Foreclosure.com is extending Black Friday throughout the month of December!

We are so grateful for our newsletter readers and website visitors. We started Foreclosure.com more than a decade ago with the goal of making it the number one-ranked online destination for distressed property listings.

And here we are, 13 years later, thanking you for helping us make that vision a reality.

To commemorate the holiday season this year, we are excited to announce a treasure trove of our most generous money-saving opportunities ever, which we designed especially with you in mind. Enjoy extended free site membership, discounted foreclosure and short sale educational programs and much more.

As always, we also invite you to check out the myriad free tools available on our site to help make your foreclosure and short sale searches a success. It would be just silly to miss our free On Demand webinars, free foreclosure listing alerts and everything else that we offer at absolutely no charge.

The November 2011 edition of Foreclosure.com’s free educational newsletter, “Investment Exchange,” is now available, which will help you uncover the unbelievable wealth that might just be waiting for you right around the corner — literally — thanks to an unprecedented package of discounted resources.

We’ve never offered such an amazing bundle of deals and zero-cost learning opportunities to kickstart the real estate investment careers of our website visitors. So, take advantage of the free, money-saving offers that we are gifting to you this holiday season before it’s too late.

And well before all the New Year “resolutioners” flood the market.

To read this month’s free educational newsletter from Foreclosure.com and cash-in on our limited-time holiday offerings CLICK HERE.

Sometimes it just takes patience.

As we researched these particular deals, we noted that there were multiple offers throughout the listing process. If the offers were rejected, and the homes would be re-listed, the price would be reduced about six weeks after it hit the market again.

Patience and the discipline of patience is where money can be made, or saved, for that matter.

That blend of risk taking and waiting can only be achieved by practice and knowledge. First you need the knowledge and then the practice. The application once these two key ingredients are combined is where wisdom is gained.

Have you ever noticed that change both positive and negative occur line upon line and precept upon precept? Taking an action, even if it’s small, takes you in a direction. From there, you can always change course, but taking an action is where it begins.

Long-term perspective can be a fruitful practice and the virtue of patience is real.

To check out (and monitor) listings in your target market be sure to check out Foreclosure.com today. You can “save” properties of interest and watch them, as well as their descending prices, until you are ready to make your patient move.

Apps, smart phones, iPads and other innovations are all the rage these days. Real estate agents, sellers, buyers and investors are all taking advantage of the latest technology to expedite the marketing and sales of homes at seemingly every turn.

But with the competitive market flooded with so many products, services and short cuts, it can actually hamper your home search rather than make it smoother … and cheaper.

The August 2011 edition of Foreclosure.com’s free educational newsletter, “Investment Exchange,” is now available, which teaches you which technological gadgets are worth the effort of getting to know and how to put them to work so you can save time and make money faster.

We’re also very excited to tell you about a 100 percent free opportunity to learn all about integrating technology into your investment strategies quickly and easily. It’s a crash course in the essential technological tools that, when used correctly, promise to make a real difference in your bottom line.

Learn about the most innovative and intuitive technological tools that will make finding, purchasing and profiting from distressed properties easier than ever before.

To read this month’s free educational newsletter from Foreclosure.com CLICK HERE.

Title searches become especially critical for short sale and foreclosure transactions because liens on a property transfer with property ownership. That means that you could be stuck with an outrageous bill even though the previous owner caused the lien to occur in the first place if you’re not careful.

Indeed, any encumbrances incurred by the previous owner could become the next owner’s problem. And if that next owner is you, you may be in for a very unwelcome shock.

The July 2011 edition of Foreclosure.com’s free educational newsletter, “Investment Exchange,” is now available, which familiarizes you with title searches and how to get them done, for free if you’re so inclined (and diligent), as painlessly as possible.

Your success as an investor depends on it.

To read this month’s free educational newsletter from Foreclosure.com CLICK HERE.

Those who fail to learn from history’s mistakes are doomed to repeat them.

Current and future homeowners would be wise to examine the causes of the real estate bust that has forced countless families into foreclosure and many more fighting to avoid it.

Unemployment, divorce, illness and other unforeseen events are hard to avoid and nearly impossible to predict. But there are several situations for which homeowners can prepare and control.

NASDAQ.com offers “3 Lessons to Learn from Foreclosure:”

1. Live within your means. Basically, don’t stretch your finances too thin. Sure, that house down the block is fabulous. But if it means you’re going to have to work three jobs just to afford it, as well as all the living-related costs that are involved, you need to look elsewhere. There are several great (and affordable) deals on the market today. Take your time, shop around and crunch the numbers. Hard.
2. Get a better understanding of the terms of your mortgage. Most distressed homeowners got into foreclosure trouble because they didn’t understand their mortgages. Adjustable and balloon rates — those that increased over time — created impossible repayment situations. If you go from paying $1,000/mo. t0 $2,000/mo., and aren’t in a position to cover the difference, things could go downhill real fast. And they did.
3. If you have issues paying your mortgage, talk to your lender. Communication is the key to avoiding the foreclosure process. Reach out to your lender early and often of you know foreclosure is possibly in your future. Be proactive and persistent. Don’t take “no” for an answer. There are several programs available today that could help you stay in your home. Inquire about them before it’s too late.

To search foreclosed homes in your area today — and possibly save as much as 50 percent on your next (or first) home purchase — click here.

It’s April 18.

Typically, the date doesn’t strike fear in the hearts of ordinary Americans. Today is different, however, because it (not April 15) is the deadline to file individual tax returns.

And for many, 2010 could have been financially difficult, including defaulting on a mortgage loan and losing a home to foreclosure and/or short sale.

The good news is that the  Mortgage Debt Relief Act, passed in 2007 and expiring in 2012, protects most distressed homeowners from being responsible for additional liabilities.

Most, but not all.

CNN.com lays out the exceptions to the rule. Read about them after the jump:

1. You did a cash-out refinance and splurged
2. You have a home-equity line of credit
3. You lost your vacation home or investment property
4. You owned a multimillion-dollar home

Even if you do fall under one of the categories mentioned above, you may still “have a way out.”

Your best bet is to contact a tax professional and discuss your situation with him or her to determine the best course of action.

If you think that a foreclosure and/or short sale will help you improve your distressed situation moving forward, and that you can just cut your losses free and clear, think again.

The Detroit News passes a long a helpful nugget of advice about mortgage deficiency judgements, which is essentially a tool that lenders can leverage to recoup some of their losses by coming after borrowers who defaulted on their mortgages.

And in some cases, they can wait years before coming after you.

Here’s the skinny:

“Now, mortgage lenders can start selling their deficiencies to make up some of their loan losses, unleashing debt collectors who may wait years to file suit — well after foreclosed homeowners have rebuilt their financial lives and have assets that can be pursued for collection.”

Scary stuff, considering that these creditors have the authority to garnish wages and seize property to settle debts.

So how do you avoid a deficiency judgement?

This is how:

“The best way for borrowers to avoid the problem is to get a release from the lender in a short sale or, in the case of a foreclosure, file for bankruptcy.”

Watch your back!

Information and acronym overload is just one of many ways to describe all the home-saving programs currently huddled under the federal government’s Making Home Affordable umbrella.

Finding out which program may be best for you, as well as whether or not you qualify for it, can be an overwhelming experience. And if you’re in a tight spot like many of your other neighbors, struggling to meet your monthly mortgage obligations, you’re already probably way past the point of being overwhelmed.

MarketWatch.com has compiled a very helpful list of the various foreclosure, loan modification and short sale programs that are available today.

We’ve shared the most important information below, as well as direct links to the various websites where you can gather more information and request/download all the information you need to remedy your situation as quickly as possible.

Check it out:

Home Affordable Refinance Program (HARP): If you are on time with your payments but cannot take advantage of today’s lower interest rates because you owe more than your home is currently worth, HARP can help if your loan is held by either Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac, the two mortgage giants that touch perhaps half of all loans.

Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP): If you are struggling to make your payments because your income has been curtailed or your interest rate has increased, you may be eligible to have the terms of your loan changed. The amount you owe must be less than $729,250, your loan must have been taken out prior to Jan. 1, 2009, and your total monthly housing outlay — principal, interest, taxes, insurance and homeowner’s association dues — must be more than 31% of your current gross earnings.

Second Lien Modification Program (2MP): For owners who are having a tough time making their house payments because they have a second mortgage, this program offers a way to lower the payments on the junior loan when the primary mortgage is modified under HAMP. Under 2MP, which is meant to be complimentary to HAMP and is somewhat more complicated than the other alternatives, the owner of the second lien and the company administering the loan on its behalf are given monetary incentives to reduce your rate, extend the term or possibly even extinguish the loan altogether.

Home Affordable Foreclosure Alternatives Program (HAFA): This program is designed to streamline two popular options to foreclosure, a short sale (he loan servicer allows you to sell the property for less than what is owed) and a deed-in-lieu (you voluntarily transfer ownership to the servicer with the understanding that foreclosure proceedings will be dropped). If you can no longer afford your home but want to exit gracefully and avoid the negative effects of foreclosure, this short sale program offers up to a $3,000 cash stipend to help you transition into more affordable housing. To qualify, you cannot be eligible for a trial loan modification, fail to complete a successful trial mod, or miss two consecutive payments during the trial mod period.

To read the entire article about the foreclosure prevention programs mentioned above we strongly recommend that you read the entire article on MarketWatch.com. It also goes into fantastic details about all the documentation and paperwork that you will need to collect to set the process in motion.

Good luck!