Dallas Foreclosure Help | Options Before a Foreclosure Sale

If You Are Behind on Your Mortgage, Start With Where You Are Today

Not every homeowner facing foreclosure is at the same stage. Someone who recently missed a payment may have very different options from someone who already has a scheduled sale date.Choose the situation that sounds closest to yours.

"I Have Missed Mortgage Payments but Do Not Have a Sale Date"

Start by contacting your mortgage servicer. Ask exactly how much is past due, whether your loan is currently in foreclosure, and which loss-mitigation options you may be eligible to apply for.

For many mortgages covered by federal servicing rules, a servicer generally cannot make the first notice or filing required to begin foreclosure until the borrower is more than 120 days delinquent, although exceptions can apply. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau recommends contacting the servicer as soon as payment problems arise.

Explore Options for Keeping the Home

"I Received a Default or Foreclosure Notice"

Do not ignore the notice, even if you are already communicating with your lender.

Read the document carefully and confirm the deadline, the amount claimed to be due, the mortgage servicer handling the loan, and whether a foreclosure sale has already been scheduled.For many Texas residential foreclosures under a deed of trust, Texas Property Code §51.002 requires at least 20 days to cure the default before the required notice of sale can be given. Different loans and foreclosure types can involve different procedures, so the exact documents matter.

Understand the Texas Foreclosure Timeline

"I Already Have a Foreclosure Sale Date"

A scheduled sale date changes the urgency of the situation.

Confirm the date with your servicer and the applicable county records. Ask the servicer what options remain available, and consider speaking with a HUD-approved housing counselor or qualified Texas attorney promptly. If selling is one of the options you are considering, the remaining timeline also determines whether a traditional listing or accelerated direct sale is realistic.

Go to the Scheduled Sale Checklist

"I Want to Keep My House"

If keeping the home is your goal, tell your mortgage servicer that clearly.

Depending on the circumstances and loan program, possible avenues may include catching up through reinstatement, a repayment plan, temporary forbearance, loan modification, or refinancing if you qualify.

A HUD-approved housing counselor can provide independent foreclosure-prevention counseling and help homeowners understand potential mortgage options. HUD maintains a nationwide network of approved agencies.

"I Am Open to Selling but Do Not Know If I Should"

Selling before foreclosure can make sense in some situations, particularly when keeping the property is no longer financially realistic, the homeowner wants to relocate, or there is enough equity to make a voluntary sale preferable to allowing foreclosure to continue.

But the first question should not be, “How quickly can someone buy the house?” It should be: “What outcome makes the most sense given my deadline, mortgage balance, equity, and goals?”

Review My Situation

DALLAS-FORT WORTH HOMEOWNER FORECLOSURE RESOURCE