Fulton County Foreclosure Prevention Fair

Fulton County Schedules South Fulton Foreclosure Prevention Fair to Provide Counseling to Help Residents to Keep Their Homes

Event an initiative of District 7 Commissioner William “Bill” Edwards

The Fulton County Department of Housing and Human Services Office of Housing and Community Development will host a free Foreclosure Prevention Fair on Saturday, September 24, 2011, in South Fulton to help residents in danger of losing their homes because they can no longer afford their mortgages. 

The event will be held at Westlake High School from 9:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. Westlake is located at 2400 Union Road SW in Atlanta, Georgia

Five years ago, Sharon Kleckley lost her job and a year and a half later, her husband, Marshall Kleckley, lost his position.  Without a steady income other than Mrs. Kleckley’s contract work, the couple managed to obtain a temporary loan modification with their lender; however, with time running out on the temporary fix, the Kleckley’s tried to renegotiate their modification without any success.  At the urging of several friends who had successfully received modifications, Mrs. Kleckley attended a NACA (Neighborhood Assistance Corporation of America) Foreclosure Prevention event; however, their lender was not present and again the Kleckleys were forced to look at other options. 

Finally, a contact at the bank suggested Foreclosure Prevention Counseling.  That’s when they contacted Audra Pender of Metro Fair Housing, which operates out of the Fulton County Government Center at Fulton Industrial Boulevard.  The Kleckleys say the counseling sessions and calls made to their bank by Pender began to turn the tide in their favor.

The couple emphasizes that Pender’s personal contact with their lenders and her assistance helped them to provide the information that the lender needed to approve their modification. However, they credit their success not only to the foreclosure prevention counseling, but also to their own refusal to give up and walk way.  As Mrs. Kleckley put it, we were looking for a “hand up and not a hand out.”  Because of their perseverance, the Kleckleys are remaining in their four bedroom, three-bath home in South Fulton County.

Neighbor Works and the Mortgage Bankers Association report that every three months, 250,000 new families enter into foreclosure.  Statistics from the organizations also indicate that one child in every classroom in America is at risk of losing his/her home because parents are unable to pay their mortgage.

HUD certified housing counselors will be on hand on September 24, to provide counseling and assistance.  Fulton County Foreclosure Prevention Fairs and ongoing workshops are designed to help homeowners to determine options available for avoiding foreclosure such as loan modification and other financing tools. 

Counselors will also assess your current situation and map out a solution possibly determining if families qualify for the Obama Administration’s Making Home Affordable program.

The "Making Home Affordable" program provides responsible homeowners with support to obtain affordable refinancing or loan modifications to help them stay in their homes.

 Families who need assistance must bring two copies of the following documents in order to obtain assistance onsite.

• Two most recent monthly mortgage statements
• Recent Lender/Mortgage Company communications (letters and emails)
• One month of most recent pay stubs for all household members contributing toward mortgage payment
• Your tax return; If self-employed, the most recent quarterly or year-to-date profit and loss statement and two years of tax returns
• Documentation of income you receive from other sources (alimony, child support, social security, etc.)
• Two most recent bank statements
•  Copies of monthly bills: utilities, auto, insurances, etc
• Unemployment insurance letter
• Property Tax Statement
• Current homeowners insurance policy
• Personal loan statements
• Most recent credit card statements
• Settlement Statement/HUD 1 from your mortgage closing
• Mortgage Deed (Warranty or Security Deed)

Those who arrive without the documents will be rescheduled for an appointment following the Foreclosure Prevention Fair. 

For more information and to register visit www.fultoncountyga.gov or call the Department of Housing and Human Services at 404-613-7944.  The website contains copies of the documents that need to be completed and brought to the event, along with a registration form that should be completed to help ensure timely processing the day of the event.