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Looking For Ways To Stop Foreclosure? Selling The House Is One Of The Ways We Can Help Avoid Foreclosure.

Every family goes though rough financial times once in a while. Have you fallen behind on your mortgage payments and want to sell the house before foreclosure? Do you feel scared and worry about losing your home? You’re not alone, and there is help. Dallas Property Investors has helped hundreds of homeowners, like you, left with no choice but to sell a property to avoid foreclosure. Whatever it is; bills, job loss, or changes in mortgage terms, DPI ensures you get the most value towards your cash offer to settle with the banks.

Foreclosure Procedures in Texas

Don’t be caught off guard if you’re facing a potential foreclosure. Read on to learn about each step in a Texas foreclosure—from missing your first payment all the way to eviction.

Texas Mortgage Loans

Most people who take out a loan to buy residential property in Texas sign a promissory note and a deed of trust. A promissory note is basically an IOU that contains your promise to repay the loan, as well as the terms for repayment. The deed of trust provides security for the loan that’s evidenced by a promissory note.

Preforeclosure: What Happens When You Fall Behind in Payments

During the preforeclosure period, the servicer can charge you late fees and, in most cases, must inform you about ways to avoid foreclosure.

Late Charges

If you miss a payment, most loans include a grace period of ten or fifteen days after which time the servicer will assess a late fee. Each month you miss a payment, the servicer will charge you a late fee. To find out the late charge amount and grace period for your loan, look at the promissory note that you signed. This information can also be found on your monthly mortgage statement. (Learn more about fees that the servicer can charge if you’re late on mortgage payments.)

Early Intervention Requirements

In most cases, federal mortgage servicing laws require the servicer to contact the borrower by phone and in writing during the preforeclosure period. Don’t ignore the phone calls and letters. This is a good opportunity to discuss loss mitigation options and attempt to work out an agreement—like a loan modification, forbearance, or payment plan—so you can avoid foreclosure.

When Foreclosure Can Start

Under federal law, the servicer generally must wait until you are more than 120 days delinquent on payments before officially starting a foreclosure. (To learn more, read How Soon Can Foreclosure Begin?)

Looking For Ways To Stop Foreclosure? Selling The House Is One Of The Ways We Can Help Avoid Foreclosure.

Texas Foreclosure Process

Most residential foreclosures in Texas are nonjudicial, which means the lender can foreclose without going to court so long as the deed of trust contains a power of sale clause.

Notice of Default and Intent to Accelerate

Texas law requires the servicer to send the borrower a notice of default and intent to accelerate by certified mail that provides at least 20 days to cure the default before notice of sale can be given. (The 30-day breach letter sent pursuant to the terms of the deed of trust can satisfy this requirement.) The notice is sent to the borrower’s last known address and must include the amount due and the date it must be paid.

Notice of Sale

After the cure period has expired, and at least 21 days before the foreclosure sale, the servicer then sends a notice of sale (via certified mail) to each borrower who is obligated to pay the debt. The notice of sale will also be:

posted at the courthouse door in the county in which the property is located, and
filed with the county clerk in the county in which the property is located.

The notice of sale must include the date, time, and location of the sale, as well as a disclosure geared toward military servicemembers that they should notify the sender of the notice about their military status. (To learn about the protections available for servicemembers facing foreclosure, see Legal Protections for America’s Military: The Servicemembers’ Civil Relief Act.)

The Foreclosure Sale

Foreclosure sales are generally held the first Tuesday of each month between 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. at the county courthouse. The sale must begin at the time stated in the notice of sale, but no later than three hours after the time scheduled on the notice of sale.

The property will be sold to the highest bidder at the sale, which is often the foreclosing lender. (At the sale, the lender usually makes a credit bid.) If the lender is the highest bidder, the property becomes REO.

Deficiency Judgment Following the Sale

In a foreclosure, the total debt the borrower owes to the lender frequently exceeds the foreclosure sale price. The difference between the sale price and the total debt is called a “deficiency.” For example, say the total debt owed is $200,000, but the home sells for $150,000 at the foreclosure sale. The deficiency is $50,000.

In some states, the lender can seek a personal judgment against the debtor to recover the deficiency. Generally, once the lender gets a deficiency judgment, the lender may collect this amount—in our example, $50,000—from the borrower. (Learn about methods that creditors can use to collect judgments.)

In Texas, the lender may obtain a deficiency judgment after a nonjudicial foreclosure. For nonjudicial foreclosures, the lender must file a lawsuit to obtain the deficiency judgment within two years after the foreclosure sale.

Texas state law allows the borrower to receive credit for the fair market value of the property. This means the borrower is entitled to an offset in the deficiency amount if the fair market value of the property is greater than the foreclosure sale price. (Find out more about Deficiency Judgments After Foreclosure in Texas.)

Redemption Period

Texas has no statutory right of redemption after the foreclosure. Once a home has been foreclosed, it can’t be redeemed.

Eviction Following Foreclosure

offer you a cash-for-keys deal, or
take steps to evict you.

The eviction process begins when the new owner serves the former owner with three-day notice to quit (leave) and then files an eviction (forcible detainer) lawsuit. After the court grants judgment, it can issue a writ of possession after the expiration of five days. The constable or sheriff then posts a 24-hour warning at the property. If the occupants do not vacate the property, the constable or sheriff enters the property and removes the occupants and their belongings. If you need more information about how foreclosures work in Texas, or want to learn whether you have any potential defenses to a foreclosure, consider talking to a foreclosure lawyer.