Foreclosure is a process, not an event. And it can be interrupted.
Foreclosure is the legal process a lender uses to take back a house when the mortgage isn't paid. In all three of our states it goes through the courts, which means it takes months, you get written notices at every stage, and there are several points where you can stop it.
Under federal rules, a lender generally can't even start the court case until you're more than 120 days behind. The letters you get before that are warnings and offers, not the end. That window is where the most options exist, which is why the single most useful thing you can do is act early: open the mail, call the lender, and call a free housing counselor.
How it works in your state
Typical timelines, from the first missed payment to a sheriff sale. Every case is different; these are the usual shapes.
Pennsylvania
- The Act 91 / Act 6 letter arrives around 60 days behind. It gives you 30 days to catch up, and 33 days to meet a free HEMAP counselor, which pauses the foreclosure while the state reviews your case.
- The lawsuit is filed in county court after 120 days. You have 20 days to answer. Many counties, including Philadelphia, have a conciliation program that pauses the case while you work with the lender.
- Judgment, then sheriff sale with at least 30 days' notice.
- You can still stop it by paying what's owed up to one hour before bidding starts, or by closing a sale before the sale date. There is no getting the house back after the sale.
- Typical length: 9 to 15 months, longer with a conciliation program.
New Jersey
- The Notice of Intention to Foreclose comes at least 30 days before any lawsuit. It states the exact amount to catch up and your right to free counseling and mediation.
- The lawsuit follows. You have 35 days to answer. You can request free court mediation within 60 days of being served, and it's worth doing.
- Before judgment the lender sends one more notice with a 45-day window to catch up.
- You can still stop it by catching up any time before final judgment, or by closing a sale before the sheriff sale. You can also postpone the sale twice, 30 days each, just by asking the sheriff. After the sale there is a 10-day window to object or pay off.
- Typical length: a year or more.
Delaware
- The Notice of Intent to Foreclose arrives 45 days before any lawsuit, with the catch-up amount and the free counselor and mediation contacts.
- The lawsuit comes with a mediation notice. Meet a free HUD counselor and file the certificate within 30 days, and a mediation conference is set 45 to 75 days out. No judgment can be entered until the day after it.
- Judgment, then sheriff sale, with notice at least 7 days before, and a court confirmation afterward.
- You can still stop it by catching up under your loan's terms or by closing a sale before the sale date. There's no getting the house back once the sale is confirmed.
- Typical length: 6 to 9 months from the lawsuit, often longer.
The rule in all three states: earlier is better. Every month you wait closes a door. The lender's lawyer adds fees to the payoff, counseling windows expire, and a sale takes two to four weeks to close once you decide to sell.
Your five options, in the order we'd walk through them with you
Notice that selling is fourth. If there's a way to keep the house that actually works for you, we'll say so, and we'll help you chase it.
What Reliable Roots actually does for someone in foreclosure
We're a buyer, and we'll say that plainly. We'd like to buy your house if selling is the right move. But the first job on the call is figuring out whether it is.
- We lay out all five options honestly, with your real numbers: how far behind, what the house is worth, what's left after the loan.
- If keeping the house looks possible, we tell you, and we point you to the counselor or program that can make it happen. That sometimes means no deal for us. That's fine.
- If selling is the answer, we can move fast. As-is, no commission, we pay closing costs, and we coordinate with the lender's attorney to get the payoff and close before the sale date. The equity above the payoff is yours at closing.
- We can be the backup plan. Pursue a modification and keep our offer in your pocket. If the modification comes through, tear ours up.
Two things we don't do: we don't buy your house and rent it back to you with a promise to sell it back later. New Jersey and Delaware regulate those arrangements closely for good reason, and they rarely end well for the homeowner. And we never charge a fee for anything, ever.
Help lines that cost nothing
These are government and HUD-approved resources. They don't sell anything. Calling one doesn't commit you to anything, and a counselor can often get your lender to move when you can't.
Anywhere in the U.S.
HUD-approved housing counselor locator
800-569-4287
Homeowner's HOPE Hotline, free counseling, evenings and Saturdays
888-995-HOPE (4673)
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
855-411-2372 · consumerfinance.gov/mortgagehelp
Pennsylvania
HEMAP, the state's emergency mortgage assistance loan. Meet a counselor within 33 days of your Act 91 notice.
800-342-2397 · phfa.org/hemap
PA Attorney General consumer protection
800-441-2555
New Jersey
Court Foreclosure Mediation Program, free, request within 60 days of being served
609-421-6100 · njcourts.gov
NJ Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency counseling
800-NJ-HOUSE (654-6873)
Legal Services of New Jersey
888-576-5529
Delaware
Attorney General Mortgage Foreclosure Mediation Program
800-220-5424
Delaware State Housing Authority, free counselor list
888-363-8808 · destatehousing.com
How to tell a real buyer from a foreclosure scam
People in foreclosure get targeted, because the public records make you easy to find. Federal and state regulators publish the same warning signs year after year. A legitimate buyer, counselor, or lawyer will never:
- Charge you a fee up front to "stop the foreclosure" or "negotiate with your lender." Federal law bans fees before a result.
- Guarantee an outcome. Nobody can promise to stop a sale.
- Tell you to stop paying your mortgage, or to pay them instead of the lender.
- Ask you to sign the deed over "temporarily," "so we can refinance," or as part of a rent-to-buy-back plan.
- Ask you to sign anything you don't understand, or rush you with a deadline that isn't on a court paper.
- Tell you not to talk to your lender, a HUD counselor, or a lawyer.
If someone has done any of these, call your state's attorney general line above. With us, every dollar moves through a licensed title company or attorney, every term is in writing, and our legal name is on the documents: Reliable Roots Properties LLC.
Questions people are afraid to ask
Is it too late?
Almost never, until the sale has actually happened. Even with a sale date next month there are usually moves left: catching up, a postponement, a bankruptcy filing, or a fast sale. Call a counselor and call us today, and we'll tell you honestly what's still on the table.
Does talking to you cost anything?
No. Not the call, not the number, not the advice. We only make money if we buy your house, and only at a closing you chose.
Can I stay in the house?
Options 1, 2, and 3 are about keeping it. If you sell to us, we can usually give you a few weeks after closing to move, written into the agreement. What we won't do is a rent-back-and-buy-back deal; see above.
Will selling hurt my credit?
A sale that pays off the loan stops the damage. The missed payments already on your report stay for a while, but a completed foreclosure is far worse and lasts far longer.
What if I owe more than it's worth?
Then the answer is usually a short sale, where the lender agrees to take less than the balance. Lenders approve more of these than people expect, and a counselor or attorney can negotiate the shortfall away in writing. We can still be the buyer.
Are you a lawyer, a counselor, or an agent?
None of those. We're a small company that buys houses. We'll give you our honest read and point you to the free professionals for the rest.
My lender won't call me back.
A HUD counselor can usually reach the loss-mitigation department when you can't, and in New Jersey and Delaware the court mediation programs put the lender in a room with you. Both are free.