Struggling homeowners looking for help with mortgages might try a new online tool launched by Minneapolis credit scoring icon Fair Isaac Corp., better known as FICO.

The firm, which trades under the stock symbol FIC and is responsible for the credit score used for most U.S. home loans, recently rolled out mortgagereliefonline.com. Borrowers can enter a small amount of information on the secure online site to determine, for free, and "within seconds," if they qualify for the Making Home Affordable loan modification-refinance programs that began March 4.

Borrowers also can determine their eligibility at the U.S. government Web site, makinghomeaffordable.gov. The FICO site is different because of the partnerships behind it. Borrowers are promised a telephone call within 48 hours from a nonprofit, HUD-certified loan counselor. In this case, that's Houston-based Money Management International. Again, it's free.

An easily visible "how it works" link on the Mortgage Relief Online site says those who appear to qualify for loan modifications will be given instructions for what additional material to gather. In most cases, the company says, counselors will provide the information to the loan servicer to get the ball rolling sooner than most borrowers are accustomed to.

Obviously, given that struggling borrowers have been subjected to many loan scams and promises too good to be true, people are smart to be wary about anyone who wants to help them.

What's in this for FICO?

"Why do we care about doing this?" said Shon Dellinger, vice president for the myFICO division. "We know by doing the right thing for consumers in this instance that's going to help our business partners. Our business partners have trouble with outreach."

Dellinger said half of troubled borrowers never call or contact their loan servicers. Part of the FICO business is helping financial institutions manage risk in mortgage portfolios. This site helps both borrowers and lenders spot trouble long before foreclosure.

It's important to remember that it's the loan servicer's decision to modify a loan or not.

Seeking market balance

Everyone in this uncertain Sacramento housing market is peering like an astrologer into space for signs of balance between supply and demand.

Greg Gross, who tracks Northern California home builders as a director for Houston-based Metrostudy, thinks he sees something. It is significant, he believes, that escrow closings by capital builders have stabilized at about 1,100 in each of the last five quarters. He said this week, "I think that's closer to equilibrium."

The consultant's first-quarter 2009 study of El Dorado, Placer, Sacramento, Sutter, Yolo and Yuba counties shows just 829 finished, but empty, new single-family houses for sale.

That's down by almost half from 1,523 the same time in 2008. Gross considers it less than a two-month supply of such inventory, making Sacramento "one of the best U.S. markets we track" for that category of builder activity. Area builders also have just 1,100 houses under construction.

Asking prices slashed

Asking prices, meanwhile, have been slashed at least once on 26 percent of existing homes for sale in El Dorado, Placer, Sacramento and Yolo counties, real estate Web site Trulia.com said Thursday.

The average price cut for Sacramento-area houses under $1 million is $32,845.

House-hunting in Auburn

How's this for a high-profile house hunt? When Dan and Marissa Helfin moved from Long Beach last year to Auburn in Placer County, an HGTV camera crew recorded their search for a house in the foothills. Tonight you can watch the drama on HGTV's "House Hunters." It's scheduled to air at 9 p.m.

Auburn-based Lyon Real Estate agent Marti Messina handled the search for the couple.

"They were my clients at the time HGTV was looking for people," Messina said. "The clients did an audition tape, the producers loved them and said, 'Let's do it.' They taped the house hunt last July."

The rest is a big secret until air time.

Call The Bee's Jim Wasserman, (916) 321-1102. Read his blog on real estate, Home Front, at www.sacbee.com/blogs.