How can I surrender my home without a foreclosure?

You can only do a short sale if your lender agrees. A short sale will cause slightly less damage to your credit score than a foreclosure. If you are going to walk away, at least try to negotiate a cash-for-keys deal with the lender. Many lenders will pay a few thousand dollars to avoid the time and expense of foreclosure.

You could try a short sale, and that would be best on your credit if you can get it approved. If not, you could ask the lender to take a deed in lieu of foreclosure. Either remedy would affect your credit probably unless you can convince the lender to report the matter somewhat favorably. The credit reporting could be part of the negotiations. A foreclosure would be the worst possible thing for your credit report.

Possibly, but there are many individual factors that make a definitive answer impossible. There will be an effect on your credit but not as bad as a foreclosure.