If it’s getting harder to make your payments but you haven’t fallen behind yet, you may have a simple, effective option: Refinancing your mortgage to one with a lower monthly payment.   To refinance as part of a mortgage assistance plan, your account needs to be current and you must also have equity in your home. Most refinances are for 80 percent of the property value. It helps to have an attorney on your side, working with your numbers and making sure you qualify.

There are a few other eligibility requirements we’ll be glad to go over with you to see if you qualify.

If you qualify, refinancing can be one of the easiest ways to get back on track without big impacts to your credit score or living situation.

If you fell behind on your payments due to a temporary hardship—such as a hurricane, loss of income,  medical bills or something else, but you have returned to a point where you can pay your amount due each month, you may be a candidate for a repayment plan.

If you qualify, lenders can  spread the past due amounts over a manageable timeframe. Instead of owing it all at once and potentially incurring late fees, you’ll just have a relatively small increase to your future monthly payments until you’re all caught up.

Like all mortgage assistance options, the sooner you reach out to an attorney to assess the problems and discuss a solution to your mortgage needs,  the more likely a  plan will be available to you.

If you’re facing long-term hardship, we can see about modifying your loan so it has more manageable terms.

While refinancing means replacing your existing loan with a new one, loan modification keeps your existing loan and changes its terms.

If you qualify for loan modification, we will work closely to qualify you, see if you can obtain principal forgiveness and lower your monthly payment.

Lenders may also be agreeable to a lower interest rate or extending the loan’s timeframe to lower each month’s payment.