There are several Federal and State organizations where cash strapped homeowners can get help in preventing or aleviating foreclosure. It is key to act sooner rather than later as most lenders' decision makers move at a snail's pace.

Homeowner Crisis Resource Center: The Homeowner Crisis Resource Center, run by the National Foundation for Credit Counseling, can help borrowers get in touch with certified housing counselors. The toll-free number is 1-866-557-2227.

You can also ask foundation counselors questions about credit here.

FHASecure: Launched in August 2007, the FHASecure program is aimed at helping homeowners refinance certain adjustable-rate mortgages, or ARMs. Unlike the rules for traditional mortgages insured by the Federal Housing Administration, the program allows even delinquent borrowers to refinance if their delinquency results from an ARM resetting to a higher rate.

This program applies only to owner-occupied homes (no investors) with existing non-FHA ARMs that have reset since June 2005 or will by December 2009. The program is available to homeowners with mortgages under a certain dollar amount, which varies by region (for instance, the temporary limit is $729,750 for high-cost areas).

Hope Now: The federal Hope Now alliance represents 11 lenders servicing more than four out of five subprime loans. A significant part of the Hope Now effort is aimed at modifying loans by freezing interest rates at their current levels.

The plan was announced in December and is a voluntary effort by the private sector to address the national foreclosure problem. However, it targets a limited number of troubled homeowners.

To be eligible, homeowners must have had good payment histories, taken out their loans between January 2005 and July 2006, face loan resets that result in a payment increase of 10% or more and had a loan-to-value ratio of more than 97%. The program uses a direct-mail campaign to contact at-risk homeowners and encourage them to call the Homeownership Preservation Foundation's national hotline at 1-888-995-HOPE.

Center for Responsible Lending: The Center for Responsible Lending is a unit of the Center for Community Self-Help, based in Durham, N.C. Recognizing that lack of legal representation is an obstacle for families facing foreclosure, the responsible-lending center created the Institute for Foreclosure Legal Assistance, a project managed by the National Association of Consumer Advocates, which funds organizations that provide legal representation to families facing foreclosure due to subprime lending.

National Consumer Law Center: The National Consumer Law Center helps consumers, their advocates and policymakers to use consumer laws to build financial security and promote marketplace justice for vulnerable individuals and families. The center presents information about mortgage servicing and foreclosure prevention, offering a book and CD-ROM about foreclosure prevention.

Homeownership Preservation Foundation: The Homeownership Preservation Foundation creates partnerships with local governments, nonprofit organizations, borrowers and lenders to help families overcome obstacles that could result in the loss of their homes. It offers 1-888-995-HOPE, a national homeowner assistance hotline, to help individuals and families avoid foreclosure.

Foreclosure laws by state: This chart compares foreclosure timelines for all 50 states.

Source: msnMoney

Foreclosures in Spruce Creek, Daytona Beach and Port Orange

There are a few homes in Spruce Creek at different stages in the foreclosure process. Port Orange has several hundred homes listed as REO (Real Estate Owned) which means the lenders already took them over and are offering them for sale. Many of these homes are in fantastic shape at prices below replacement value. Contact KarlHaus Realty for additional information about REO's, short sales and pre-foreclosure deals in the Port Orange, Daytona Beach and Spruce Creek areas.

Daytona Beach Foreclosures

Port Orange Foreclosures

Ormond Beach Foreclosures

New Smyrna Beach Foreclosures

Ponce Inlet Foreclosures