When unforeseen financial circumstances impact your ability to make regular mortgage payments, it’s important for you to take quick action. With early intervention, cooperation and a well executed plan, you can work together with your mortgage professional to find a solution to your financial difficulties.
What Can I Do to Help?
If you find yourself facing financial difficulties as a result of job loss, family income reductions, or for other reasons, it can be an overwhelming experience leaving you feeling uncomfortable and unsure of what to do. By following these three simple steps, you can make a big difference in resolving your financial difficulties.
1. Talk to your mortgage professional:
- To increase the chance of successfully managing your financial situation through early intervention, call your mortgage professional at the first sign of financial difficulty.
- Ask the mortgage professional about information on the options available for managing your financial situation; and
- Keep the mortgage professional informed as circumstances evolve.
2. Clarify the financial picture
To help your mortgage professional fully understand your financial situation, before meeting with them, prepare a detailed list of financial obligations including any credit cards, loans, household bills with the amounts owing and their due dates. Be sure to include information about your current income, savings accounts, investments, and any other assets.
3. Stay informed
The more information you have at your disposal on managing your finances, the easier it will be to make the right decisions. Take Charge of Your Debts is an online tool from the Government of Canada that is designed to help borrowers like you understand debt problems, and includes information on making a budget, budget counseling, credit repair, etc.
Log onto www.igc.ca (Industry Canada) and search for "Take Charge of Your Debts".
How Can Mortgage Professionals Help?
Your mortgage professional wants to establish and maintain a positive relationship with you over the long term, and is fully trained and equipped with the tools to help you deal with the temporary financial setbacks you may be facing.
Please feel free to call me at (250) 862 1806 or email [email protected].
This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.