Change is not a word most distressed homeowners want to think about. For anyone with an ARM that has taken monthly house payments higher than they can afford, change is bad. Change in employment status, or household earnings that have fallen overall, is not good either.

But if a homeowner can recast their mortgage – bringing the monthly payment to an affordable level – change is a very, very good thing. But is it possible, given the amount of press on the millions of Americans in danger of foreclosure due to adverse circumstantial changes?

Absolutely, change to more affordable mortgage terms is possible. But most people don’t have the savvy to negotiate with their banks. Instead, the smartest thing they can do is to work with a loan modification firm, a team of lawyers, accountants and other home lending experts who works on behalf of the homeowner. The mortgage modification specialists understand bank language, document needs and just how to show a bank that foreclosure is not in the bank’s best interests, either.

Change comes at a price, but it’s exceptionally reasonable and easy to justify. Loan modification companies charge about a month’s mortgage payment. But they can do it with a high degree of certainty – more than 93 percent of loan mod attempts succeed. And for the few that fail, the modification firm should refund the fee (ask about a guaranty upfront).