Remember when you were a kid?  Okay… for some of us that may take some effort.  When we didn’t like something, what did we do?  We avoided it.  Tests… put off studying.  Test day… suddenly I have a fever.  Clean my room… play with the toys I find under my bed that I thought I lost.  Eat my vegetables… bury it under the rice.

Crazy kids.  What about now?  Clean the garage… next weekend.  Fix the whatever… sure, after I get the you-know-what.  Avoidance may actually be hardwired into our DNA.  I’m not speaking as a human genome specialist; no, just as a fellow procrastinator.

So, if we put off small things that are unpleasant; shouldn’t we avoid big, bad things at all costs?  When it comes to foreclosures… YES!  Too many people in our current financial climate are throwing their hands up in the air and accepting the collapse of their financial house without a fight.  Without the proper motivation for avoidance.

There are things you can do.  First, talk to your lender.  See if they are open to restructure your loan.  They may, they may not.  It’s worth a try.  They have a stake in the game.  If you go into foreclosure, their crank gets turned as well.  Too many people don’t avoid foreclosure as the end game.  They either don’t ask anyone for possible solutions or advice, or sometimes worse yet, they ask the wrong people.  According to the Daily Times, in an article titled, “Foreclosure Blues: Avoiding auction block,”

Part of the overall problem, McGinn said, is where people tend to seek help when faced with a challenge.

“When we’re jammed up, we tend to talk to our neighbors or strangers,” he said. “What do they know? Before I became sheriff, I wouldn’t have known (about the foreclosure process.)”

After the foreclosure process is the heart-wrenching part, McGinn said, the eviction.

“Everything gets personal,” he said.

Lemon Landlord’s motto on their site is, “Take Control, Don’t be a Statistic!”  Granted, that is geared toward renters.  But that same wisdom can and should be applied to homeowners.  Don’t think that that billowing black cloud has to rain on you.  Talk to people who know.  Seek out lenders, Realtors, the Sheriff’s office, go to government websites… there are things you can do to AVOID foreclosures.

If you take it lying down, you may end up on Lemon Landlord’s site as… what else?  A Lemon Landlord.