How long will it take before I’ll face foreclosure if I can’t make my mortgage payments? What is the foreclosure timeline?
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Generally, the legal foreclosure process can’t start until you are at least 120 days behind on your mortgage. After that, once your servicer begins the legal process, the amount of time you have until an actual foreclosure sale varies by state.
If you are having trouble making your mortgage payments, act quickly. Contact your mortgage servicer to find out if there are options for you to avoid foreclosure. Respond to your servicer if they try to contact you.
You can also contact a HUD-approved housing counseling agency to get free, expert assistance on avoiding foreclosure. Many mortgage servicers offer programs to help people avoid foreclosure. These programs are called “loss mitigation” programs. The loss mitigation process can be difficult. A HUD-approved housing counseling agency can guide you through the process. You can call the CFPB at (855) 411-CFPB (2372) to be connected to a HUD-approved housing counseling agency in your area or you can use our Find a Housing Counselor tool.