Every solution we know

Loan modification Your lender permanently changes the terms — rate, length, or balance — so the payment fits what you can actually pay.

Forbearance The lender pauses or lowers payments for a set stretch while you get back on your feet. The paused amount still comes due.

Repayment plan You keep making the normal payment and add a piece of the past-due amount each month until you're caught up.

Reinstatement / cure the default You pay the full past-due amount in one lump and the loan goes back to normal, as if you never fell behind.

Refinance A new loan replaces the old one. Usually needs equity and decent credit, so it works best before you fall behind.

Loss mitigation The umbrella process where your servicer reviews your finances and decides which of the options above you qualify for.

Partial claim If your loan is FHA, the missed payments move into a separate zero-interest lien, due only when you sell or pay off.

Family or private cure Someone you know pays the past-due amount. Gift or loan, put the terms in writing either way.

Rent a room, or rent the house Rent a room, or rent the whole house and live somewhere cheaper. It helps the next payment, not the pile behind you.

Short-term rental conversion Turn the house into a furnished rental instead of selling. Higher rental income potential, and a sale later if you want one.

Cash sale (wholesale) You sell to a buyer who assigns the contract to an end investor. Fastest and simplest, and usually the lowest price.

Cash sale (investor) You sell directly to someone buying to hold or flip. A little slower than wholesale, usually a little more money.

Cash sale (rezone developer) A developer buys for what the land can become, not what the house is. Rare, but it can beat every other number.

Deed in lieu of foreclosure You hand the house back to the lender and walk away instead of going through foreclosure. The lender has to agree.

Short sale The lender agrees to accept less than you owe so the house can sell. Takes approval and time, but avoids foreclosure.

iBuyer / instant offer A company makes an algorithmic offer and closes fast. Convenient and predictable, and priced below what the open market would pay.

Sell to a neighbor or known party Someone who already wants your house buys it directly. No showings, no marketing period, and no agent commission unless you bring one in.

Marketed auction Marketed for a set date and sold to the highest bidder. Your auction, not the trustee's, and you set the minimum.

List as-is on the MLS Put it on the open market in its current condition. Full exposure, nothing spent on repairs, but you carry it while it sells.

Minor rehab, then list Paint, flooring, cleanup. A small spend that often returns more than it costs.

Full rehab, then list A real renovation before listing. Highest ceiling, highest risk, and it needs cash and time up front.

Revive method A third party funds the renovation up front and is repaid out of the sale. Nothing out of your pocket, and the extra profit is negotiated and split.

Novation An investor funds the renovation and resells while the house stays in your name. You take an agreed number; they keep anything above it.

Pre-listing repairs on credit A contractor does the work now and is paid at closing. Nothing out of pocket, and the bill is secured against the house.

Rezone or split the lot, then sell Change what the land can become before selling, by rezoning or splitting it. Highest ceiling here, and it takes six to eighteen months.

Seller financing You act as the bank. The buyer pays you monthly instead of a lender, so you keep monthly income and spread the tax hit without being a landlord.

Lease option (rent-to-own) A tenant rents now with the right to buy later, usually at a price set today. The option normally carries a fee.

Subject-to A buyer takes over your existing mortgage payments while the loan stays in your name. Fast, but the debt is still yours on paper, and it can trigger the due-on-sale clause.

Assumption A qualified buyer formally takes over your loan and you're released from it. Only some loans allow it (FHA, VA, USDA).

Sale-leaseback You sell the house and stay in it as a renter. Gets you the equity without moving.

1031 exchange You roll the proceeds from an investment property into another one and defer the capital gains tax. Strict 45-day and 180-day deadlines apply.

Post-closing occupancy You sell and get paid at closing, then stay on for an agreed stretch afterward. How long is negotiable, and worth asking for.

Chapter 13 bankruptcy Filing stops the sale immediately and lets you cure the past-due amount over three to five years. You need steady income.

Chapter 7 bankruptcy Filing stops the sale and wipes out most unsecured debt, but it rarely saves the house unless you can catch the loan up.

Foreclosure defense An attorney challenges whether the lender followed the rules on standing, notice, or procedure. A defense that buys time, not a cure.

HUD-approved counseling A federally approved counselor reviews your situation and works your servicer for you. It's free, and nobody is allowed to charge you.