I have seen firsthand how the prospect of having the bank foreclose on a homeowner over loan problems is so frightening that some people stick their heads in the sand and ignore letters and phone calls because they feel so helpless. They don't realize that lenders often actually want to help them keep their homes."

Because of some of the creative option-ARM mortgagesdevised in the past few years, all around the country there are homeowners now in a position of having negative equity in their homes.

The subject has come up often in the bi-annual meetings of a real estate Mastermind Group to which I belong. The group is made up of some of the most experienced and successful agents in the nation. One of the things the members know about me is that the words "caring" and "compassionate" represent the priorities I have when it comes to my clients. So the group encouraged me to become an approved Loss Mitigation Consultant.

I took their advice and did so, along with my office manager, Heather Tyler. Our job: at the request of lenders, we go to the doors of troubled homeowners and offer to help counsel them so they can avoid foreclosure and keep their homes.

The lenders are the ones who give us authorization to talk with the homeowners and to work on modifying the loans to keep them in the property. Both Heather and I appreciate the opportunity this gives us to truly help people who need to hear some good news regarding their mortgage difficulties. We are going out there and talking to individuals to help them see that things aren't as bad as they might be thinking.

For more information about our Loss Mitigation efforts, call my office at (818) 953-5300.