There are a number of concerns in the case of homeowners allowing their homes to go into foreclosure because they can not afford them anymore, and what the consequences will be for such a decision. Before choosing to let a house go into foreclosure, though, every homeowner should look into a few other options to stop foreclosure first. While foreclosure refinancing is the option that most homeowners attempt first, credit and income considerations and tighter lending guidelines have precluded most homeowners from qualifying for a loan right now. This makes it necessary for homeowners to gain more broad foreclosure advice and look at other methods to save their home before willingly allowing it to go into foreclosure.

Regardless of the homeowners' financial situation and the current real estate market, the house should be listed on the market just on the off-chance than an interested buyer wants to purchase it before the foreclosure goes through. Selling to avoid foreclosure is always a better option than foreclosure. Foreclosure victims can also try to work with the lender for a short sale, where they would sell the property for less than what they owe on the loan, including all of the miscellaneous foreclosure costs and accelerated interest. With this option, at least the short sale will pay off the loan and save the homeowners' credit more than having a foreclosure show on their report.

If the short sale is not a viable way to stop foreclosure, homeowners should ask their lender about giving a deed in lieu of foreclosure. This option involves just giving the property back to the bank, and the can not go after anything other assets that are owned by the foreclosure victims. The mortgage company accepts the deed instead of foreclosing or having the loan paid in monthly installments, so there will be nothing else for them to go after. Of course, this option still results in homeowners losing their home and is only slightly better than a foreclosure, but anything the homeowners can do to preserve their credit will help at this point as the homeowners begin the process of financial recovery.

It will depend on how the bank pursues the foreclosure and what state the property is located in to determine whether or not they can sue the former homeowners for a deficiency judgment in order to go after any other assets. With just the foreclosure, though, they are not entitled to anything else. Homeowners, when applying for the mortgage, pledge the house as collateral for the loan -- not their car, 401(k), or prize racehorse. So all that the lender can take as payment for the loan is the house. Nothing else is used to secure the mortgage and the bank only has the right to the loan payments or the security without suing for more after it is determined the security is not worth the amount needed to pay the loan.

The best place for foreclosure victims to begin researching these issues is to look up their state foreclosure laws and consult the original loan documents to determine what kind of foreclosure the bank can proceed with (Judicial or Non-Judicial). This small amount of foreclosure information will tell them if the mortgage company can sue them afterwards and try to go after any other assets. Some states do not even allow this practice, making it the bank's responsibility to ensure that the real estate is of a sufficient value to pay off the loan in the event of a default. Other states, though, allow the bank to continue their collection activities even after the foreclosure by suing for a deficiency judgment.

In reality, banks rarely sue for deficiency judgments, though, since they know that foreclosure victims do not have a lot of extra cash or even the ability to borrow any money. Their credit is often so far damaged by the very recent foreclosure that they could not qualify for a credit card or personal loan if their lives depended on it. In addition, it costs the lender extra time to sue for a deficiency judgment and there is no guarantee they would be able to collect on the judgment at all, so most do not bother to waste their time chasing after money that simply does not exist.

Thus, while there may be a slight danger of being sued after foreclosure, homeowners in most cases will not have to worry about this consequence if they simply allow their home to go into foreclosure. This is often not the ideal way to stop foreclosure, though, and other methods should be examined before deciding to give up on the house. Refinancing out of foreclosure is only the most common option, although it is one of the least successful ways to avoid foreclosure. If homeowners conduct some basic research about foreclosure, they will be able to put together a more viable solution with numerous plans to save their homes, rather than passively allowing the situation to ruin their credit to fullest extent that it can.

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