Facing foreclosure? Get expert housing guidance

We'll walk you through options like forbearance, loan modification, short sale, or refinance, and help you build a plan with budgeting and support programs.

We can't stop a legal foreclosure once foreclosure proceedings are underway, but the earlier you reach out, the more of those options, like a loan modification or repayment plan, are still available. A HUD-certified housing counselor can tell you honestly whether keeping your home is realistic given your financial hardship, and what it would take.

No cost, no catch. Foreclosure prevention counseling is completely free and designed to help you get the support you need without added financial stress.

As soon as you know you're going to miss a payment, ideally before you're behind at all. Federal rules generally keep your servicer from starting foreclosure until you're more than 120 days delinquent, but that's a legal deadline, not a target to aim for. Reaching out well before then keeps every option, including ones you'd lose later, on the table.

A forbearance temporarily reduces or suspends your mortgage payments while you recover financially. Your counselor can help you understand if you qualify, how to apply, and what repayment options will follow.

You leave with a clear action plan and ongoing support. Your counselor will help you coordinate with your lender, track deadlines, and provide follow-up guidance to keep you moving toward housing stability.

The federal Homeowner Assistance Fund (HAF) helped homeowners catch up on mortgage payments, property taxes, and other housing costs after the pandemic, but most states' HAF programs have already used up their funding, and the program was never designed to run past 2025 or 2026. Some state or local mortgage assistance programs may still have money available. Your counselor can check what's currently open where you live rather than you having to track it down state by state, and can point you toward other mortgage assistance and foreclosure prevention programs you may qualify for.

Forbearance pauses or lowers your payments temporarily, then you repay the difference later, either as a lump sum, spread out over time, or added to the end of the loan. A repayment plan splits your missed payments into extra amounts added to your regular payment until you're caught up. A loan modification permanently changes your loan's terms, like the interest rate or length, to lower your regular payment going forward. Your counselor can help you figure out which one actually fits your situation instead of guessing.