Serving Detroit, Michigan and homeowners across OhioWritten cash offers · No repairs · No commissions

Behind on your mortgage? You have more time than you think.

Missing a payment is scary, but it isn't the end. Talk to your lender first. If keeping the house isn't realistic, a sale before foreclosure pays off the loan and puts your equity in your pocket.

  • Written offer, no obligation
  • No repairs, no commissions
  • Closed by a licensed title company
Get an offer on your house
  1. 1Property
  2. 2Contact
  3. 3The house
  4. 4Situation

Check your house's cash value

Start with the address. Four quick steps, about two minutes.

Free and no obligation. We never sell your information. Prefer to talk? (954) 854-0549

FastClose on the date you pick, not a buyer's lender's schedule.
SafeA licensed title company handles the paperwork and the money.
FairA written offer with the math shown, so you can check it.
$0Agent commissions
0Repairs or cleaning
1Walk-through, that's it
100%Written offer, math shown

Can I sell my house if I'm behind on mortgage payments?

Yes. You can sell your house at any point before the foreclosure is completed. At closing, the title company requests a payoff from your lender, which covers the missed payments, late fees and the remaining balance, and pays it from the sale. You keep the rest. Under federal servicing rules, most lenders can't start a foreclosure until a loan is more than 120 days late, which gives you a window to sell on your terms.

House keys on a table next to small model houses
Brick house with a gabled roof among trees
Sound familiar?

What people tell us when they're behind

  • One missed payment turned into three

    A job change, a medical bill or a divorce, and the late fees keep stacking up.

  • Letters from the servicer

    A notice of default or intent to accelerate, and you're afraid to open the next one.

  • Owing more each month

    Late fees and interest grow, and catching up feels further away every time.

  • Worried about your credit

    You'd rather sell than have a completed foreclosure follow you for years.

  • The house needs work too

    Even caught up, the repairs are more than you can handle.

What we do

How we help when the mortgage is behind

  • We start with your lender's payoff

    The title company gets the exact payoff, so the offer shows what clears the loan and what's left for you.

  • We work around your timeline

    Whether you're 30 days late or a sale date is set, we plan the closing to land before the foreclosure does, when the title allows.

  • Loan paid at closing

    The missed payments, fees and balance are paid from the sale, with nothing out of pocket when the price covers what's owed.

  • Straight talk if you're underwater

    If you owe more than the house is worth, we'll say so and point you to short-sale or loan-modification help instead.

Before you sell

What to know first

What happens at 30, 60, 90 and 120 days late

  • After the grace period (often around 15 days): a late fee is added.
  • 30 days late: the lender can report the missed payment to the credit bureaus, and the servicer must try to contact you about options.
  • 60–90 days late: more late fees, more credit damage, and usually a breach or default letter giving a deadline to catch up.
  • 120 days late: under federal mortgage servicing rules (CFPB Regulation X), this is generally the earliest a servicer can make the first foreclosure filing. A complete loss-mitigation application sent early can pause it.

Source: Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Regulation X (12 CFR 1024.41).

Options to try with your lender first

If you want to keep the house, call your servicer as early as you can and ask in writing about:

  • Reinstatement: paying everything that's past due in one amount.
  • A repayment plan: spreading the past-due amount over several months.
  • Forbearance: a temporary pause or reduction in payments.
  • A loan modification: permanently changing the loan terms so payments are affordable.

A HUD-approved housing counselor can help you apply for free. If those don't work, a sale before foreclosure is usually the way to keep the most money.

How foreclosure differs in Michigan and Ohio

Michigan mostly forecloses without going to court, by advertisement followed by a sheriff's sale. A redemption period follows the sale, commonly six months for a typical home, and you can still sell during it.

Ohio forecloses through the courts, and you can generally pay off the debt, including by selling, until the court confirms the sheriff sale. Read our Ohio sheriff sale guide.

Catch up, work it out, or sell?

Sell before foreclosureWork it out with the lenderLet it go to foreclosure
Your equityPaid to you at closingYou keep the houseOften lost at the sheriff sale
CreditLate payments, but no completed foreclosureDepends on the planA completed foreclosure
Cash needed nowNone; the loan is paid from the saleDepends on the planNone, but you lose the house
TimingYou pick the closing dateSet by the lender's processSet by the lender and the court
Best whenYou can't or don't want to keep itYour income can support the paymentNever, if there's equity
Two people shaking hands outdoors
A straight deal

Everything in writing. Nothing hidden.

You see the offer, the math behind it and every line on the closing statement before you sign. If something doesn't make sense, we walk you through it.

How it works

Four steps, and you decide at every one

  1. Tell us about the house

    Fill in the short form or call. It takes two minutes, and we'll ask what's going on with the property.

  2. One walk-through

    We see the house once, as it is. Don't clean it, and don't fix anything first.

  3. Written offer

    You get the offer in writing, with the math behind it. Take your time, and ask anyone you trust to look it over.

  4. Close on your date

    We close through a licensed title company. You pick the day, and you leave behind whatever you don't want.

Keep reading

Other situations

Where we buy

Before you decide

Questions about selling when you're behind

Can I sell my house if I'm behind on mortgage payments?

Yes, any time before the foreclosure is completed. The lender's payoff, including missed payments and fees, is paid from the sale at closing.

How late can I be before the lender forecloses?

Under federal servicing rules, most lenders can't make the first foreclosure filing until the loan is more than 120 days delinquent. After that, timing depends on your state and lender.

Will selling stop the foreclosure?

Yes. When the sale closes and the loan is paid off, the foreclosure ends.

What if I owe more than my house is worth?

A regular sale can't pay off the loan in full. Ask your lender about a short sale or deed in lieu, and talk to a HUD-approved housing counselor.

Reviewed by the House Rescue Capital team. Last updated .

Let's find the easiest way forward.

Start with your address. A written cash offer, no repairs, no pressure, and you decide at every step.

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