Joe Kraynak

Do I Need a Reason to Believe?

I recently read a Reuters article by Peter Apps entitled, “Researchers to probe why people believe in religion.” In the article, Apps reports that researchers at Oxford University received a grant of two million pounds (about four million dollars) to perform a three-year study of “why people believe in religion.”

This is perhaps the most absurd thing I have ever heard. What far too many people, even those who claim to be true believers, fail to understand is that faith and reason are two different things entirely. Most of what we are asked to believe in whatever faith-based institution we follow is irrational. In Christianity, for example, we are asked to believe in the virgin birth, Christ’s ascension into heaven, and Christ’s ability to perform miracles. We even have a saying for this, called “making a leap of faith.” The reason it is a leap is because we need to leap over any rational arguments that could possibly convince us not to believe.

I constantly see people trying to prove, through reason and science and history, that certain faith-based religious tenets are historically factual. I think they are missing the point entirely. No belief worth having requires a reason to have it, and no rational argument should ever require belief to prove its validity. Reason and belief are not even in the same city, let alone the same ballpark.

Foreclosure Help

Ralph R. Roberts’ foreclosure self-defense team has recently unveiled its new Foreclosure Self-Defense Blog. Homeowners can visit the blog to obtain news, information, and guidance on how to deal successfully with a looming foreclosure and take practical steps to improve the outcome.

Real estate investors may also find the information useful. As we explain in Flipping Houses For Dummies and Foreclosure Investing For Dummies, investors can and should act with integrity and treat homeowners fairly in foreclosure. As an investor, you can become part of the solution rather than part of the problem, by offering distressed homeowners a graceful exit from what could otherwise be a devastating loss. Before you can assist homeowners through the foreclosure process, however, you need to become an expert on it yourself. Reading the posts on the Foreclosure Self-Defense Blog can help bring you up to speed.

Foreclosure Self-Defense For Dummies

My latest book, co-authored with foreclosure self-defense experts Ralph R. Roberts, Lois Maljak, and Paul Doroh offers distressed homeowners tips, tricks, and techniques for saving their homes from foreclosure or getting out from under a home they cannot afford.

The release of this book couldn’t be more timely. Experts predict that foreclosures from the recent mortgage meltdown are due to peak in March of 2008.

What makes this book most unique, I believe, is that two of my co-authors have actually faced foreclosure themselves. They know just how embarassing and devastating foreclosure can be, which enables them to treat homeowners facing the loss of a home with compassion. All three of my co-authors specialize in foreclosure. They meet with distressed homeowners regularly, present them with their options, and assist them in making the right choices for their situation.

Before taking on this project, I assumed you had two choices when your bank served you with a foreclosure notice: pay up or move out. I was surprised to discover that homeowners have at least a dozen options. The trick is to find out about your options as quickly as possible and take action. As soon as you start missing payments, the foreclosure clock starts ticking.

In Foreclosure Self-Defense For Dummies, we cover the following options:

• File for bankruptcy
• Reinstate the mortgage (by catching up on missed payments)
• Negotiate a forbearance
• Refinance your way out of trouble
• Sell to an investor and buy it back
• Negotiate a short sale (convince the lender to accept less than you owe)
• Redeem your home after the auction (buy it back from the high bidder)
• Sell the home yourself (to reclaim more of your equity)
• Walk away… without having to throw good money after bad
• Offer a deed in lieu of foreclosure
• Stall… through the courts and other delays

If you or someone you know is facing foreclosure, this no-nonsense guide helps size up all the options and increases the chances of saving the home. You’ll see how to delay foreclosure, form a plan of attack, negotiate solutions with your lender, and restore your financial health. Discover field-tested strategies for dodging the foreclosure trap or getting out from under a house you really can’t afford.

About the Authors

Ralph R. Roberts is an award-winning Realtor® and one of the nation’s leading real estate and mortgage fraud forensics experts. He and his team of foreclosure specialists, including co-authors Lois Maljak (a foreclosure survivor) and Paul Doroh, have assisted thousands of distressed homeowners deal with the realities of foreclosure. I, Joe Kraynak, played a supporting role, ensuring that everything my co-authors wrote was clear and at least mildly entertaining.

Order Foreclosure Self-Defense For Dummies on Amazon