Foreclosure
Behind on the house, with the sale date still ahead
Filing a case can pause a sale, and a plan can catch up what you missed.
The day a case is filed, the court’s automatic stay tells the lender to stop. A sale set for next week does not go forward while the case is open.
In Chapter 13 the missed payments are added up and spread across the plan, while you pay the regular mortgage again each month. In Chapter 7 the pause is short, so we use it to talk about whether to keep the house at all.
What the Chapter 13 fee covers here
Reading the notice and the loan’s payment history
An emergency filing if a sale date is close
The catch-up built into the plan
Answers when the servicer’s letters change
On the notice
Four lines to find on a foreclosure letter
Before anything else, read the notice for these. Send us a photo of it and we’ll read it with you.
The sale date
If a date is set, tell us first. Filing a case pauses a sale, and the closer the date, the sooner we should talk.
The amount
Sometimes the total claimed includes fees and charges you can dispute. A plan can catch up the true missed payments.
The servicer
The company named on the notice may not be the one you mail payments to. We find out who is actually holding the loan.
The deadlines
Some notices give a short window to respond or to reinstate. The date is on the page, usually near the bottom.
Foreclosure questions we hear most
01Can you stop a sale set for this week?
Often a case can be filed in time, but it depends on the hour and the papers. Call us and say the date; we will tell you what is possible.
02Will I still owe the missed payments?
Yes, but a Chapter 13 plan lets you pay them off over time instead of all at once, as long as you also keep up with new payments.
03What about a loan modification?
Sometimes it is a better first step, and a bankruptcy filing can sit alongside one. We tell you honestly if the lender’s offer is worth taking.
Send a photo of the notice
Photograph the notice and send it, or read the date aloud on the first free video call.