Don't use mitigation services to save your house!

We've been seeing a number of questions regarding mitigation services and whether to pay them $1,000 or more to help save a home from foreclosure. Most of these mitigation services are frauds. You not only could lose any money you pay them, you could also lose your house.

You don't need to pay for help to save your home. There are a number of excellent resources to tap that don't charge a fee.

If you're facing foreclosure, you're best first stop is the U.S HUD's "Guide to Avoiding Foreclosure." There you will find answers to many of your questions about foreclosure and how it works. You'll also find a link to a valuable resource - free HUD housing counselors, they can help you sought out your problem and point you in the right direction for help.

Another good place to get help is the Neighborhood Assistance Corporation of America's Home Save Program. NACA provides an effective solution for owner-occupant homeowners with an unaffordable mortgage. NACA's excellent program for restructuring mortgages is a permanent solution to reduce the interest rate and/or mortgage amount to a payment you can afford. You start the process by attending a workshop. All NACA services are free. If you are facing an auction, you'll find a special link for urgent response. They will try to suspend your auction to give you time to complete the NACA process.

A third good source for help is Hope Now. Hope now is an alliance between HUD approved counseling agents, servicers, investors and other mortgage market participants. All services provided by Hope Now are free and the sole purpose of this organization is to prevent foreclosures

Don't pay for foreclosure mitigation services when you can get them for free!

Lita Epstein has written more than 25 books including "The 250 Questions You Should Ask to Avoid Foreclosure" and the "Complete Idiot's Guide to Improving Your Credit Score."