It's been long couple of years in real estate, the last two. Although fears of a systemic crash have somewhat abated, we?re far from out of the woods. The Housing Rescue Bill (July 2008) must have generated at least some degree of guarded optimism. Already, National Association of Realtors reported pending home sales nationally rose 5.3 percent from May to June (Aug 7 2008, St. Louis Business Journal).

Riding on the momentum, American homeowners faced with foreclosure would do well to capitalize on the various options that have been put in place to help ease their mortgage woes. It?s easy to understand how people could jump into real-estate during the housing boom and it?s such a shame that these same folks would be swallowed up by foreclosure at this point now that the odds are actually in their favor.

Examples of how to stop foreclosure include refinancing, forbearance, loan modification, additional loan and even write-off to help affected homeowners stay in their homes. Where retaining the home is not tenable or desirable, the foreclosure can still be averted through deed-in-lieu, pre-foreclosure or short sale in order to protect the owner's credit score while avoiding the costs and penalties of formal foreclosure proceedings.

With the right information and knowledge, the task of stopping foreclosure is not as daunting as it's made out to be. Take well-thought out but expeditious action. The most successful approach can be generically outlined as follows: -Study the true financial situation -Evaluate all possibilities and options -Steer clear of scams -Get professional or certified help -Stay positive and persevere

Lenders and government are certain to be willing to work hand in hand with affected homeowners to help stop foreclosure these days as they are actually in the bind too insofar as the bigger picture of the overall housing crisis is concerned. With foreclosure, houses turn from asset to burden for lenders overnight, their surplus weigh down on the economy and even dampen property value in the neighborhood.

How to stop foreclosure has become a common topic, be it at online forums, radio talk shows, public discussions, office chat and just about any form of everyday conversation. There?s also no shortage of information and services to turn to. Government agencies, banks and lenders, lawyers and attorneys, investors and brokers are all increasingly coming onto the scene. Books, guides and all kinds of other materials have been written on the subject. Scams and cons have not failed to get in the mix either, so watch out!