Facing foreclosure has become a reality for many Tampa Bay area residents. The fact that homes sales did rise last month is no consolation to many home owners that facing the foreclosure of their homes.

There are some steps that homeowners can take as they get behind on their mortgage payments. The Federal Housing Administration has provided a few steps for families as they begin to feel a money crunch that prevents them from paying their mortgage.

1. Contact your lender as soon as you have a problem
2. Talk to a housing counselor
3. Prioritize your debts
4. Explore loan workout solutions with your lender
5. If keeping your home is not an option
6. Beware of predatory lending schemes

Florida and the Tampa Bay area have several Hud approved housing counselors.

Links of Interest:

• Federal Housing Administration Foreclosure Prevention Information
• HUDs tips to avoiding Foreclosure

Florida’s Everglades National Park recently received a $1 million donation from Toyota for its environmental education initiative. Along with the $1 million there will also be 5 cars donated by Toyota.

The donation will benefit more than 10,000 students annually via a number of initiatives including day program field trips and camping trips for grade school students; the K-12 Miccosukee Indian School program; in-park teacher workshops for day and camping programs; in-park special programs for other school groups and student organizations; and in-school teacher workshops.

Source: Toyota

The New York Times reported last week that many moms that have had a cesarean sections are now being denied private coverage or are being charged higher insurance premium by some insurance companies. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida, according to the article, is one insurance company that charges higher rates for private insurance if a woman has had a cesarean section in the past five years. This is an issue for many women because there has been an increase in women undergoing cesarean sections.