Across the U.S. homeowners are struggling and foreclosures continue to surge. Obviously, there is no quick fix. So Mortgage Modifications – however flawed – continue to be among homeowners best available options.

What is a loan mod? It could be an interest rate reduction. It could be a principal reduction (not likely). Since very few people relish the thought of moving Mortgage Modification is the obvious near term solution. As long as homeowners have mortgage payments modestly in line with local rents, there is very little incentive to look for a more permanent solution.

A flood of applications has overwhelmed the banks and caused for serious delays and terrible stories of bungling and mishandling of applications. As a result, many people believe that mortgage modification relief is really not available. And, believe me, sometimes it seems that way.

Since President Barack Obama launched HAMP in early 2009, the loan mod process has become standardized. In fact, nearly every bank uses those standards – even if they don’t participate in HAMP.

The first qualification hurtle is loan amount and loan origination date. HAMP mods require loans to be less than $729,000. They must have been made prior to January, 2009.

For more information contact a local real estate expert or real estate lawyer. Resources include La Jolla Homes for Sale and Rancho Santa Fe Real Estate.

Borrowers must show a hardship. That could be an increase in expenses, decrease in income – including reduced hours at work or job loss. Applicants do walk a tightrope however as the hardship must not be too, well, hard! Applicants must have enough document able income to make payments.

Thirdly, the borrower(s) must have sufficient income to be able to maintain the reduced mortgage payments. This calculation is done based on debt-to-income ratios and cash flows as submitted by the borrower(s) on a formal application.

All this is paid for by $75 billion from the U.S. taxpayer. Participating banks receive compensation when they grant loan mods.

The loan mod process can be brutal. Often mistakes are made and people who should qualify do not. Information on the process abounds from banks, governments and non-profits. But the difficulty remains enormous for the homeowner. The vast majority of homeowners need some type of professionals help to get a loan modification. But finding a trustworthy professional is not simple.

Article by Rancho Palos Verdes Homes for Sale. Also, a special thanks to Chicago Real Estate Listings for Market Statistic resources.