Moving Forward

     Our next meeting will be about coping with the stress of foreclosure. From our own experience, we have found that no matter what stage of foreclosure we were in, it was stressful. One purpose of these meetings is that we felt the human side of foreclosure was not being addressed. If you are feeling stressed out from your situation - this might be a good meeting to attend. We have found that talking with others that are going through the same thing does help. You find out that you are not alone. While each of our situations may be slightly different, we face many of the same stresses.

     It can be hard finding someone you can talk to. As we went through foreclosure, it was hard sharing our situation with others. You may not want to talk to family or friends as foreclosure might make you feel embarrassed or ashamed. This was one of the main reasons we decided to start Moving Forward; to create a safe place where distressed homeowners can share and support one another. If you are feeling alone in this - you are not alone. Do you feel that there is no hope? We felt hopeless for a long time.

     You can make it out of this, and you are not alone.

     Our next meeting is on May 2 at 7:00 p.m., and our guest speaker is short sale expert Todd Kaufman. Todd runs Alta Community Investment, a local company that buys distressed properties in Ventura County. The topic of this meeting will be Short Sales.

     A short sale is one of many options available to a homeowner that is facing foreclosure. When done properly, the homeowner sells their property to a third party for an amount that is less than the amount owed. This can only be done with the lender’s approval. The advantage to the homeowner is they are released from their mortgage debt, and both the lender and homeowner avoid foreclosure. 
     Other alternatives to foreclosure will be covered, including: deed-in-lieu of foreclosure, reinstatement, loan modifications, and forbearance.

     Mr. Kaufman has been a resident of Conejo Valley for several years. He has experience negotiating short sales with the major mortgage lenders, and has been working in the real estate industry for more than 20 years. He will be sharing important information about this alternative to foreclosure with the Moving Forward group.

     If you would like to learn about the alternatives to foreclosure, we highly recommend that you attend the meeting on May 2. Moving Forward group meetings are open to homeowners only.
     Many homeowners find that in many ways, their situation is unique from anyone else’s. In order to make the best informed decisions for their situation, homeowners should learn as much as they can about every alternative to foreclosure. We highly recommend that anyone facing foreclosure attend this meeting.

When: May 2, 2008, 7:00 p.m. - 8:15 p.m.
Who: Todd Kaufman, Alta Community Investment
What: Short Sales and other Alternatives to Foreclosure
Where: St. Matthew’s UMC, 1360 S Wendy Drive, Newbury Park, CA 91320
More: Moving Forward Foreclosure Support Group Meeting Information.

Contact: Mike Bertrand
Phone: (805) 490-6818
E-mail: mike@wearemovingforward.org