How far behind can you get before foreclosure starts?
In most cases, more than 120 days. A federal rule, 12 CFR 1024.41(f), says a mortgage servicer generally can't make the first notice or filing for a foreclosure until your loan is more than 120 days delinquent. That is about four missed payments.
It is not a guarantee, and it does not mean you should wait. The days between your first missed payment and that filing are the best time to act, because every option is still open.
Want a cash offer, or to have us take over the payments? Call or text Charlie at (318) 714-4321, or Get My Cash Offer. Cash is not promised on every house. No fee, no obligation.
What to do this week
Start with these steps, in this order.
- Open every letter from your servicer and write down who you spoke to and when. Keep copies of everything.
- Find your exact numbers: how many payments you've missed, the total to catch up, and the full payoff.
- Call a free HUD-approved housing counselor. Search the HUD counselor list or call Catholic Charities of North Louisiana in Shreveport. They don't charge, and they deal with servicers every day.
- Write to your servicer and ask about your options (below).
- Decide what you want. Keep the house, or sell it before this gets worse. Both are fine.
What to ask your servicer for, in writing
Ask for it by letter or through the servicer's portal, not just by phone, so you have a record. Ask about:
- Loss mitigation options: the workout choices your servicer offers, and what paperwork they need from you.
- Reinstatement: the exact amount to catch up in full, and by what date.
- A repayment plan: paying the missed amount back over several months on top of your regular payment.
- Forbearance: a short pause or lower payment while you get back on your feet.
- A loan modification: changing the loan's terms to lower the payment.
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau explains these and what servicers must do when you send a complete application. A complete application sent before the foreclosure filing generally has to be reviewed before the servicer can move ahead with the filing. Send everything they ask for, and keep proof of when you sent it.
Can you sell if you're behind?
Yes. Being behind on payments does not stop you from selling. At closing, a local title company gets the payoff from your lender, including the missed payments and fees, and pays it out of the sale. What's left, if anything, goes to you.
Selling is an option, not the only one. If you can catch up, that may be the better choice. If you can't, a sale before a foreclosure starts keeps the process in your hands, with a closing date you choose. The longer you wait, the more fees and interest are added to the payoff.
When selling to us fits
We buy houses as they sit in Shreveport, Bossier City, Keithville and DeSoto Parish. No repairs, no cleanup, no commissions. We look at the house and the numbers, including what you owe, and tell you what we can do. We may pay cash, or we may take over payments, and we'll go over which one fits.
Taking over payments is a possibility we discuss, not a promise. Your loan papers can limit it, so we check them with you, and we suggest a call to your servicer or a lawyer first.
If you owe more than the house would sell for, read owe more than your house is worth. If a sale date is already set, see facing a sheriff's sale.
We buy houses. We are not a foreclosure-relief service or a loan modification service. We do not negotiate with your lender, we do not promise to stop a foreclosure, and we charge homeowners no fee.
Your options at a glance
You have more choices than most people realize, and the free ones come first.
- Catch up through your servicer, with a counselor's help.
- Ask about a repayment plan, forbearance or modification in writing.
- Talk to a lawyer, especially if you think the servicer made an error, or if bankruptcy is on the table. See selling during bankruptcy.
- List it with a Realtor, if you have time and equity.
- Sell it to us, if you want it done as-is, on a date you pick.
Why talk to The LN Co
We are a local company in Keithville. We buy houses in Shreveport, Bossier City and DeSoto Parish, and we sell homes on rent to own, so we keep a lot of the houses we buy. Charlie takes our seller calls and calls back, usually the same day. You won't get passed to an out-of-state call center.
Updated November 1, 2026