Foreclosure help before a sheriff's sale in Shreveport-Bossier

Got a notice of seizure? Here's what it means

A notice of seizure means your lender has gone to court and the judge has signed an order to seize and sell the house. A deputy hands it to you or leaves it at the house. It lists the first sale date, and Louisiana law says that date is at least 60 days after the judge signed the order.

The notice itself tells you three things worth taking seriously: you may still be able to catch up or work something out with your servicer, free HUD-approved housing counseling is available, and you are strongly encouraged to talk to a lawyer. Read the whole notice and keep it. The dates on it matter.

How foreclosure works in Louisiana

Every foreclosure in Louisiana goes through the courts. Most home loans use the fast route, called executory process: the lender files the mortgage and note, the judge signs an order, and the sheriff seizes and sells the house without a full lawsuit. When the paperwork isn't in the right form, the lender has to file a regular lawsuit instead (ordinary process), which takes longer.

1. 1

   Missed payments

   Calls and letters from your loan servicer. Free HUD-approved counseling is open to you now, and you can still sell the normal way.

2. 2

   The filing

   Federal rules generally keep a servicer from starting foreclosure until the loan is more than 120 days behind. Then the lender asks the court for a writ of seizure and sale.

3. 3

   Notice of seizure

   A deputy serves it. It lists the first sale date, which by law is at least 60 days after the judge signs the order.

4. 4

   The ads

   The sale is advertised in the parish paper: once at least 30 days ahead, and again in the last week.

5. 5

   Sheriff's sale

   Wednesdays. Caddo sells at the courthouse in Shreveport, Bossier sells online, DeSoto sells in Mansfield.

6. 6

   After the sale

   In Louisiana there is generally no way to buy the house back after a sheriff's sale. That is why the time before the sale matters.

From the filing to the sale, an uncontested executory process case often takes a few months. Every case is different, so go by the dates on your own notice.

"With appraisement" or "without appraisement"

Your notice or the sheriff's listing will say one or the other, and it matters after the sale.

• With appraisement: the house is appraised before the sale, and the first time it's offered, bidding starts at two-thirds of that value. If the sale doesn't pay off the loan, the lender may be able to come after you for the rest (a deficiency).
• Without appraisement: under Louisiana law, the lender generally can't get a deficiency judgment against you for what the sale didn't cover. There are exceptions, so ask a lawyer about your loan.

If nobody bids two-thirds of the appraisal at the first sale, the sheriff advertises again and sells at a second offering for whatever it brings.

Check your sale date

Sheriff's sales in all three parishes happen on Wednesdays. Each sheriff posts the list online. Search by your name or address.

Sale days and places as posted by each sheriff's office in October 2026. Always confirm your own date with the sheriff.

Your options before the sale

You have more choices than most people realize, and selling to us is only one of them. Start with the ones at the top if they fit.

1. Call your servicer and ask in writing about catching up (reinstatement), a repayment plan, a loan modification or forbearance. Your loan papers or your servicer may let you catch up before the sale.
2. Talk to a free HUD-approved housing counselor. They don't charge, and they deal with servicers every day. Search the HUD counselor list or call Catholic Charities of North Louisiana in Shreveport.
3. Talk to a lawyer, especially if you think the foreclosure has a problem, or if bankruptcy is on the table. Filing bankruptcy generally pauses a sheriff's sale. That is a decision for you and an attorney, not us.
4. A short sale, if you owe more than the house is worth and the lender agrees to take less. See owe more than your house is worth.
5. List it with a Realtor, if there is time and equity, and you want top dollar. If that fits you better, we'll tell you.
6. Sell it to us. If you need it done fast, as-is, on a date you can count on, we buy the house and the loan is paid off at closing.

How selling to us works before a sheriff's sale

• Call or send the form. Tell us the address and your sale date if you have one. The closer the date, the sooner we move.
• We look at the house and the numbers, including what you owe, and lay out what we can do.
• A local title company handles the closing. They get the payoff from your lender and pay the loan off out of the sale.
• You pick the closing date, as long as it's before the sale date. Leave anything you don't want in the house.

A sale that closes before the sheriff's date pays off the loan, so there is nothing left for the sheriff to sell it for. Whether there's money left for you depends on what you owe and what the house is worth. We'll go over that with you plainly, on paper.

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. You won't get passed to an out-of-state call center.

Updated November 1, 2026