Understand your options. Take the next step.
How to stop foreclosure—and make a clear plan for your home.
Behind on payments or facing a sale date? Start with your mortgage servicer, explore help to keep the home, and compare selling options if moving on makes more sense.
Talk about a property sale: (866) 651-6617
Start early. Keep your options open.
Facing foreclosure can feel overwhelming. Start with one clear next step.
A missed payment, a hardship, or a formal notice does not tell the whole story. The right next step depends on your loan, your finances, your state's process, and whether a sale has already been scheduled.
Open every notice, keep copies, and contact the mortgage servicer listed on your statement. Tell them what changed, whether you want to keep the home, and what you can realistically afford. Ask for the foreclosure status and available assistance in writing.
Have a sale date, hearing, or court response deadline? Contact your servicer and a local foreclosure attorney promptly. A request for help, a cash offer, or a signed purchase agreement does not itself cancel or postpone a foreclosure sale. Confirm any postponement with the party handling the foreclosure and your attorney.
Confirm the dates
Identify the notice, hearing, response, and sale dates that apply to your property. Keep the envelopes and record when you received each document.
Ask for a complete application
Get the servicer's loss-mitigation checklist. Submit requested documents, keep proof of delivery, and ask what is still missing.
Compare workable outcomes
Review help to keep the home alongside the costs, proceeds, and timing of a sale. Bring a housing counselor or attorney into the conversation.
Application timing and completeness can affect your protections. Read the CFPB's explanation of foreclosure-assistance applications (opens in a new tab), then confirm how the rules apply to your loan.
Contact your mortgage servicer immediately
Explore options to keep the home—or leave with a plan.
Your servicer handles the mortgage account and is the starting point for available loss-mitigation options. Approval is not automatic. Ask which options fit your loan, what they cost over time, and how they affect an active foreclosure.
Repayment or reinstatement
A repayment plan may spread overdue amounts over an agreed period. Reinstatement generally means paying the amount required to bring the loan current. Request the exact amount, conditions, and deadline.
Temporary forbearance
A servicer may allow reduced or paused payments for a limited period. Ask how missed amounts will be repaid afterward; a payment pause does not erase the debt.
Loan modification
A modification changes approved loan terms. Compare the new payment, term, total balance, fees, and any trial-payment requirements before accepting.
A sale before foreclosure
If selling is the right choice, compare a listing with an as-is cash offer. The purchase must be able to close under the applicable deadline and resolve the required payoffs.
A lender-approved short sale
If the proceeds will not cover the required mortgage payoff, lender approval may be needed. Confirm any remaining debt, lien releases, and agreed deficiency waiver in writing.
A deed in lieu
A lender may agree to accept ownership instead of completing foreclosure. Review the written agreement, other liens, remaining liability, possession, and potential tax consequences with your advisers.
Ask what is available for your actual loan.
FHA, VA, USDA, conventional, and other loans can have different assistance rules. Refinancing also depends on qualification and may be difficult after missed payments. Ask about current programs rather than relying on older program names or promises of guaranteed approval.
Program update: Treasury states that the Homeowner Assistance Fund award period ended September 30, 2026, and HAF funds may no longer be used to assist homeowners. Check Treasury's current HAF notice (opens in a new tab) and ask a housing counselor about other assistance that may be available.
Free counseling and local legal guidance
You do not have to sort through the options alone.
HUD-approved housing counseling
A participating agency can help you organize a budget, understand servicer proposals, and prepare questions. Foreclosure-prevention counseling through HUD-participating agencies is free.
Explore HUD housing counseling ↗
Call (800) 569-4287 to locate an agency.
National counseling support
The HOPE Hotline connects homeowners with foreclosure-prevention counseling. You can also search the CFPB's directory for HUD-approved agencies serving your area.
HOPE Hotline: (888) 995-HOPE (4673)
Search the CFPB counselor directory ↗
Veterans and surviving spouses
VA offers counseling for Veterans and surviving spouses, including those whose loans are not VA-guaranteed. Ask VA and your servicer about the options currently available for your loan.
Get advice about deadlines, defenses, and legal options.
A local attorney can review notices, ownership, court papers, state protections, and whether mediation or another remedy is available. If cost is a concern, ask about local legal aid. Bankruptcy may affect a foreclosure, but timing, eligibility, repeat-filing limits, ongoing payments, and other exceptions matter. Discuss it with a qualified bankruptcy attorney before the sale.
U.S. Courts: Chapter 13 bankruptcy basics (opens in a new tab) ↗
Official resource links on this page open in a new tab.
Protect your money and your ownership
Watch for foreclosure-rescue scams.
Be cautious when someone promises to stop an auction, claims special access to your lender, or demands an advance payment for mortgage relief. Verify who you are dealing with through independently obtained contact information.
Warning signs to question
- A guaranteed modification or guaranteed auction cancellation.
- Instructions to stop talking to your servicer or lawyer.
- Pressure to sign blank documents or transfer the deed without independent review.
- Requests to redirect mortgage payments to an unfamiliar company.
A clearer way to proceed
- Contact the servicer through the number on your statement.
- Verify a counselor's agency in an official directory.
- Have an independent attorney review rescue, sale, and leaseback documents.
- Read the full price, fees, conditions, and possession terms before signing.
Read the FTC's mortgage-relief scam guidance (opens in a new tab) for warning signs and reporting options. A genuine property purchase should have clear written terms; receiving an offer does not obligate you to accept it.
If selling fits your goals
Can selling before foreclosure help preserve your remaining equity?
A sale may let you resolve the mortgage and other required payoffs before the foreclosure sale. Start with a current written payoff and a realistic closing plan. The balance on a monthly statement may differ from the amount needed to close because interest, legal expenses, advances, and other charges can apply.
Compare the actual net proceeds
Review the sale price minus mortgage payoffs, other liens, taxes, agreed closing expenses, commissions if applicable, repairs, and carrying costs. Ask the closing professional for an itemized estimate.
If the proposed price cannot satisfy the required payoffs, discuss lender-approved options. A short sale or deed in lieu does not automatically eliminate every remaining obligation.
Confirm that the sale can finish in time
Have the title or closing professional and your attorney confirm the required signatures, lien releases, funding, and foreclosure status. Any needed postponement must be properly arranged and confirmed.
Ask about possible deficiency liability and tax consequences. A property sale also does not erase late payments already reported to the credit bureaus.
Explore the foreclosure timelines by state guide for an overview. Your notices, court record, and local legal advice should determine the deadlines you act on.
Compare price, timing, and the work involved
A traditional listing or an as-is cash sale?
A listing can work when there is enough time to market and close. A direct purchase can reduce preparation and avoid a buyer's mortgage approval process. Compare the actual offers and contract conditions alongside your deadline.
Closing timeline
Allow for marketing, buyer due diligence, title work, and any financing. The schedule depends on the buyer and contract.
Our cash purchase can close in as little as 5 days when title, required approvals, payoffs, and the other closing requirements are ready.
Property preparation
Choose an as-is listing or a preparation budget with your agent. Repair requests or buyer financing requirements may affect the deal.
Sell in the property's current condition. No repairs or cleaning are required for our purchase; document any agreed belongings or cleanout arrangements.
Financing and contract risk
Offers may include mortgage, appraisal, inspection, or sale contingencies. Review how each could affect your timing.
An all-cash offer removes the need for a buyer's mortgage approval. Review the written conditions and request proof of funds.
Costs and proceeds
Brokerage compensation is negotiable. Include agreed commissions, seller expenses, credits, repairs, and holding costs when comparing proceeds.
0% commissions on a direct sale without an agent. We cover standard seller closing costs as agreed; mortgage debts, liens, and other property payoffs remain separate.
An open-market sale may produce a higher price or higher net proceeds. No sale route guarantees that a foreclosure can be stopped. Verify the contract, payoffs, legal requirements, and actual time available before relying on a closing date.
A straightforward sale conversation
How our cash buying team can help
Share the property and timing
Tell us about the condition, ownership, occupancy, and any scheduled sale date. Share the relevant documents securely with the people handling the proposed closing.
Review a written cash offer
Compare the price, terms, costs, and proposed timing with your other options. You can have your attorney or other adviser review the agreement before deciding.
Coordinate the required closing steps
If you accept, coordinate title, payoffs, signing, possession, and funding with the closing professional. Confirm the foreclosure status before treating the sale as resolved.
Learn how it works or explore selling a house as-is. Our role is to offer to buy the property; independent counselors and attorneys can advise you about keeping the home and your legal options.
Organize the next conversation
A practical foreclosure action checklist
Use these prompts for your servicer, counselor, and attorney. Checkboxes are for this visit only; marking an item does not change any deadline or confirm legal protection.
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Find local context
How to stop foreclosure: guides for all 50 states
Choose your state to explore the local process and selling considerations. For a broader overview, start with foreclosure timelines by state. Confirm your own deadlines with the notices, the party handling the foreclosure, and local legal counsel.
Showing all 50 state guides.
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- Florida
- Georgia
- Hawaii
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Washington
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
Common questions
Foreclosure questions homeowners ask
Can I stop foreclosure after receiving a notice?
Options may still exist, but the type of notice, loan, state law, and sale status matter. Contact your servicer immediately and get local legal advice about any response deadline. Do not assume an application or negotiation has paused the case.
How long do I have before the property is sold?
There is no single nationwide timeline. Judicial and nonjudicial procedures, the loan, notices, court orders, and possible postponements affect the schedule. Use our state foreclosure timeline guide for context, then verify the actual date for your property.
Will applying for a loan modification cancel the auction?
Do not assume it will. Certain protections depend on factors such as the loan, a complete application's receipt date, and applicable rules. Ask your servicer and attorney what applies, what remains missing, and whether the sale has actually been postponed.
Can I sell my house while it is in foreclosure?
A sale may be possible before the foreclosure sale if ownership, required approvals, title, payoffs, and funding can be resolved in time. If the price is insufficient, lender approval of a short sale may be needed. A purchase contract alone does not stop foreclosure.
Does a short sale or deed in lieu clear all the debt?
Not automatically. Ask your attorney to review the lender's agreement and any deficiency waiver, junior liens, other obligations, and potential tax consequences before you sign.
Can you close in 5 days if the auction is approaching?
Our cash purchase can close in as little as 5 days when title, payoffs, required approvals, and the other closing requirements are ready. An approaching auction can leave too little time. Share the actual date promptly and confirm any needed postponement through the appropriate parties.
Do I have to repair or clean the house first?
No repairs or cleaning are required for our as-is purchase. Tell us about the property's condition, occupants, and belongings so the written terms address the practical details.
What if the notice is for tax or HOA foreclosure?
Those proceedings may follow different rules from mortgage foreclosure. Contact the entity named in the notice and a local attorney promptly; mortgage-servicing assistance rules may not apply.
Considering a sale? Start with a clear written offer.
Tell us about the property and your timing. We will review an as-is purchase option with you so you can compare the terms and decide what fits your situation.
Keep working with your servicer and independent advisers while you consider a sale. General information on this page is not a determination of your rights, deadlines, or eligibility for relief.