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Published with permission from RISMedia.

Life can change fast. For example, you could lose your job, a family member could fall ill, or an accident could occur. For many homeowners, unforeseen circumstances like these can cause financial problems that hinder their ability to keep up with mortgage payments, putting them at risk of losing their house.

If youre having trouble paying your mortgage for any reason, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) offers 10 tips to help you avoid foreclosure:

1. Don’t ignore the problem. The further behind you get on payments, the harder itll be to reinstate your loan and the more likely youll lose your house.

2. Contact your lender as soon as you realize you have a problem. Lenders dont want your house. They have options to help borrowers through difficult financial times.

3. Open and respond to all mail from your lender. The first notices you receive will offer good information about foreclosure prevention options that can help you weather financial problems. Later mail may include important notices of pending legal action. Your failure to open the mail wont be an excuse in foreclosure court.

4. Know your mortgage rights. Find your loan documents and read them so you know what your lender may do if you can’t make your payments. Learn about the foreclosure laws and timeframes in your state (as every state is different) by contacting the State Government Housing Office.

5. Understand prevention options. Valuable information about foreclosure prevention (also called loss mitigation) options can be found on HUDs website.

6. Contact a HUD-approved housing counselor. HUD funds free or very low-cost housing counseling nationwide. Housing counselors can help you understand the law and your options, organize your finances and represent you in negotiations with your lender, if you need this assistance. Find a HUD-approved housing counselor near you.

7. Prioritize your spending. After healthcare, keeping your house should be your top priority. Review your finances and see where you can cut spending in order to make your mortgage payment. Look for optional expenses, such as cable TV or memberships, you can eliminate. Delay payments on credit cards and other “unsecured” debt until youve paid your mortgage.

8. Use your assets. Do you have assets, such as a second car or jewelry, you can sell for cash to help reinstate your loan? Can anyone in your household get an extra job to bring in additional income? Even if these efforts don’t significantly increase your available cash, they demonstrate to your lender that youre willing to make sacrifices to keep your home.

9. Avoid foreclosure prevention companies. You don’t need to pay fees for help”use that money to pay the mortgage instead. Many for-profit companies will contact you promising to negotiate with your lender. While these may be legitimate businesses, theyll likely charge you a hefty fee for information and services your lender or a HUD-approved counselor will provide for free.

10. Don’t lose your house to scams. If any firm claims it can stop your foreclosure immediately and you sign a document appointing the firm to act on your behalf, you may well be signing over the title to your property and becoming a renter in your own home. Never sign a legal document without reading and understanding all the terms and getting professional advice from an attorney, a trusted real estate professional or a HUD-approved counselor.

These 10 tips could help you safely overcome troubled times and remain a homeowner.

Published with permission from RISMedia.

Whether you have a charming backyard, sizable balcony or spacious rooftop, there are plenty of opportunities to grow your own produce in the city.

Maximize Your Space

Using raised beds and implementing square foot gardening, where each square foot of garden holds a specific plant, will maximize space and efficiency.

Containers are equally well suited to growing vegetables in confined spaces and can provide a unique aesthetic to your garden with beautiful planters.

What to Grow

Stick to vegetables that require a soil depth of less than a foot, like lettuce, spinach, eggplants, radishes and beets.

Vegetables that can grow vertically using support systems, such as tomatoes and squash, are another way to maximize space.

Bring in the Soil

Even if you have a backyard, its a good idea to buy organic potting soil thats rich in nutrients and can retain moisture to keep your plants healthy.

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After a buyer has agreed to purchase a home from a seller, the escrow process begins. This is designed to make sure that all the necessary conditions and obligations are met so the transaction can proceed smoothly.

Purpose of Escrow
Escrow is designed to protect all the parties involved in a real estate transaction from risk and to ensure that everyone is acting in good faith. The seller will need to prove that he or she owns the house and that its not subject to any liens from third parties that could prevent or complicate the sale. The buyer will need to prove that he or she has the funds necessary to buy the house or the financial means to obtain a mortgage.

What Happens During the Escrow Process
Escrow is generally a mandatory part of a real estate transaction that starts after the seller accepts the buyers offer to purchase the house. The law related to the escrow process varies by state, but in general an escrow agent, who is a neutral third party with no vested interest in the transaction, is assigned to handle the process and to protect each involved party from risk. The escrow agent is paid a fee that represents a small percentage of the sale price. This fee can be paid by the buyer, the seller or both.

Earnest money is a small percentage of the sale price that the buyer provides to demonstrate that he or she is serious about buying the house. In exchange, the seller takes the house off the market. After the sale is completed, the earnest money is applied to the buyers down payment. Until the sale is finalized, the earnest money and the house are both considered to be in escrow.

The escrow agent collects the sales contract, earnest money and contingencies related to insurance, inspections, repairs and any other requirements that must be met to finalize the sale. These items are placed in an account and stay there until the buyer and seller have fulfilled all their duties required by the terms of the contract.

Once all parties have met their obligations and all the necessary documents have been signed, the mortgage lender pays the money due to the seller. Then the deed is recorded in the name of the new owner, escrow closes and the buyer can move into the house.

Understand How Escrow Works
The escrow process is designed to protect both the buyer and the seller in a real estate transaction. It allows each party to be confident that the other is acting in good faith and meeting the requirements set forth in the contract. Escrow also allows each party that is due payment to receive the appropriate amount in a timely manner. If you have any questions about the escrow process as it relates to your specific situation, talk to your real estate agent.

Published with permission from RISMedia.

It can be easy for the exterior of your home to look a bit worn after just a few years. Maintenance tasks that need to be taken care of could get put off due to time constraints or the fact that you don’t necessarily notice potential trouble areas every day. If you find yourself in this situation, consider these five outdoor fixes that’ll have your home in tip-top shape in no time:

Clean Your Gutters. Depending on where you live, your gutters may need a lot of help. Take a few minutes to do a quick overview of the condition of your gutters”cleaning them out is a great first step to making them more efficient in getting excess water away from your home. You should also make sure that all the connections are in good condition and that downspouts are secure. Finish up by spraying the gutters down with a quick power wash to restore them to their original color.

Dress Up Your Door. Your front door should look just like that”a front door. Make sure guests don’t have to guess where it is or fight their way through overgrown plants. Instead, dress up your front door and turn it into a welcoming entryway. Consider repainting it with a fresh coat of paint or hanging a seasonal wreath. You could also add some touches like a welcome mat or potted flowers underneath the doorbell. Dressing up your front door is an easy way to add appeal to your home.

Add Some Mulch. Is your yard looking tired? One of the best ways to instantly provide a fresh, polished look to your homes exterior is to add new mulch to flower beds and around trees. Mulch also offers plants moist insulation to keep them hydrated and helps deter weeds from popping up.

Spruce Up Your Mailbox. You may not think that people notice your mailbox, but it can be one of the first things guests see when they drive up to your home. Make sure your mailbox is secured in the ground and isn’t leaning to one side. Spruce it up by giving it a fresh coat of paint, personalizing it with your last name or adding some flowers around the bottom of the stand.

Install Window Boxes. Adding a few window boxes underneath your front windows is a great way to instantly add interest and natural beauty to your homes exterior. Choose from a wide variety of window box styles and colors that’ll complement your home. Plant flowers that’ll add pop like daisies, marigolds, or even wave petunias that’ll cascade over the side of the box.

Fixing up your homes exterior doesn’t have to become a week-long project. These and several other quick fixes could instantly add beauty to the outside of your home.

Source: Rachael Baihn/RISMedias Housecall

Published with permission from RISMedia.