address.

Buy a house you love, and stay in it. It is often more affordable (and less stressful) to fix up your existing house rather than buy a new one.

Whether you’re a renter or a landlord, Quizzle.com can help you manage your money with great tools and resources. With Quizzle, you can find out if you can save money on your home loan, improve your credit, and create a more secure foundation for any stage of life.

Update: Read part two of Want to Save Money? Think Big!

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Want to Save Money? Think Big! (Part 1 of 2) was originally featured on Quizzle Wire

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The roof on your home is one of the most important parts of the building’s structure. After all, the roof is what covers and protects the rest of the house that sits below it. Maintaining your home’s roof health is a key component to maintaining the overall quality of your home, but unless you are a roof expert, you may not be aware of what you need to look for to make sure your roof is in good shape.

Shingle Check

Check the condition of your roof shingles. According to the National Roofing Contractors Association, if any of the shingles are damaged, cracked, bending, buckling or missing, then it is time to replace them. If multiple rows of shingles are missing from the roof, it may be time to replace the roof altogether. Shingle replacement runs anywhere from $1.25 to $8 per square foot, depending on the materials.

Ice Buildup

In cold weather climates, you need to pay close attention to areas on the roof where ice tends to build up. Ice can cause damage to the roof and gutters that run along your roof for draining. Typically, warm attic temperatures cause ice to melt and refreeze, so ventilating and insulating the attic can help.

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If your home has an attic, climb into it and look for any water leaks or water staining on the ceiling of the attic. Review areas around chimneys, pipes and vents with extra care. Also, check for any light that may be creeping through the roof, which indicates that the roof is not properly sealed.

Swampy Yard / Grass

Walk the perimeter of your home and check for soggy or swampy grass areas. This is an indication that your gutters are clogged. Clear away debris from the gutters so that the water can drain properly. Excessive amounts of water runoff from the roof that pools around the perimeter of your home can eventually damage the foundation of the home.

Gutters

Check on gutters to make sure they are properly attached to your home and are not loose. Loose gutters do not properly direct water runoff, which can send the water to areas of your home and cause damage. Re-attach loose gutters or replace broken gutters to ensure that water from rain or melting snow and ice winds up where it is supposed to go. The national average for replacing gutters is $3 to $5 per linear foot.

The roof of your home is such an important structural component of your home that you should check on the health of your roof regularly. This is especially true in climates with cold winter climates that produce snow and ice. Even in warmer weather climates, you should conduct a health check-up on your roof to check for potential issues and make necessary repairs before it causes any further damage.

For more tips to help you manage your home, including a free home loan analysis to find out if you can be saving money on your largest monthly expense, visit Quizzle.com.

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5 Ways to Assess the Health of Your Roof was originally featured on Quizzle Wire

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Foreclosure is as much an emotional process as it is a financial one. If you’re heading down the path to foreclosure, one of the people you want on your side is a foreclosure counselor. Working with a team of foreclosure specialists that includes a foreclosure counselor helps to take the emotion out of the process to help you make sound financial decisions as you move through it. Learn what a foreclosure counselor does – and does not do – to help you during this tough time:

What is a foreclosure counselor?

A foreclosure counselor is a professional that is approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The counselor reviews your current financial situation, so he or she can then present programs to potentially stop the foreclosure. These programs are generally through your existing lender or government agencies that are helping homeowners avoid foreclosure. The best part is that the help of a foreclosure specialist is completely free. Contact the HUD foreclosure counseling hotline at 1-800-569-4287 or the HUD foreclosure prevention hotline at 1-888-995-HOPE (4673) for more information.

What does a foreclosure counselor do?

Homeowners who work with a foreclosure counselor to bring their mortgages current are 53 percent higher than those who do not work with a counselor, according to a December 2010 study by National Foreclosure Mitigation Counseling Program (NFMC). It’s a compelling statistic, so how can a foreclosure counselor make this work for you?

The role of a counselor:

• The counselor thoroughly reviews your complete financial situation (not just the foreclosure) and works with you to create a realistic budget;
• Presents all of the options you have available: loan modification, deed in lieu of foreclosure or a short sale;
• Once you choose the option you’d like to pursue, the counselor helps you work through the process with your lender or a loan servicing company.

What doesn’t a foreclosure counselor do?

While a foreclosure counselor is a professional who can help you navigate the difficult waters of the foreclosure process, there are some things they do not do. While their help may extend broadly, it is not comprehensive of your entire financial situation.

Not the role of counselor:

• Tax advisor;
• Legal advisor;
• Guarantor of a resolution.

A foreclosure counselor, however, may be able to refer you to professionals in the tax or legal field. This is especially true since you should have both of these professionals on your foreclosure team as well. Unfortunately, they will not be able to connect you with anyone that can guarantee the outcome of the foreclosure process.

Before you get too far down the road to foreclosure, make sure that you assemble a team of professionals to help you. The first professional you want to enroll is a foreclosure counselor. Since it is a free service provided by HUD, there really is no excuse to not have this team member on your side and working for you.

For more tips and tools to help you manage your home, including a free home loan review to show you if you can save money on your monthly mortgage payment, visit Quizzle.com.

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Heading toward Foreclosure? Get Help with a Foreclosure Counselor was originally featured on Quizzle Wire

Quizzle.com is the easiest way to get a complete understanding of your credit. Visit Quizzle.com to get your free credit report and score. No credit card or social security number necessary!