{"id":7504,"date":"2026-06-05T11:40:29","date_gmt":"2026-06-05T15:40:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.deeds.com\/articles\/?p=7504"},"modified":"2026-06-05T11:40:30","modified_gmt":"2026-06-05T15:40:30","slug":"struggling-with-your-mortgage-payments-in-a-harsh-economy-not-all-promises-of-help-are-legit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.deeds.com\/articles\/struggling-with-your-mortgage-payments-in-a-harsh-economy-not-all-promises-of-help-are-legit\/","title":{"rendered":"Struggling With Your Mortgage Payments in a Harsh Economy? Not All Promises of Help Are Legit."},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

There are deep problems in the U.S. housing economy\u2014including for deed holders. And today, for many households coping with inflation, oil price surges may be the last straw. This financial pressure will likely create many more targets for the grotesque business of promising mortgage relief in order to snatch equity from homes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You might have seen the story about Kimberly, a widow living in Georgia. She couldn\u2019t pay the mortgage anymore. So she looked for help from a mortgage rescue company called Homesaver911. Transferring ownership of her property<\/a> to this company through a warranty deed seemed like a good idea at the time. Now, she faces eviction and has suffered serious, stress-related mental health events.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kimberly\u2019s story is stark. But it\u2019s hardly unique. It has some messages for deed holders who may have difficulties weathering a prolonged oil price shock.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Promises, Promises<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The company promised to return the deed after Kimberly\u2019s financial situation stabilized. Things didn\u2019t turn out that way. From Homesaver911, the deed was transferred to the Georgia Venture Investment Company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Insisting that Kimberly agreed to a supposed past sale, Georgia Venture Investment started the process for eviction. This company said Kimberly had agreed to sell her home, but failed to follow through. Kimberly never agreed to any such thing, she told WSB-TV reporter Justin Gray. Georgia Venture Investment\u2019s lawyer told the TV station that the company tried to send a payment to Gravitt. But her family says she got nothing.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Legitimate help to avoid foreclosure really does exist. But before we talk about that, one more story will highlight just how careful a deed holder has to be. There are some professionals out there\u2014real estate agents, notaries, even lawyers\u2014who set up investment companies and go looking for homes that are easy to take from current deed holders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sanford S. was a New York lawyer. Lost his license, but he was. <\/em>He would introduce himself to stressed-out deed holders, telling them his law practice focused on mortgage relief. He could head off foreclosures by setting up short sales through partners at banks. The deed holders might receive a portion of their home\u2019s value\u2014one reported getting paid a sum less than $15K\u2014with the promise of a more substantial payment when the homes sold. These arrangements would get them back on solid financial footing, but first they\u2019d need to move out of their homes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then this self-styled mortgage relief specialist would record their deeds in his name, leaving the victims with <\/em>their mortgages and without <\/em>their homes. After a string of such exploits, the swindler was convicted last year in a Brooklyn courtroom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Guard Your Equity From Mortgage Relief Fraud<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

By now, you get the picture. Look out for \u201cmortgage consultants\u201d claiming to offer \u201cforeclosure rescue.\u201d Scams occur in the tens of thousands annually. It\u2019s likely they\u2019ll pick up steam in an economy that is stretching budgets past their limits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Red flags? There are several:<\/p>\n\n\n\n