Facing foreclosure in Philadelphia
A notice from the lender is not the end of the road, and the police are not coming tomorrow. You usually have more time and more options than the letter makes it feel like — but the options shrink the longer you wait.
- We can often close before the sheriff sale date
- The payoff comes out of settlement, not your pocket
- Being months behind does not stop a sale
Ask about your foreclosure
Free, no obligation, and we answer fast.
What is actually happening
When you signed the mortgage you agreed to a payment schedule. Most lenders allow a grace period of around fifteen days before late fees start. Once you are roughly ninety days behind, the lender can begin the formal process, which in Pennsylvania means going through the court — Pennsylvania is a judicial foreclosure state. That takes time, and time is what gives you room to act.
Your realistic options
1. Read everything and learn your position
The mortgage documents and the notices tell you where you are in the process and what the deadlines are. The first late-payment notice is not the same thing as a foreclosure complaint. Know which one you are holding.
2. Call the lender before they call you
Lenders do not want your house. A foreclosure costs them money and takes months. Depending on your situation they may offer to refinance into new terms, put you on a repayment plan that spreads the missed payments across future months, grant temporary forbearance, or accept a deed in lieu. Ask which of these they will actually consider.
3. Talk to a HUD-approved housing counselor
Free, and they do this all day. They can tell you whether a modification is realistic in your case before you spend three months chasing one.
4. Bankruptcy
Filing triggers an automatic stay that halts the foreclosure while the case is active. It is a serious step with long consequences and it is not right for everyone. Talk to a bankruptcy attorney, not to us, about whether it fits.
5. Sell before the sale date
If there is equity in the house, selling protects it. If you let the sheriff sale happen, the equity usually does not come back to you. A cash sale settles the mortgage payoff, any tax or water liens, and puts whatever is left in your hands. If you owe more than the house is worth, a short sale may still be possible — tell us early so we can look at it.
The one thing that helps most: act while there is still runway. The week before the sheriff sale, options that were open two months ago are gone. If you are unsure where you stand, call us and we will tell you honestly whether we can help or whether a counselor or attorney is the better first call.
Why sellers in foreclosure call us
We close fast, we handle the payoff figures and lien releases through our own title company, and being behind on payments is not something we penalize you for — it is why you are calling.
How selling to us works
Tell us about the house
Two minutes on the form or one phone call. Address, rough condition, and what is going on. You do not need to have anything cleaned up or figured out first.
We check the numbers
We pull the comparable sales, the tax and lien position, and whatever else is on record for the property. Usually same day, always within one business day.
You get a real cash offer
A written, no-obligation number with the math behind it, so you can see how we got there. No fee to hear it and no pressure to take it.
You pick the closing date
Two weeks, two months, or after the holidays. We settle at a title company, you get certified funds, and you leave whatever you do not want behind.
Other situations we handle
Inherited a property
A house you did not ask for, in a city you may not live in. We handle it end to end.
Administering an estate
Executor duties, probate, and a house to deal with while you are still grieving.
Liens, judgments & title problems
Tax liens, water bills, old mortgages, clouded title. We own a title company.
House needs work
Roof, water damage, full gut, hoarder cleanout. We buy it exactly as it stands.
Problem tenants
Not paying, will not leave, trashing the place. Sell it with them still in it.
Squatters
Someone is living in your property who has no right to be. We deal with it.
Moving to senior care
Free up the equity to pay for care, on a timeline that fits the move-in date.
Out-of-state owner
You do not have to fly in. Everything can be handled remotely and notarized where you are.
Relocating for work
A start date in another state and a house that has not sold yet.
Find out what your house is worth in cash
It takes about two minutes to ask and there is no fee for the answer. If a cash sale is not your best move, we will say so.