Know how Washington DC foreclosure laws will affect you

Laws on foreclosure vary considerably by state so you should be familiar with at least a summary of foreclosure laws in Washington DC. You should also read your loan documents to know what your lender can do if you can't make your payments.

I recommend: Foreclosurelaw.org offers a summary of Washington DC foreclosure laws and a glossary of common foreclosure terminology.

Get assistance with DC foreclosure information

There are housing counselors and online resources available to get DC foreclosure help, assist you in organizing your finances and negotiate with your lender if needed.

I recommend: The Homeownership Preservation Foundation offers a hotline that provides free foreclosure prevention counseling by HUD-approved agencies. DebtAdvice.org is a service provided by the National Foundation for Credit Counseling and allows you to locate housing counselors based on your zip code and search radius.

Retain one of the many DC foreclosure attorneys

You may need one of the available Washington DC foreclosure lawyers to protect your interests, especially if you need to sign documents. If your regular attorney does not handle Washington DC foreclosure law, he or she may be able to make a referral.

I recommend: Henry M. Terrell specializes in real estate transaction for clients in the District of Columbia. Bregman, Berbert, Schwartz & Gilday is a full-service law firm that specifically includes foreclosures in its areas of practice.

Watch out for mortgage recovery scams

The Federal Trade Commission warns that there are plenty of bad guys operating in the foreclosure recovery business who will take your money and provide no service. Some warning signs, according to the FTC: advertising terms like "guarantee" and "97% success rate", upfront fees before services and company names or websites designed to make you think you're dealing with a government or nonprofit agency.

I recommend: Educate yourself about foreclosure recovery scams through the Federal Trade Commission.  The FTC recommends you only seek foreclosure help from government sanctioned counseling agencies like the ones recommended by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development or the federal Making Home Affordable program.