Provides information for Washington residents about homeownership, buying a home, foreclosure prevention, refinancing and avoiding homeownership scams and fraud. Provides links to homeownership preparedness courses, counselors and more. Printed materials also available for download or to order online.

Washington Homeownership Information offered at Washington State Department of Financial Institutions

Provides information for Washington residents about homeownership, buying a home, foreclosure prevention, refinancing and avoiding homeownership scams and fraud. Provides links to homeownership preparedness courses, counselors and more.

Programs that help people who want to purchase a home evaluate their readiness for homeownership, shop for housing that meets their needs, resolve potential credit problems, analyze specific home purchase offers, obtain a mortgage loan with advantageous interest rates and an affordable monthly payment, and complete the paperwork to close the loan and complete the sale. Also included are programs that provide assistance for people who want to refinance a home.

Homebuyer/Home Purchase Counseling

Programs that provide a hotline, website or other mechanisms that consumers can use to report the activities of telephone and Internet scammers and other con artists who attempt to persuade older adults, individuals who live alone, disaster victims and other vulnerable people to part with their savings. Common scams include fraudulent prize offers, "free" travel packages that have hidden costs or which never materialize, "get rich quick" investments that turn out to be worthless, tax debt/refund scams, phony charities with names that are similar to well-known organizations and schemes involving promises to recover an individual's money following their victimization by another scam. Reports may be filed by consumer fraud victims or by people who have information about individuals they know to be perpetrating these types of scams.

Consumer Fraud Reporting

Programs that provide assistance for people who are in the process of obtaining a loan or line of credit to ensure that they understand the terms and conditions of the document they are about to sign and, where relevant, prevent them from becoming victims of predatory lending practices.

Loan Counseling

Programs that provide assistance for people who are unable to make their mortgage payments and at risk of losing their homes through foreclosure or who are already in the foreclosure process. Services may include information about the foreclosure process, legal timelines and how to contact and negotiate with a lender; assessment of the homeowner's financial situation and development of a plan to address homeownership and financial issues; in-depth financial counseling regarding foreclosure avoidance options and/or options that involve leaving the home; advocacy with lenders, when necessary; and referrals to foreclosure prevention resources. Also included are programs that provide mediation services to negotiate a compromise between the individual and the financial institution that holds their mortgage in order to avoid foreclosure.