Stop Michigan Foreclosure

Myth Busting: “The Michigan Sheriff Sale”

I attended the Kalamazoo County (Michigan) Sheriff Sale (foreclosure auction) today for the first time in over a year. It seemed fitting to blog about common questions concerning the Sheriff Sale to dispel some myths. When a person gets behind on their house payment and is facing a Michigan Foreclosure, they will eventually get a foreclosure letter from an attorney notifying them that a sheriff sale has been scheduled. This notice is also taped to the front door and also published for 4-5 weeks in a county newspaper.

Myth Bust #1: “I can’t remove the Michigan Foreclosure notice Read more…

Amazing Dog Changes TV Channels

My husband was watching a football game the other day when our dog walked in and stepped on the remote. We aren’t sure what buttons she stepped on because she not only changed the channel but also managed to turned off some components. It took my husband a good 5-10 minutes to figure out how to get the right things turned back on to resume the game.

As I watched this struggle, I saw a parallel with life. Read more…

Big Changes in 2011?

A new year is upon us and many people are making resolutions to change things and improve their life: stick to that diet, exercise more, save for retirement, spend more time with family, and friends and the list goes on. Here at Great Lakes Home Solutions, our resolution is to keep doing the same thing we have been doing successfully for 6 years. Namely, to provide solutions to families facing foreclosure throughout Michigan in a timely and respectful manner.

We continue to promise you 4 things:

• We will never ask you for money.
• We will never put you in a situation that is worse than you are currently in.
• We will always keep all of your information 100% confidential.
• We will always work harder than anybody, doing whatever we can, to permanently stop your foreclosure situation.

When We Are On Your Side…. Read more…

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

“It’s the most wonderful time of the year….” begins a popular Christmas carol. However, we know that if you are facing a Michigan foreclosure, it may not feel like a wonderful time of the year. When you are about to lose your house, the last thing you probably want to do is “Deck the Halls with boughs of holly” or go “Walking in a Winter Wonderland”. You probably wish that as Jolly Ole Saint Nicholas is “..making his list and checking it twice..” he would bring you a solution to the problems you are facing. The good news is he has, Read more…

Hey, What’s The Deal With You Guys?

Many times when I answer the phone, the first thing I hear is “What kind of company is this”. I explain that our mission is to provide solutions to families facing foreclosure throughout Michigan in a timely and respectful manner. We do this by walking people through a few steps.

1. What are your goals? Are you trying to keep the house or realize this is no longer feasible and just want to get out from under the debt?
2. What has happened to get you to this point? Chances are if you are facing a Michigan foreclosure, some sort of hardship (job loss, divorce, disability, etc) has occurred. Is it over or will it be over soon? The more information we have on where you are at, the better we can help you figure out how to move forward.
3. What are your options? People are often confused about their options. The confusion can come from not knowing the options. This is where we help by providing education and information. Confusion can also come from not clearly defining your goals (see step one). Once you are clear on your goals and have the right information, the options are clearer too.

Navigating through a Michigan foreclosure can be like trying to get somewhere you have never been without a map. To get to a new destination, you have to figure out where you want to go (your goal), where you are starting at and your options for getting to your destination or goal. We can help provide that road map. We do this while keeping all your information confidential, without putting you in a worse situation and working harder than anyone to help you. (That’s the timely and respectful part of our mission statement.) Give us a call today and find out first- hand what kind of company we are and let us help you get back to better times. I think you will be glad you called!

Ann

A Thanksgiving Blog

I think we are all familiar with the story about the first Thanksgiving – how about 400 years ago, the pilgrims were forced out of their European homes by religious persecution and came to the “new world” where the Native Americans helped them to learn the ropes about surviving in this strange world. Survive they did, and a year after they arrived they had a bountiful harvest.  They celebrated their good fortune with the first Thanksgiving dinner to give thanks for all the good that had come to them.

If you are facing a Michigan foreclosure, hopefully you will find some inspiration in this story this Thanksgiving holiday.  Like the pilgrims, your home is being threatened and you may feel like you have nowhere to turn for help.  Fortunately, you don’t have to sail half way across the world to find help.  We are right here in Michigan, only a phone call away.  We have been helping families “learn the ropes” of the Michigan foreclosure and short sale processes for more than 5 years.  We will charge you no fees and will work harder than anyone to help you.

I realize that someone facing a Michigan foreclosure may feel like they have nothing to be thankful for or to celebrate this Thanksgiving.  After all, there obviously has been a hardship in your recent past that is probably putting a damper on festivities.  Our Thanksgiving wish for you is that you have the courage to face your hardship, find solutions and take action just like the Pilgrims did a long time ago.  In a year, you too can be celebrating the return of better days.  We can help you do that (only if you call us before it’s too late), and that indeed is a reason to be thankful.  Happy Thanksgiving!!

Ann

All in a Day’s Work – Many Michigan Sellers Want Short Sales

Let me tell you about some calls I took yesterday to show you what goes on around here in a typical day.

Colin called (not his real name). He had talked to us back in May when he was already several months behind on his house payment. At that time, he wanted to do a work out and try to save his house and he was going to work with another company. However, he was unsuccessful because the financial hardship he had experienced (cut back in hours at work) was not over and the bank would not work with him – he simply needed a payment far less than what was possible. Now, he has been notified that he is facing a Michigan Foreclosure and he wants to do something to at least save his credit, since he is not able to save the house. Fortunately for Colin, we should be able to help him with that by writing an offer to purchase it right away and negotiating the short sale without charging him.

Patty called (not her real name). She missed several months of work due to a disability and got behind on the house payment. Now she is back to work and able to make the house payment again. The lender is willing to work with her and reinstate her loan if she can come up with several thousand dollars to bring the loan current. She called looking for advice on how to find the money if a relative is not able to help. I referred her to Kalamazoo Neighborhood Housing Services (read about them here)  since her situation is something they are better equipped to handle than we are. She was grateful for the referral.

Jason called (not his real name). He owns a business and business has been bad for many, many months forcing him to live on his savings. His savings is almost depleted and he is now several months behind on his house payment and facing a Michigan foreclosure. Jason was very anxious about the letters he has been receiving from his lender’s attorneys. I was able to explain to him what is happening and what to expect going forward with the foreclosure process. I explained to him about the Michigan redemption period and his options before and after the Sheriff auction. I even arranged to send a REALTOR® over to his house (one that specializes in distressed properties) to give him an accurate value of what the house is worth (since he doesn’t know the value in today’s market). Jason has some decisions to make on what he wants to do and now he has the information to make informed decisions. I could hear the relief in his voice as we hung up.

From my perspective, yesterday wasn’t so unusual, as we have been helping Michigan homeowners like Colin, Patty & Jason daily for 5 years now. It sounded like yesterday was unusual for Colin, Patty & Jason because they finally got some answers and direction. From their feedback and feedback I get from others, apparently there aren’t a lot of companies/people out there willing to listen and take the time to educate and discuss options with homeowners facing a Michigan foreclosure. That is why we are here, to help. We will never ask for any money and we keep all information confidential. Give us a call today and see how we can help you. Come on, make our day (and yours too)!

Ann

We Promise!

It’s been a while since I read a newspaper. When I scanned the headlines this week, the news was less than uplifting. The Federal program meant to help families in foreclosure is failing. The economy is not improving and in fact the poverty level in Michigan is the highest it has been in 16 years.

If you are tired of reading only the gloomy stuff, here is something positive to read. If you are having a financial hardship and facing a Michigan foreclosure, this is our Four Point Promise to you:

• We will never ask you for money.
• We will never put you in a situation that is worse than you are currently in.
• We will always keep all of your information 100% confidential.
• We will always work harder than anybody, doing whatever we can, to permanently stop your foreclosure situation.

Give us a call to get your questions answered, to explore options and gather information about Michigan foreclosures. Let us help you focus on what can be done to fix the situation instead of all the negative that led up to the situation. We are waiting to hear from you so we can put our promises to work for you!

Ann

Robo-signers, MERS, and Moratoriums, oh my!

The news is full of the latest information and speculation about the mortgage industry and foreclosures. This recent article sums up the situation the best of any article I have read to date.

Despite all this speculation about what is going to happen next, the fact is that 75 houses were foreclosed on this week within Kent, Kalamazoo and Ottawa counties combined. So foreclosures are still occurring.

The bottom line is that if you took a loan out on a house and promised to pay it back, you are still obligated to pay that loan. Just because some of the lenders may have messed up and did something wrong, doesn’t give you the OK to stop paying your mortgage and do something wrong too. Remember what Mom said –if your friends jumped off the bridge, would you jump too? Too wrongs do not make a right. If you are already behind on your mortgage payments and facing a Michigan foreclosure, you need to keep looking for solutions. Sooner or later, the foreclosure machine will start back up again and wouldn’t you rather be ahead of it instead of back in the middle of it?

Give us a call and let’s talk about your situation and options. It is business as usual for us and we are here to help you. We are plugged into similar businesses across the country and we are getting daily updates on changes and decisions from some of the top experts in the industry. Let us sort out all the speculation for you and help you navigate through the craziness. Give us a call and let’s get you on the road to a brighter future.

Ann

Winter Is Coming – It Doesn’t Have To For You

Winter is coming (I know this for certain because Joel is thinking of skiing already!). The Squirrels are busily gathering food for the winter, preparing for a time when less food will be available. Other animals are also more active as they prepare for the winter ahead. Soon, as the darker, colder days of winter arrive, many animals will leave for warmer climates or burrow into their warm homes and curl up for a long winters nap awaiting the warmer, brighter days of spring

Humans don’t take as drastic measures to prepare when the season of winter approaches. However, sometimes an event can happen in our life that will create darker, colder days for us with cold feelings of dread. Maybe a financial hardship makes it harder to put food on the table and pay for other basic necessities, like a mortgage. After a few months, you can find yourself facing a Michigan Foreclosure and you might feel like curling up in your bed and not getting up for a long time or leaving the situation and starting over. However, avoiding the problem or walking away from it will seldom bring better days any quicker.

This is where we can help. We know what it is like to face a hardship and not know what to do. We help people like you every day to explore options and figure out the best course of action for them. We will not put you in a worse situation and we will not ask you for any money. Give us a call and let us get you back on the road to sunnier days.

Ann