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Saturday Workshops Aim At Helping Owners Stay In Homes

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By VALERIE KALFRIN | The Tampa Tribune

Published: February 14, 2009

TAMPA - A local company is sponsoring workshops for troubled homeowners to teach them how to modify their home loans and save their houses from foreclosure.

Help for Homeowners of America, LLC, is offering the workshops on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to noon at the Hillsborough County Bar Association's office, 1610 N. Tampa St. The first workshop is underway this morning, but registration is open for at least five others, director David Maso said.

The workshop costs $299 per student, "but when they leave, they will leave with a plan to present to their bank," Maso said. Help with loan modification from a private attorney can cost about $1,500, he said.

The workshop provides assistance with writing a hardship letter and filling out supporting documentation, Maso said.

According to the company, Florida ranked second in the nation for total foreclosure filings in 2008 with 385,309, a 133 percent increase from 2007 and a nearly 412 percent increase from 2006.

Company president Craig Lane said in a prepared statement that banks and mortgage companies really don't want to foreclose additional homes because their investment in the property is more valuable when the homeowner still makes monthly payments. The workshop aims to teach homeowners how to determine what their banks and lenders are willing to concede, Lane said.

For more information or to register, visit www.modificationworkshop.com or call (877) 334-2891.

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