Foreclosure is more complicated than it sounds. Before a lender can foreclose and evict a mortgage holder in arrears, some very specific steps have to be taken. Property owners seeking to avoid home foreclosure also have a protocol that must be followed. Too clarify the process, real estate attorney Robert Miller of Dallas' Prager & Miller has created a foreclosure checklist that outlines the do's and don't's for lenders and homeowners in Texas. For example, lenders must state in their foreclose notices a specific reason for foreclosure - such as failure to pay mortgage, taxes etc. They also must outline steps that the property owner can take during a 20-day period to avoid being put out. Homeowners can stop a foreclosure by paying the amount owed, filing for bankruptcy or going to state court. "Foreclosures don't just happen," Miller says. "The banks have to follow the law, and if you want to stop one, so do you." For a copy of Mr. Miller's foreclosure checklist, contact Mark Annick at 800-559-4534 or mark@androvett.com.