Hope has arrived for the multitude of Phoenix real estate homeowners who allow their homes to slip into foreclosure while never exploring their options on how to avoid foreclosure. I sincerely hope they will take advantage and take the time to educate themselves on the alternatives available to avoid foreclosure.

Let’s face it, as easy as it may seem to just walk away from a home, the haunt of a foreclosure goes on for years to come affecting credit and even employment, in some cases. Many people are not aware that foreclosure even can affect their security clearance levels and future employment. Foreclosure is certainly not the best option, particularly with the advent of HAFA and other alternatives.

Hiding your head in the sand (ostrich mode) is not the answer. It is well worth the time invested to investigate your options, particularly in light of HAFA, which among many other things, provides monetary relocation assistance and eliminates the hovering concern over deficiency judgments when a short payoff has been negotiated.

One of my passions is to inform the public about their options to avoid foreclosure. I setup my Phoenix real estate “Home Rescue Network” website to do just that. Distressed homeowners who have negative equity or who are behind on their mortgage need to take the time to educate themselves. There is a comprehensive list of options to avoid foreclosure available on the site and a questionnaire to help determine eligibility for the new government programs.

With our National network of top agents around the country, we’re able to refer homeowners to the experts in their area to further educate and help them rescue their homes from the black hole of foreclosure. Homeowners or Agents who would like more information can contact me directly.

Simplifying and streamlining the use of Short Sales will be the result using HAFA’s top features including:

1. Providing incentives (financial) to borrowers, servicers AND investors

2. Elimination of deficiency judgments by requiring servicers to release borrowers of future liability

3. Standardized processes, documents and timeframes will be used to streamline and standardize the short sale process

4. HAMP eligible borrowers will have workable alternatives complementing HAMP

5. Financial and hardship information collected in HAMP will require no additional analysis on eligibility in HAFA

6. The homeowner will be allowed to receive pre-approved short payoff terms prior to the listing of the property

With over 11,000,000 homeowners in negative equity positions on their mortgages (that’s roughly 24% of all properties with a mortgage), I look forward to seeing what HAFA will be able to do to help borrowers avoid foreclosure and how the goals of HAFA to standardize the process flow, minimize the performance timelines and standardize documentation of short sales will play out.

Learn more about Foreclosure Avoidance Options. Stop by Joe Martin’s site where you can find out all about HAFA and Avoiding Foreclosure and what your options are.