Foreclosure · Houston, TX

Sell your house before foreclosure in Houston — and keep what you can of your equity.

Texas is one of the fastest foreclosure states in the country. If you've missed payments or received a notice, the most important thing is to act before the sale date. A sale of the house is one of the options — often the one that leaves you with the most.

How fast it moves

The Texas non-judicial foreclosure timeline

General information for Houston-area homeowners, not legal, tax, or financial advice. Confirm details for your situation with a Texas attorney, title company, or tax professional.

Missed payments

Most loans consider you in default after a missed payment. Federal servicing rules generally prevent the servicer from starting foreclosure until you're more than 120 days behind, and require them to discuss loss-mitigation options with you.

Notice of default and intent to accelerate

Texas law requires written notice of default giving you at least 20 days to cure (pay what's past due). Many loan documents require 30 days.

Notice of sale

If you don't cure, the lender accelerates the loan and sends a notice of sale at least 21 days before the auction, also filed with the county clerk and posted at the courthouse.

Auction on the first Tuesday

Texas foreclosure sales happen on the first Tuesday of the month at the county courthouse. After the sale, you generally have no right of redemption on a mortgage foreclosure — the house is gone.

Your options

Ways to stop or avoid a Houston foreclosure

Reinstate

Pay the past-due amount plus fees before the sale. Your servicer must give you a reinstatement quote on request.

Loan modification or forbearance

Ask your servicer about loss mitigation. Applying can pause the sale under federal rules if done early enough. HUD-approved housing counselors can help for free.

Sell the house

If you have equity, selling before the auction pays off the loan and puts the remaining equity in your pocket instead of losing it at the courthouse steps.

Short sale

If you owe more than the house is worth, the lender may accept less than the balance. This takes lender approval and time, so start early.

Bankruptcy

A Chapter 13 filing can stop a sale and set up a repayment plan. Talk to a bankruptcy attorney about whether it fits your situation.

Selling before the sale date

How a pre-foreclosure sale to us works

Timing is everything. Once you tell us the sale date, we work backward from it. We get a payoff statement from your lender, confirm the equity, and make an offer. If you accept, the title company pays off the loan at closing, including the arrears and fees, and you receive whatever is left. The foreclosure is cancelled because the debt is satisfied.

If the numbers are too tight — the payoff plus costs is more than the house is worth — we'll tell you that immediately so you can pursue a modification or short sale instead of losing time with us. We'd rather be honest than waste the days you have.

Watch out

Foreclosure rescue scams

Never sign your deed over to someone who promises to “save” the house and let you rent it back — this is a common scam that ends with you losing the house and the equity
Don't pay up-front fees for loan modification help; HUD-approved counselors are free
Be wary of anyone who tells you to stop communicating with your lender
Read everything before you sign, and have a Texas attorney review anything you don't understand

How it works

How selling to us works in Houston

1
Tell us about the property
Enter the address and answer a few quick questions. It takes about two minutes, and you don't need to know anything about the market.
2
We review it and talk
We look at the property and comparable sales, and may reach out for a few details or a quick walk-through. No pressure, no obligation.
3
Get an offer and pick your closing date
If the property fits what we buy, we'll make a clear cash offer. Accept it or not — and if you do, close on the timeline that works for you.

FAQ

Questions Houston homeowners ask

How late is too late to sell?

Once the auction has happened, it's generally too late. Before then, it depends on how quickly title can be cleared and closing scheduled — days matter. Contact us with the sale date and we'll tell you honestly whether it can be done.

Will the lender let me sell?

Yes. A sale that pays off the loan in full doesn't need lender approval. Only a short sale (for less than the balance) does.

What if I also owe property taxes or have a HOA lien?

Those are paid from the proceeds at closing. If total liens exceed the value, we'll tell you and discuss whether a short sale is possible.

Will you rent the house back to me?

We don't do sale-leaseback arrangements, in part because they're often used in scams. We can sometimes arrange a short post-closing period to move, and we'll be clear about the terms in writing.

Other Houston situations we help with

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