As readers of this blog know, I recently published Don’t Say I Didn’t Warn You: Homeownership Decisions That Can Cost You Your House–a bit of a departure from the fiction works I talk about on this blog. The book compiles lessons I learned over 14 years of foreclosure prevention practice in a legal aid setting. It discusses strategies to avoid setting yourself up for future foreclosure or related problems (and the “why” of it all) across many topics: forward mortgages, reverse mortgages, HOAs, property taxes, title issues, second mortgages refinances, and more. My goal was to enable people to make more informed decisions earlier on so they didn’t make themselves vulnerable to problems later on.

Given all the uncertainties and risk going on of late–and the dismantling of consumer watchdog agencies–the information is all the more important for people to have in their hands, to protect themselves to the extent possible. Not only that, I suspect rescue programs are going to be harder to find. I know in Washington State, for example, the Homeownership Assistance Fund that came into being to tamp down foreclosures in the COVID crisis is ending new applications today. Many other states had already expended their funds and closed to new applications a while ago.

Point being, it’s all the more important to understand the risks of various mortgage products and related subjects, to better protect yourself way up front. No one can predict a catastrophic illness or long-term job loss, but I know from experience there are homeownership decisions that can pretty reliably set you up for foreclosure later. These can often be avoided from the get-go. And that’s the point of the book.

It’s available in ebook and paperback on Amazon, as well as ebook on Barnes & Noble.