Foreclosure help in Utah, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming and the Dakotas
Behind on your mortgage? You have more options than you think.
Free help understanding every way to stop a foreclosure, including the ones that keep you in your home. No fee, no obligation, nothing to sign.
Got a letter or a call from us and not sure why?
That is a fair question to ask. We explain exactly where your information came from and how to check that we are real.
What has happened
Your lender recorded a notice against your property
A Notice of Default, a Notice of Sale, or a Notice of Trustee's Sale, depending on your state. It is a public record, which is why you are suddenly getting mail.
That filing started a clock
Where that window sits is the single biggest difference between these states. In Montana it runs until the sale itself. In North Dakota it closes thirty days after a notice arrives, before the lawsuit is even filed. In South Dakota there is no statutory window at all, and your rights come after the sale instead.
Most people wait, because they think it is over
The two beliefs we hear most are that nothing can be done now, and that the whole loan has to be paid off. Neither is usually true.
What can be done about it
You usually only owe the amount you are behind
Paying the arrears plus costs, called reinstatement, stops the foreclosure and puts the loan back to normal. It is almost always far less than the full balance.
There are six options, and four of them keep the house
Reinstatement, a loan modification, a forbearance or repayment plan, or a refinance. Selling is the fifth and sixth, and only if staying is not realistic.
A sale date can often be postponed
For a complete loss mitigation application filed in time, a signed purchase contract, or at the lender's discretion. A date on the calendar is not always final.
What we will ask you
Five questions. They take about ten minutes and they decide which options are actually open to you.
Has a sale date been set?
This is first because it governs everything else. A date three months out and a date next Tuesday lead to completely different advice.
How much would it take to bring the loan current?
Your reinstatement figure. In most states paying this stops the foreclosure outright. It is almost always far less than the full balance.
How far behind are you?
Two payments and eleven payments are different problems with different solutions.
Who is your mortgage company?
Who actually owns your loan determines which programs you qualify for. It is often not the company you send payments to.
How much do you still owe?
Whether there is equity in the property changes which options protect you and which ones cost you.
The options that actually exist
There are six. Four of them let you keep the house. Most homeowners we talk to have heard of one.
If you want to stay
Reinstate the loan
Pay what is past due and the foreclosure stops
Loan modification
Change the terms so the payment is affordable
Forbearance or repayment plan
Pause or spread out the arrears
Refinance
Replace the loan, usually only if you have equity
If staying is not realistic
Your state decides your deadline
Foreclosure is state law, and the differences are not small. Montana lets you cure right up to the sale. North Dakota closes that window thirty days after a notice arrives, before the lawsuit is even filed.
- UtahThree months is the number to remember
- IdahoDo not throw away the form that comes with the notice
- MontanaYou can cure right up to the sale
- WyomingA sale date is not the end in Wyoming
- North DakotaYour window to catch up closes before the lawsuit starts
- South DakotaYour time comes after the sale here, not before it
What we mean by free
We do not charge you anything to look at your situation and tell you what your options are. There is no fee, no retainer and nothing to sign to have that conversation.
We are a private company, not a government program and not a nonprofit. If you would rather talk to a HUD-approved housing counselor, that service is also free and we will give you the number. Plenty of people call both. That is a reasonable thing to do.
If you take nothing else from this site
Where people usually are when they call
A sale date has been setThe auction is on the calendar and you need to know what still works
Behind on paymentsYou have missed payments and it is getting away from you
Divorce or separationTwo people, one mortgage, and a decision to make
Inherited property or probateYou inherited a house that has a mortgage problem attached
Medical hardship or disabilityHealth costs or lost capacity put you behind
Job loss or reduced incomeThe income that supported the payment went away
Talking to someone costs you nothing
If you have a sale date, call rather than filling in a form. If you would rather write it down first, the form takes about three minutes and someone will call you back.