Mortgage Help — Massachusetts & New Hampshire
If your mortgage payment is late, or you have already missed one or more payments in MA or NH, you are not the only one and this is not the end. Here is exactly what happens at 15, 30, 60, 90, and 120 days past due — and every option you still have at each stage. By a Realtor who has helped families through some of the hardest moments a homeowner can face.
If you are behind on your mortgage in Massachusetts or New Hampshire, the most important thing you can do right now is call your servicer and ask for the loss mitigation department (the team at the bank whose job is helping homeowners who are behind). Do not ignore the mail. Massachusetts gives you a 90-day right-to-cure period — a required window before the bank can take formal foreclosure steps. New Hampshire moves faster — the process can complete in as little as six months from the first missed payment. Your options include forbearance (a temporary pause on payments), loan modification (a permanent change to your loan terms), repayment plans, refinancing, selling before foreclosure, a short sale, and deed in lieu of foreclosure. Free help is available from the MA Attorney General’s HomeCorps hotline, the NH Housing Finance Authority, and HUD-approved housing counselors. Written by Lisa Sevajian, Realtor — Lisa Sevajian Group, eXp Realty. Updated June 2026. I am a real estate professional, not a lawyer or financial advisor. This guide is educational; consult licensed professionals for legal and financial advice.
About thirty years ago, I was a young single mom going through a horrific divorce.
I had one paycheck, two small humans depending on me, and a stack of bills on the kitchen counter that did not care how tired I was. My mortgage was due. My divorce attorney was due. The numbers did not work. There was not enough of me, or enough money, to cover both.
I had a choice. I could pay my mortgage, or I could pay my attorney. I could not do both. And the divorce was not something I could put on hold. It was already happening to me, whether I had a lawyer or not.
I made the choice any mother in that position would make. I protected my children’s future first. I picked up the phone, called my servicer, and I told them the truth.
I am telling you that story for one reason. The story most people carry in their heads about who falls behind on a mortgage is wrong. It is so wrong that it keeps good people frozen and afraid when they could be moving.
Moms. Dads. Grandparents. Your neighbors. Your parents, even. Your kid’s softball coach. The nurse who took care of your father in the hospital. The schoolteacher who has been showing up for other people’s children for twenty years. The contractor whose work is excellent but whose biggest client paid him ninety days late. The widow who paid the mortgage on time for thirty-one years, and then her husband died, and the survivor benefit was less than they had planned for.
There is a common misconception that “good” people do not get behind on their loan. I can tell you for certain, that is not true. I have sat at kitchen tables across Massachusetts and New Hampshire with some of the most decent, hardworking, loving people I have ever met, all of them in this position, all of them convinced they were the only ones.
They were not the only ones. Not by a long way.
In 2026, after the pandemic-era protections expired, the number of households more than thirty days late on their mortgage rose sharply. The most recent national survey from the Mortgage Bankers Association puts overall delinquency at 4.04 percent of all mortgages — and inside that, FHA loans are at 11.88 percent, the highest level the survey has recorded outside of a recession. New foreclosure starts are up roughly twenty percent year over year, according to ATTOM’s Q1 2026 Foreclosure Market Report. In Massachusetts, 1,447 foreclosure filings hit the public record in the first quarter. In New Hampshire, 234 filings — a 21.24 percent jump from the same period last year.
Those are not statistics. Those are families. Each of those numbers had to drive past their own home that morning and pretend to their kids that everything was fine.
If that is you right now, please hear me. You are not the only one. You are not unusual. You are not bad with money. You are a human being in a hard moment, and there is a path through it that protects you. There is no wrong way to feel about any of this. Scared. Worried. Anxious. Relieved that someone is finally saying it plainly. Angry that you are here at all. Embarrassed even though you have nothing to be embarrassed about. I have seen all of it. None of it is wrong.
If you want to know whether this is just your story, or whether it is the story playing out in a lot of kitchens right now, here are three charts that tell the truth plainly.
If you are reading this in the middle of the night because your mortgage payment is late, the very first thing I want you to know is this. Most lenders give you a 15-day grace period after the official due date before any late fee is charged. If you pay within 15 days of the due date, your payment is considered on time. No fee. Nothing reported to the credit bureaus. Many homeowners panic at day three or day five. Take a breath. The clock that matters most has not started yet.
Here is the timeline of what actually happens, day by day, so you know what to expect at each stage and what option is still on the table:
If you have found this page, the first thing I want to say is this. There is no wrong way to feel right now. Scared. Worried. Anxious. Numb. Angry. Quietly relieved that someone finally said it plainly. I have sat across kitchen tables from people feeling all of those things, sometimes all in the same hour. I have seen it all, and none of it has ever made me think less of the person across from me.
I am Lisa Sevajian. I am a Realtor with eXp Realty, based in North Andover, working across Massachusetts and New Hampshire. Approaching 2,000 sales over my career. That number does not tell you how many of those sales were people in hard moments. Divorce. Job loss. A diagnosis that changed everything. A spouse who passed away. A mortgage that got further behind than anyone meant it to. The reason I do this work the way I do is because of the choice I made at that kitchen table thirty years ago. I know what an impossible month feels like. I know what it is to have to choose between two things you cannot afford to lose.
Here is the part I most want you to hear. When you are behind on a mortgage and you decide to sell on your own terms, you stay in control of your story. A pre-foreclosure sale — a traditional sale before the bank schedules an auction — means you, not the bank, choose the timing, the price, the buyer, and what comes next. You protect any equity (the money you would walk away with after paying off the loan) you have built. You walk away with a clean record, money for a fresh start, and the knowledge that you made the decision. The families I have helped through pre-foreclosure sales almost always say the same thing afterward: the relief was bigger than the loss.
If you owe more than the home is worth, that does not mean you are out of options. It means the path is a short sale — when the lender agrees to accept less than the full loan balance so the home can be sold. I have negotiated short sales with lenders in Massachusetts and New Hampshire for families who thought they had no way out. A short sale takes longer than a regular sale — typically 60 to 120 days — and requires patience with the lender’s process. It can let you walk away without the credit damage of a completed foreclosure, often with some relocation help, and most importantly, with the ability to move on with your life. That is the goal. Not just to sell a house. To give you back the ability to make a plan.
I am a real estate professional. I am not a lawyer, not a financial advisor, not a tax accountant. There will be moments in this process where you will need one of those professionals. When that moment comes, I will tell you, and I will help you find one. The first calls I will always point you toward are the free ones — the HOPE Hotline at978-457-3406, the MA Attorney General’s HomeCorps at978-457-3406, and HUD-approved counselors at 800-569-4287. If, after those conversations, selling becomes part of your plan, I would be honored to sit at your kitchen table.
During the pandemic, the government put a freeze on foreclosures and offered programs that let millions of homeowners pause their payments. Those protections ended by 2022 and 2023. We are now several years past that protection, and the numbers make it clear that a lot of families are feeling the pressure.
According to the Mortgage Bankers Association’s First Quarter 2026 survey, about 4.44 percent of all home mortgages in the United States were behind at the end of the first quarter of 2026. That is about 4 out of every 100 mortgages. That number went up 0.4 percent from a year earlier. Millions of households in every state are in this position right now. If you are one of them, you are not unusual and you are not alone.
The picture looks different depending on what kind of loan you have. This matters because the options available to you depend partly on who is behind your loan:
Foreclosure filings have been rising. According to ATTOM Data’s Q1 2026 report, new foreclosure starts went up 20 percent from the same time last year across the whole country. In Massachusetts, 1,447 properties had a foreclosure filing in the first quarter of 2026. In New Hampshire, 234 properties did — a 21.24 percent jump from last year. But here is something just as important: the time between a first missed payment and a completed foreclosure has gotten shorter. The cost of waiting is higher than it used to be. Acting early gives you more choices than you had before.
I am sharing these numbers not to scare you. I am sharing them because part of what makes this so hard is feeling like you are the only one. You are not. Your neighbor may be sitting at their own kitchen table tonight, feeling exactly what you are feeling. The path forward is the same for both of you. Open the mail. Make the call. Understand your options. Choose the one that lets you move forward with your head held high. That is what the rest of this guide is for.
It is probably late. The house is quiet. You have been carrying this for weeks, maybe months. You missed a payment, or two, or three. The letters have been coming. You have not opened them. You have not made the call. You have not said it out loud yet, because saying it out loud makes it feel real.
This is the guide I wish more people found before things got worse. Not because I am here to sell you something. Because the people who get through hard mortgage situations are, almost without exception, the ones who stopped being afraid long enough to act. The ones who made the call. The ones who opened the letter. The ones who said out loud: I need help.
You are not alone. Data from the Mortgage Bankers Association shows that hundreds of thousands of homeowners across the United States fall behind on their mortgages every year. In Massachusetts and New Hampshire, tens of thousands of homeowners have gone through some form of mortgage hardship — a pause on payments, a loan change, a home sale before foreclosure. Many of them are now in stable homes. They got through it.
There is a lot of shame around falling behind on a mortgage. Most of it is not deserved. A mortgage is a contract made at one moment in time, when life looked a certain way. Life changes. Jobs end. Bodies fail. Marriages end. The cost of everything goes up. None of those things make someone a bad person. They make someone human.
The most important thing you can do right now, today, is this: do not ignore the mail from your servicer. That sounds simple. It is not always easy, because those letters are hard to look at. Every letter from your servicer tells you something about your options, your timeline, and your rights. Ignoring the mail does not pause the clock. It only reduces the time you have.
After that: call. The phone number is on your mortgage statement. Ask to speak with the loss mitigation department. Say those exact words. That department exists to help homeowners who are behind. The people who work there talk to homeowners in distress every single day. You will not be the first person to call in tears. You will not be the first person who does not know what to say. Try this: “I am behind on my mortgage and I want to understand my options.” That is enough to start.
The first 24 hours matter. Not because everything will be fixed right away. Because the decision to act instead of avoid is the thing that everything else turns on. Read this whole guide. Understand your options. Then decide. While you are reading, please also hold in mind the HOPE Hotline at978-457-3406. Available right now. This moment. In the middle of the night. Counselors are there 24 hours a day, seven days a week, in over 170 languages. Free. No obligation. Just a person who can help you figure out where you stand.
Before we go through the options, let me say this plainly. The reasons people fall behind on mortgages are almost always ordinary and understandable. They are not usually about carelessness. They are usually about something painful that happened.
Job loss. A layoff. A business that closed. Hours cut without warning. One missed paycheck becomes two. Two missed paychecks becomes a missed mortgage payment. This is the most common reason homeowners fall behind, and it can happen to anyone at any income level.
Medical hardship. A cancer diagnosis. A surgery. A long illness. A mental health crisis. Medical costs in the United States can be devastating, and the cost of being sick goes beyond the hospital bill. It includes time away from work, lost income, and the weight of managing a health crisis while also managing a household.
Divorce or separation. A mortgage built for two incomes becomes a mortgage for one. Legal costs pile up. The emotional weight of a divorce makes it hard to keep up with the practical side of running a household. Many homeowners fall behind in the months right after a separation, before the budget adjusts to one income. This affects all kinds of families — married, unmarried, blended, same-sex couples, and anyone else sharing a home and a mortgage.
Death of a spouse or co-borrower. Losing a partner is hard in every way, and the money side is often the last thing a grieving person can face. Income drops. Bills do not. The mortgage still comes due.
Disability. An injury. A chronic illness. Something that reduces or takes away the ability to work. Disability can come fast and stay permanently. The budget that worked before may not work anymore.
Rising costs. Even for homeowners whose income has not changed, the rising cost of property taxes, insurance, utilities, food, and everything else can slowly eat away the cushion between what the mortgage costs and what the household can afford. Adjustable-rate mortgages (loans with interest rates that can go up over time) can reset to a higher payment — sometimes much higher — in ways that are genuinely hard to absorb.
None of these circumstances make falling behind on a mortgage a reflection of someone’s character. It is a response to something hard that happened. The only question that matters now is what you do next.
The most important call you can make is to your mortgage servicer. Your servicer is the company you send your payment to each month. It may be the same as the bank you originally borrowed from, or it may be a different company that now manages your loan. The phone number is on every mortgage statement.
Before you call, gather these things and keep them close:
You do not need to have all of this perfectly organized. What matters most is making the call. Here is a script you can use, word for word if that helps:
“Hello, my name is [your name] and my loan number is [number]. I am calling because I am behind on my mortgage payments and I would like to speak with someone in the loss mitigation department about my options. I am experiencing a financial hardship and I want to understand what assistance may be available.”
The phrase loss mitigation department is the key. Say those exact words. That is the team at the bank whose job is helping homeowners who are behind. Asking for them by name moves the conversation in the right direction right away, instead of sitting in general customer service.
When you reach loss mitigation, the representative will ask for your loan number, your contact information, and a brief description of what happened. They may also ask about your income and expenses. Answer as honestly and completely as you can. The goal right now is to have your account marked as actively seeking help. This record matters later, especially under federal rules that say the bank cannot move forward with foreclosure while your application is being reviewed.
Ask specifically about these things:
Write down everything. Get the name of the person you spoke with, the date, and the time. Ask for a reference number. Follow up by email if an address is available. This is your record and your protection.
If the servicer is hard to reach, unresponsive, or not being helpful, contact a HUD-approved housing counselor. These counselors know the rules your servicer is required to follow, and they are trained to negotiate on your behalf. They are free. Under federal rules (known as CFPB Regulation X), servicers must respond to your application within five business days and cannot pursue foreclosure at the same time they are reviewing your application for help. A counselor can help you use those protections. Those protections are real.
I am a real estate professional, not a lawyer or financial advisor. If your situation is complicated, if legal notices have already been served, or if you believe your servicer has broken the rules, please bring in a housing attorney or legal aid organization. The resource list at the end of this guide can connect you with free help.
Forbearance is one of the most misunderstood options in mortgage help. It sounds like relief — and in the short term, it is — but it is important to understand exactly what it is and what it is not.
Forbearance (a pause or reduction in your mortgage payments that your servicer agrees to while you get back on your feet) is a temporary arrangement. During the forbearance period, the servicer agrees not to report your account as late to the credit bureaus in most cases, and not to pursue foreclosure. When the forbearance period ends, however, the missed or reduced payments do not simply go away. They must be repaid — through a lump sum, a repayment plan added to future payments, or a loan modification that changes the terms of your debt permanently.
Forbearance works best for short-term problems with a clear end in sight: a job loss where you expect to be back to work in a few months, a medical recovery where you will return to earning, a disruption with a known end date. It is not a permanent fix, and going into forbearance without a plan for what comes after can create a bigger problem at the end of it.
Who can qualify. Whether you can get forbearance depends on your loan type. Federally backed loans — FHA, VA, USDA, and loans owned by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac — have specific forbearance programs with clear rules. Conventional loans held by private lenders may also offer forbearance, but terms vary by lender. Ask your servicer what type of loan you have and what programs apply to your situation.
How long it lasts. Most programs start with an initial period of three to six months, with an option to extend if the hardship continues. Extensions are not automatic — you have to apply and document the ongoing need. The COVID-19 forbearance that helped millions of homeowners during the pandemic has ended, but regular forbearance for qualifying hardships is still available in 2025 and 2026. Ask your servicer what is currently on the table for your specific loan.
In Massachusetts and New Hampshire. Both states follow the federal rules for federally backed loans. If you have a MassHousing mortgage, you can contact MassHousing directly at 888-843-6432 for help specific to that program. The Massachusetts Homeowner Assistance Fund, available through Mass.gov, was designed for homeowners who fell behind because of the pandemic. Check the program directly for current eligibility and funding availability, as this changes over time.
The most important thing to understand about forbearance is that it buys you time — valuable time — but it is not the finish line. The real solution comes in what you do with that time: stabilize your income, work with a housing counselor, and make a plan for how you will pay back what was deferred. Use the pause actively, not passively.
A loan modification is a permanent change to the terms of your original mortgage. Unlike forbearance, which is temporary, a modification restructures the loan itself to make your monthly payment something you can manage long-term.
Modifications can take several forms:
Lenders are not required by law to offer modifications. Most do anyway, because foreclosure is expensive for them too. It involves legal costs, property maintenance, and often a loss when the home eventually sells. A workable modification is usually better for both sides.
How to apply. Call your servicer and ask for a loan modification application through the loss mitigation department. You will need to submit income and expense information, a letter explaining your hardship, and supporting documents. Under federal CFPB rules, if you submit a complete application more than 37 days before a scheduled foreclosure sale, the servicer cannot move forward with foreclosure until it has evaluated your application and responded.
How long it takes. The review process typically takes 30 to 90 days. Your servicer must acknowledge your application within five business days. They must tell you within 30 days whether it is complete or if anything is missing. A decision must come within 30 days of receiving a complete application. Keep copies of everything you send. If you are denied, you generally have 14 days to appeal.
A HUD-approved housing counselor can help you put together a modification application and push on your behalf with the servicer. In Massachusetts, the Attorney General’s HomeCorps Loan Modification Hotline at978-457-3406 does this work for free. That is exactly what it is there for.
I am a real estate professional, not a financial advisor. A loan modification changes a legal contract. A HUD-approved counselor or housing attorney is the right person to help you through the application and to make sure any offer you receive truly helps your situation over the long run.
A repayment plan is simpler than a full loan modification. It works best when the hard part is mostly behind you — or about to be — and you now have enough income to make your regular payments again. The problem is the pile of missed payments you still owe.
The idea is simple. You and your servicer agree to add a portion of what you owe to each future monthly payment, spread over a set number of months. For example: if you are three months behind and your regular payment is $2,000, a six-month repayment plan might add $1,000 to each monthly payment. That means $3,000 per month for six months, until you are caught up. At the end, you are current again.
Repayment plans work best when:
Be honest with yourself and with your servicer about what you can handle. A repayment plan that stretches you so thin you miss a payment again in two months is not a solution. It is just a delay. If the numbers do not work for a repayment plan, a loan modification that folds the missed payments into the loan balance may be the better path.
Repayment plans can sometimes be set up without a full formal application, depending on your servicer and loan type. Ask your servicer directly whether this option is available and what they need from you to start it.
Refinancing means replacing your current mortgage with a new one at different terms. It is a useful tool when it is available. For homeowners who are already behind, though, the window for refinancing is narrow and closes faster than most people expect.
When refinancing still works. Refinancing has the best chance when you are only one or two payments behind, your credit score has not yet been hurt by reported late payments, you have meaningful equity (the money you would walk away with after paying off the loan) in the home, and you can show enough income to qualify for a new loan. In this situation, refinancing into a lower rate or a longer term can lower your monthly payment and stop the problem before it gets worse.
When it gets harder. Once you are three or more months behind and late payments have been reported to the credit bureaus, most lenders will not approve a refinance. Most mortgage programs require a minimum credit score somewhere between 620 and 740, and late payment reporting can drop a score significantly. The home also needs to be worth enough to support the new loan amount.
Government programs. Some federal programs have in the past allowed homeowners in trouble to refinance under looser rules. Check with a licensed mortgage professional or a HUD-approved counselor about what is available for your specific loan type in 2025 and 2026. These programs change, and someone current on what is offered can help you find out whether any still apply to you.
Streamline refinancing. FHA, VA, and USDA loans each have simpler refinance programs that allow some borrowers to refinance with less paperwork and lower credit requirements. These programs generally require that your loan be current, but if you are only slightly behind or the hardship is very recent, it is worth asking your servicer whether a streamline refinance is still an option for you.
If you are significantly behind and the options above are not available to you, refinancing is probably not your path forward. The sections that follow — on selling, short sales, and other exits — are more likely to be relevant.
If your home is worth more than you owe on the mortgage — and for the majority of homeowners in Massachusetts and New Hampshire right now, it is, given how much values have risen over the past several years — then selling your home before the foreclosure is completed may be your single best option. Not your worst option. Your best one.
Here is why. A foreclosure auction is not designed to get you top dollar. It is designed to be fast and to get the lender paid. Auction prices are often below what the open market would pay, and any equity (the money you would walk away with after paying off the loan) you have built can be lost or seriously reduced in that process. By selling on the open market before the auction happens, you stay in charge. Buyers pay closer to market value. You keep whatever equity the home has built up — which in many cases means tens of thousands of dollars, sometimes more.
The timing question. In Massachusetts, the foreclosure process usually takes a minimum of six to nine months from the first missed payment to an actual auction, often longer when loss mitigation applications are in play. That window is real. A typical home sale — listing, getting offers, signing a Purchase and Sale Agreement (the contract between you and the buyer), and closing — takes roughly 60 to 90 days in a normal market. If you make the decision to sell early enough in the process, you almost always have time to complete a traditional sale before the auction date.
In New Hampshire, the window is shorter. The non-judicial foreclosure process can complete in as little as six months. If you are seriously behind on a New Hampshire mortgage, the decision to sell — if selling makes sense for your situation — should be made quickly. Every week of delay reduces the time you have to get a full market price.
What selling looks like in practice. A pre-foreclosure sale works the same as any other home sale. You list the home, show it to buyers, receive and negotiate offers, sign a Purchase and Sale Agreement, and close. At closing, the mortgage is paid off from the sale proceeds, along with any missed payments, fees, and closing costs. Whatever is left goes to you.
You are not required to tell buyers that you are behind on your mortgage, though your agent can guide you on what disclosure rules apply in your situation. For the buyer, the transaction looks and feels like any normal purchase.
Why homeowners wait too long. The emotional tie to a home is real. The hope that something will change — the job will come back, the modification will come through, the hardship will pass — is completely understandable. Hope is not wrong. What matters is acting on practical steps at the same time. A home listed for sale can be taken off the market if your situation improves. A home lost to foreclosure cannot be taken back.
Working with the right agent. A pre-foreclosure sale works best with an agent who understands time-sensitive situations, knows how to price correctly from the start, and can move efficiently from decision to closing. Overpricing and sitting on market for 60 days in this situation is not an option. The window is real.
If you want to explore this, I am happy to have a private, no-pressure conversation. There is no obligation in understanding what your home is worth and what a sale would look like for you.
A short sale is when you sell your home for less than what you owe on the mortgage, and the lender agrees to accept that smaller amount as payment in full. They let you sell even though the price does not cover the full debt. It is called a “short sale” because the money from the sale falls short of what is owed.
Short sales matter most for homeowners who are underwater — meaning they owe more than the home is currently worth. This is less common today than it was after the 2008 housing crash, but it still happens. It can occur when someone bought near the top of a local price run, took out a second mortgage, or has accumulated so much in missed payments and fees that the total debt now exceeds the home’s value.
How a short sale works. You list the home and accept an offer just like a normal sale. But before the sale can close, the lender has to review and approve the sale price and how much they will receive. This approval process takes time — typically 60 to 120 days from accepted offer to closing. You will need to send the lender a short sale package that includes a hardship letter, your financial documents, and market data supporting the price.
The lender can approve the short sale, ask for a higher price, or turn it down. They are not required to say yes. In practice, most lenders would rather approve a short sale than go through a full foreclosure, which is usually even more expensive for them.
Deficiency waiver. One of the most important things to negotiate in a short sale is whether the lender will forgive the difference between what the home sold for and what you still owed. That gap is called a deficiency. Many lenders will agree to waive this — especially for primary residences — meaning they give up the right to come after you for the remaining balance. Without that waiver, they could still try to collect the unpaid amount even after the sale is done. Have your agent and ideally a real estate attorney review the lender’s approval letter carefully before you sign anything.
Tax implications. When a lender forgives part of what you owe, the IRS may treat that forgiven amount as income. This is called cancellation of debt income. There are exceptions that may apply to your situation, including rules for primary residences, but the tax rules in this area are complicated and change over time. Please talk to a CPA or tax attorney before moving forward with a short sale. I am a real estate professional, not a tax advisor. This is one place where professional tax guidance is genuinely important.
Credit impact. A short sale does less damage to your credit than a completed foreclosure in most cases. It will show up on your credit report and may drop your score by 100 points or more, depending on where you started. Most lenders require a waiting period of two to four years before you can buy another home after a short sale, compared to three to seven years after a completed foreclosure. For anyone who hopes to own again someday, that difference matters.
Working with an agent on a short sale. Short sales are more complex than regular sales. They require an agent who knows how to negotiate with lenders, understands what documentation each servicer needs, and can keep the process moving through a long approval timeline. If you think a short sale might be your path, I can walk you through whether it makes sense and connect you with the right resources, including a real estate attorney if that step is needed.
There is a category of buyer — sometimes called iBuyers, sometimes called “we buy houses” companies, sometimes individual investors — who purchase homes quickly and entirely in cash. No mortgage, no appraisal, no repairs required. For homeowners who need to close in weeks rather than months, this can be a real option.
Here is an honest look at what a cash investor sale actually involves.
The advantage is speed. A cash investor sale can typically close in 7 to 21 days, sometimes faster. There are no financing requirements, no appraisal, no showings, no open houses, and no back-and-forth about repairs. If the foreclosure auction is 30 days away and you need to close before it, a cash sale may be the only realistic path to walking away with any money in your pocket.
The trade-off is price. Cash investors buy at a discount. They are paying for speed and convenience, and they plan to resell at a profit. Typical cash offers run between 60 and 80 percent of fair market value — sometimes a bit higher for attractive properties, sometimes lower for homes that need work. That gap can represent tens of thousands of dollars compared to what a well-marketed traditional sale would bring.
If your home has real equity and you have time, a traditional sale will almost always put more money in your pocket. The question is whether you have time, and whether the process of a traditional sale is manageable given your circumstances right now.
Be careful. The cash buyer market includes legitimate investors and also people who are not. Be cautious of anyone who contacts you out of the blue with an offer to buy your home, who pushes you to sign fast, who asks you to transfer the deed before a proper closing, or who offers a price that sounds too good to be true. Foreclosure rescue scams often use the language of cash offers. We cover this in the scams section below. When you receive any cash offer, have a real estate attorney look at the contract before you sign. Legitimate buyers will not have a problem with that.
If you are considering a cash sale, I can help you evaluate whether the offer you have received is reasonable compared to your home’s actual market value, and whether a faster traditional sale might be possible in your time window. Sometimes a cash sale is genuinely the right answer. What matters is making the decision with accurate information.
A deed in lieu of foreclosure (sometimes just called a “deed in lieu”) is an agreement where you voluntarily hand the title to your home over to the lender. In exchange, the lender releases you from the mortgage. You give up the home on your own terms, and they let go of the debt. It avoids the public auction of a foreclosure and generally does a little less damage to your credit than a completed foreclosure, though both are serious events on your credit record.
Lenders are not required to accept a deed in lieu. They typically want to see that you have already tried a short sale first. They also usually require that the home is your primary residence, that there are no other debts attached to the property (like a second mortgage), and that the title is clean enough to transfer. If those conditions are not met, a deed in lieu may not be available to you.
The process works like this: you submit an application to your servicer along with your hardship documentation, wait for their approval, and then sign the deed at a formal closing. Before you sign anything, make sure the lender has given you a written agreement saying that the deed in lieu fully settles the mortgage and that they are waiving their right to come after you for any remaining balance. Have a real estate attorney look at this document before you sign it.
Some lenders offer cash for keys as part of a deed in lieu. This means they give you a modest payment to move out by a certain date and leave the home in reasonable condition. It is worth asking about if this becomes your path.
A deed in lieu works best when the home has little or no equity, every other option has been tried, and your main goal is to resolve the debt and move on with as little public exposure as possible. It is the last resort on the list, but it is a managed, private resolution — not a public auction with your name on it.
Massachusetts is sometimes called a “judicial” foreclosure state, and sometimes “non-judicial.” The accurate answer is that it is primarily non-judicial — meaning the bank does not usually have to go to court — but Massachusetts does require one limited court step that adds meaningful time. Here is what actually happens, step by step.
Days 1–30 after the first missed payment: Your servicer will start trying to reach you by phone, mail, and email. Under federal law, once you are 45 days behind, the servicer must assign a specific person to your account and give you written notice of your options. No formal foreclosure action can begin until you are more than 120 days behind.
The Right-to-Cure Notice (90 days): Under Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 244, Section 35A, your servicer must send you a formal 90-day right-to-cure notice before taking any steps toward foreclosure. The notice means: “You have 90 days to bring this loan current before we can move forward.” During those 90 days, you can catch up on payments, enter a repayment plan, apply for a loan modification, or explore a sale. This is your most important window. Receiving this notice is serious — but it is not the end. Act right away.
The Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA) proceeding: Before a Massachusetts foreclosure can go forward, the bank must file a brief proceeding in Land Court or Superior Court to confirm that you are not an active-duty military member. Federal law (the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act) requires this step to protect active military members from losing their homes without a court hearing. The court issues a notice that must be served on you and published in a local newspaper. You have 30 days to respond. If there is no military issue, the court clears the way for the foreclosure to proceed. This step adds time to the process, especially when courts are backlogged.
Notice of Sale (at least 14 days before the auction, published for 3 weeks): Once the court proceeding is done, the servicer schedules the auction and is required under Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 244, Section 14 to send you a formal Notice of Sale at least 14 days before the auction date. The notice must also run in a local newspaper once per week for three weeks in a row, with the first notice at least 21 days before the sale.
The foreclosure auction: On the scheduled date, an auctioneer sells the home at the property. The highest bidder — often the bank itself if no outside buyer bids higher — wins. Your ownership ends at that moment.
Total timeline in practice: From the first missed payment to a completed foreclosure auction in Massachusetts, the timeline is typically a minimum of 9 to 12 months, and often 18 months or more when modification applications are filed, when issues are contested, or when Land Court backlogs slow the SCRA step. The key point is this: you have real time — but the clock starts with the first missed payment, not with the first letter you decide to open.
If you have an auction scheduled within seven business days, contact the Massachusetts Division of Banks (DOB) immediately at 978-457-3406, Monday–Friday, 8:45 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. DOB representatives can request a 60-day delay on auctions, if you have never previously requested a stay and the property is your primary residence. There is no guarantee, but this is a real resource that exists specifically for this moment. Source: Mass.gov — Avoiding Foreclosure for Massachusetts Consumers
For full loss mitigation assistance, call the MA Attorney General’s HomeCorps Loan Modification Hotline at978-457-3406.
New Hampshire is a non-judicial foreclosure state. Most residential mortgages in New Hampshire include a power-of-sale clause — a section in the mortgage contract that gives the lender the right to sell the property without going to court if you default. This makes the New Hampshire foreclosure process significantly faster than Massachusetts, and much less forgiving for homeowners who wait.
Federal 120-day waiting period: Under federal rules, servicers cannot begin the formal foreclosure process until you are more than 120 days behind. This applies in New Hampshire just like everywhere else. The 120 days start with the first missed payment and are a minimum floor — the servicer can wait longer, but cannot start earlier.
Notice of Sale (45 days minimum): Under New Hampshire Revised Statutes Annotated Chapter 479, Section 25, the lender must mail or personally deliver a Notice of Foreclosure Sale to you at least 45 days before the auction date. The notice must also run in a newspaper for three weeks in a row, with the first appearance at least 20 days before the sale. This is the only formal notice required in New Hampshire. There is no equivalent to Massachusetts’s 90-day right-to-cure window.
No right to get the home back after the sale: In New Hampshire, once the auction happens, it is over. There is no period after the sale during which you can pay off the debt and reclaim the home. Under state law (RSA 479:18), you can pay off the full loan balance up until the moment of the auction — but not after. Once the gavel falls, ownership transfers. This is different from some states and is why acting before the auction is the only effective window in New Hampshire.
Total timeline in practice: From the first missed payment, a New Hampshire foreclosure can move to a completed sale in as little as six to eight months. Some cases move even faster. If a loss mitigation application is submitted and under review, the timeline extends. Homeowners who do not respond to their servicer and do not seek help can find themselves with very little time and very few choices.
Stopping the process. Your options to halt a New Hampshire foreclosure sale include: asking the lender to postpone the sale (get any agreement in writing), filing for bankruptcy (which immediately pauses the foreclosure under what is called an automatic stay), seeking a temporary restraining order in state court (603 Legal Aid can help with this at 603-224-3333), or submitting a complete loss mitigation application, which under federal rules prevents the servicer from moving forward while it is under review. Source: 603 Legal Aid — Foreclosure Relief
If you are behind on a New Hampshire mortgage, please do not assume you have the same time as a Massachusetts homeowner. You do not. The window is real and it is narrower. The time to act is right now.
Homeowners in financial trouble are, sadly, one of the most targeted groups for fraud. Foreclosure scams have been around as long as foreclosures have. They are designed specifically for people who are frightened and not sure where to turn. Knowing what these scams look like is one of the most useful things you can do to protect yourself.
If any of the following sound familiar, stop. Do not sign anything. Call a HUD-approved counselor or the Massachusetts or New Hampshire Attorney General before you do anything else.
Deed transfer scams (sometimes called “foreclosure rescue transactions”). A company or person promises to save your home if you sign the deed over to them. They say you can keep living there, rent it from them, and buy it back later. What usually happens is that you lose the home — to the “rescuer” or to the bank — and you have no legal way to get it back. In Massachusetts, certain types of foreclosure rescue deals are specifically illegal, according to the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office. Never sign your deed over to anyone without a real estate attorney reviewing the situation first.
Loan modification scams. A company advertises that it can guarantee you a loan modification — for an upfront fee. Nobody can guarantee a modification. Only your servicer can approve one. In Massachusetts, charging upfront fees for loan modification help is against the law. A free version of the same help is available right now through the HomeCorps hotline at978-457-3406 or through any HUD-approved housing counselor. Keep your money.
“We Buy Houses for Cash” and “Avoid Foreclosure Now” ads. Not everyone who sends these mailers is a scammer. Some are legitimate investors. The Massachusetts Attorney General specifically warns homeowners to be careful about responding to these when facing foreclosure. Scammers in this space may offer far below market value, push you to sign quickly, ask you to sign the deed at a “closing” that is not an actual closing, or structure the deal in ways that take your equity without you understanding what happened.
Mass lawsuit solicitations. Some companies send you mail urging you to join a group lawsuit against your lender, promising to stop your foreclosure or wipe out your mortgage debt — for a fee. These schemes usually charge a lot upfront and deliver nothing. The Federal Trade Commission warns specifically about this type of mail. Source: FTC — Mortgage Relief Scams
How to protect yourself. The rules are simple. Never pay anyone upfront to modify your loan. Never sign your deed to someone who promises to save your home. Never sign any contract under pressure before having someone else look at it. Check any company that claims to be helping you through the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Consumer Hotline at 617-727-8400 or the New Hampshire Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Hotline at 1-888-468-4454. If you think you have been a victim, file a complaint with the FTC at 1-877-382-4357 or the CFPB at 855-411-2372.
Every legitimate resource that can help you — housing counselors, legal aid, the HomeCorps hotline, the NH Housing Finance Authority — is completely free. There is no situation where you need to pay someone for foreclosure help. The same qualified help is available at no cost.
One of the hardest things about being behind on your mortgage is not knowing who to call or who to trust. There is a lot of confusing, conflicting, and sometimes dishonest information out there. The resources below are genuine, free, and designed specifically for homeowners in your situation.
There is a specific kind of quiet that settles on a house when a mortgage is in trouble. Not the absence of conversation. The presence of something too frightening to say out loud. The letters sit unopened on the counter. The phone number stays uncalled. The days go by.
That quiet is not weakness. It is a normal response to something overwhelming. Most people have never heard the words “loss mitigation” before they needed them. Most people have never been through a forbearance or a loan modification. When something is completely unfamiliar, it is hard to walk toward it. That makes sense.
What I have seen in nearly two decades of working with families across Massachusetts and New Hampshire is this: the single biggest predictor of a good outcome is not how bad the situation is. It is whether someone asked for help early enough. The family who called a counselor in month two had more options than the family who called in month six. The homeowner who listed the home three months before the auction walked away with equity. The one who waited until the auction was two weeks out had far fewer choices.
Shame is the enemy of options. It is what turns a hard situation into a worse one. It keeps people quiet when they could be moving. Let me say this plainly: there is nothing shameful about falling behind because you lost your job, or because you got sick, or because your marriage ended, or because the cost of everything went up while your income stayed flat. These are not failures of character. These are things that happen to good people, in large numbers, all the time.
The people who got through hard mortgage situations — and many have — are the ones who finally said: I need help figuring this out. Some kept their homes through modifications. Some sold and started fresh, with their equity intact, in a smaller or more affordable place. Some went through the full process and came out the other side. Some are now, years later, homeowners again, in places they love. The path through is not the same for everyone. The path exists. It starts with the call you have been afraid to make.
If you are reading this at two in the morning because you cannot sleep, please know: you are not the only one who has been right here. The number is978-457-3406. Right now. Someone will answer.
Open every piece of mail from your servicer and call the loss mitigation department — the team at the bank whose job is to help borrowers avoid foreclosure. Massachusetts law gives you a 90-day right-to-cure period before formal foreclosure steps can begin, under M.G.L. Chapter 244, Section 35A. Acting early gives you more choices. You can also call the Attorney General’s HomeCorps hotline at978-457-3406 for free guidance.
A Massachusetts foreclosure typically takes nine to twelve months at minimum from the first missed payment to a completed auction — and often eighteen months or more. The process requires a 90-day right-to-cure notice, a brief court check to confirm you are not on active military duty (called a Servicemembers Civil Relief Act proceeding), and at least three weeks of published Notice of Sale. Contested foreclosures can take much longer. Source: Mass.gov
New Hampshire is a non-judicial foreclosure state, which means the lender does not need to go to court to foreclose. Under federal law, the process cannot begin until 120 days after the first missed payment. After that, New Hampshire law requires only 45 days’ notice before the sale and three weeks of newspaper publication. From first default to completed sale can be as little as six to eight months. Source: 603 Legal Aid — Foreclosure Basics
A right-to-cure notice is a formal letter from your servicer giving you 90 days to bring your loan current before the servicer can take foreclosure steps. It is required under M.G.L. Chapter 244, Section 35A. Receiving this notice is serious but not final. Contact HomeCorps at978-457-3406 immediately.
Forbearance is a temporary pause or reduction in mortgage payments agreed to by your servicer. The COVID-era CARES Act forbearance has ended, but forbearance remains available for qualifying hardships in 2025 and 2026 for FHA, VA, USDA, Fannie Mae, and Freddie Mac loans. Request it directly from your servicer. It does not forgive missed payments — they must be repaid.
Gather your most recent mortgage statement (with loan number), proof of income, a summary of monthly expenses, documentation of your hardship (termination letter, medical bill, divorce paperwork), and any prior correspondence from your servicer. Having these ready allows the conversation to move faster and documents your engagement.
A loan modification is a permanent change to your mortgage terms — the interest rate, the length of the loan, or the original loan amount you borrowed — designed to make your monthly payment something you can actually afford long-term. Unlike a forbearance, it is a lasting change, not a temporary pause. The process takes 30 to 90 days and requires full financial documentation. Free help is available through HomeCorps at978-457-3406.
A repayment plan lets you catch up on missed payments by spreading them across several future months, added on top of your regular payment. It works best when the hardship has passed and your income has recovered. It is generally simpler to qualify for than a full loan modification.
Yes, and in many cases this is the best available option. Selling before the foreclosure sale allows you to pay off the loan, recover your equity, and avoid the credit damage of a completed foreclosure. In Massachusetts, the longer timeline typically allows enough time. In New Hampshire, act quickly. The earlier you decide, the more control you have.
A short sale occurs when the lender agrees to accept less than the full amount owed, allowing you to sell the home even if the price is below what you owe. It requires lender approval and typically takes 60 to 120 days. It causes less credit damage than a completed foreclosure. Tax implications exist — consult a CPA.
A deed in lieu transfers your home title to the lender voluntarily, in exchange for the lender releasing you from the mortgage. It avoids the public auction process and causes somewhat less credit damage than a completed foreclosure. Lenders are not required to accept it and typically require a short sale attempt first.
A completed foreclosure typically drops a credit score by 100 to 150 points or more and remains on your report for seven years. Loan modifications, forbearances, and short sales generally cause less long-term damage. Rebuilding credit after foreclosure is possible; many people purchase homes again within two to four years with the right steps.
Massachusetts is primarily non-judicial, meaning lenders usually do not need to go to court to foreclose. However, they are required to complete a brief Land Court proceeding to confirm the borrower is not on active military duty. This step — required by the federal Servicemembers Civil Relief Act — is needed to clear the property’s title, and it adds time to the process. Source: Middlesex North Registry of Deeds
New Hampshire is a non-judicial foreclosure state. Most mortgages contain a power-of-sale clause — a provision in the mortgage contract that gives the lender the right to sell the home without going to court if you stop making payments. The lender must provide 45 days’ notice and three weeks of publication before the sale. There is no right to buy the home back after the sale is complete. Source: N.H. Rev. Stat. §§ 479:18, 479:25
HomeCorps is the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Loan Modification Hotline and Borrower Recovery Initiative. It provides free, direct loan modification advocacy from skilled specialists across the state. Call978-457-3406. Source: Mass.gov
HomeCorps at978-457-3406; HOPE Hotline at978-457-3406 (24/7); HUD housing counselors at 800-569-4287; Massachusetts DOB at978-457-3406 (for imminent auctions); MassHousing at 888-843-6432; Greater Boston Legal Services; and Massachusetts Bar Association Lawyer Referral Service.
NH Housing Finance Authority at nhhfa.org; 603 Legal Aid Foreclosure Relief Project at 603-224-3333; NH Banking Department Homeowner Hotline at 1-800-437-5991; 2-1-1 NH (dial 2-1-1); HOPE Hotline at978-457-3406 (24/7); and HUD housing counselors at 800-569-4287.
Loss mitigation is the general term for all the options your servicer can offer to help you avoid foreclosure: forbearance (a payment pause), repayment plans, loan modifications, short sales, and deeds in lieu. Under federal rules (CFPB Regulation X), servicers must review you for all available options before moving forward with foreclosure — as long as you submit a complete application more than 37 days before any scheduled sale.
Ignoring a default does not pause the timeline. In New Hampshire, you can lose your home in as little as six months. In Massachusetts, the process is slower but still results in foreclosure, permanent credit damage, and loss of equity. Every week of delay shrinks your available options. A free housing counselor can help you understand exactly where you stand.
Refinancing is most viable when you are only one or two payments behind and your credit has not yet been significantly damaged. Once you are deeper into default, most lenders will not approve a refinance. FHA, VA, and USDA streamline programs may still be available in some circumstances. Speak with a mortgage professional or HUD counselor early.
The HOPE Hotline at 888-995-HOPE (4673) connects homeowners with free HUD-approved housing counselors, 24/7, in over 170 languages. It is available to any homeowner in the United States, including in Massachusetts and New Hampshire, at any hour. Source: HUD.gov
Warning signs include: upfront fees for loan modification help (prohibited in Massachusetts), pressure to transfer your deed, offers to “buy your home and rent it back,” guaranteed modification promises, and ads like “We Buy Houses for Cash — Avoid Foreclosure.” Real help is free. Source: Mass.gov — Foreclosure Scams
Yes, in some cases. Call the MA Division of Banks at978-457-3406 immediately if your auction is within 7 days — they can request a 60-day delay. Filing for bankruptcy triggers an automatic stay, which is a legal order that immediately stops the foreclosure. A complete application for help (loss mitigation) filed more than 37 days before the sale can also halt foreclosure under federal rules.
Options include asking the lender to delay the sale (get any agreement in writing), filing for bankruptcy, or asking a court for a temporary restraining order to pause the sale. 603 Legal Aid can help with that court process at 603-224-3333. Once the sale is completed in New Hampshire, you cannot get the home back — so any action must happen before the auction date. Source: 603 Legal Aid
A cash investor sale closes in 7 to 21 days with no repairs or contingencies, but typically at 60 to 80 percent of market value. A traditional sale takes longer (30 to 60 days after offer) but generates 15 to 30 percent more net proceeds on average. If you have time, a traditional sale almost always leaves more money in your pocket.
Potentially. When a lender forgives part of what you owe, the IRS may count the forgiven amount as income — meaning you could owe taxes on it. There are exemptions that may apply to your primary home, but this area of tax law is complex and has changed over time. Talk to a CPA or tax attorney before completing a short sale or deed in lieu. I am a real estate professional, not a tax advisor.
A Notice of Sale is the formal notice of a scheduled foreclosure auction. Under M.G.L. Chapter 244, Section 14, it must be mailed to the homeowner at least 14 days before the sale and published in a local newspaper once per week for three consecutive weeks. Receiving a Notice of Sale means the foreclosure is actively moving forward. Call MA DOB at978-457-3406 immediately.
The most common causes are job loss, unexpected medical bills or disability, divorce or separation, death of a spouse or co-borrower, adjustable-rate mortgage resets, and rising costs outpacing income. Falling behind on a mortgage is almost never a reflection of irresponsibility — it is a human response to a difficult life event.
The Servicemembers Civil Relief Act is a federal law that protects active-duty military members from foreclosure. In Massachusetts, every lender must file a brief Land Court case to confirm the homeowner is not on active military duty before proceeding. This step is required to clear the property’s title and adds time to the Massachusetts foreclosure timeline — which is one reason Massachusetts foreclosures take longer than in some other states.
Visit consumerfinance.gov — Find a Housing Counselor, call HUD’s toll-free line at 800-569-4287, or search the Mass.gov approved counseling agencies list. In NH, visit nhhfa.org. These services are free or very low cost.
Yes. Filing for bankruptcy triggers an automatic stay — a legal order that immediately stops all foreclosure activity. Chapter 13 bankruptcy lets you restructure your debt and catch up on missed payments over three to five years while keeping the home. Chapter 7 stops foreclosure temporarily but does not clear the underlying mortgage debt. Talk to a bankruptcy attorney before going this route — it has real, lasting effects on your finances.
Bring your most recent mortgage statement, all correspondence from your servicer, proof of income for all household earners, a list of monthly expenses, documentation of your hardship, and your original loan documents if available. The more organized you are, the more productive the session will be.
Typically 30 to 90 days from the time you submit a complete application. Federal rules require your servicer to acknowledge your application within 5 business days. They are also prohibited from moving forward with foreclosure at the same time they are reviewing your application — this protection is sometimes called the no-dual-tracking rule. Submit your application as early as possible and respond quickly if they ask for more documents.
Yes. You retain the right to sell your home up until the moment the foreclosure sale is completed. If you have equity, a traditional sale lets you recover it and avoid a foreclosure record. If you are underwater, a short sale with lender approval is available during this period. Start early to maximize your options and sale price.
The Massachusetts Division of Banks regulates mortgage servicers and offers Imminent Foreclosure Assistance. For homeowners with an auction within 7 business days, DOB can request a 60-day delay. Call978-457-3406, Monday–Friday, 8:45 a.m.–5:00 p.m. Source: Mass.gov
In a judicial foreclosure, the lender must go to court and get a judge’s approval before selling the property. That process takes longer and gives homeowners more time and procedural protection. In a non-judicial foreclosure, the lender uses a clause in your mortgage contract to sell the home without court involvement. New Hampshire is non-judicial. Massachusetts is primarily non-judicial but requires a brief court step to confirm you are not on active military duty.
Completely normal. Falling behind on a mortgage is almost always the result of something difficult that happened — a job loss, an illness, a death, a divorce — and not a reflection of character. The only thing shame does in this situation is delay action. Delay is the one thing that makes the situation worse. Please ask for help. The resources are real, free, and available right now.
Call your servicer’s main line and ask for loss mitigation. If you want guidance first, call the HOPE Hotline at978-457-3406 (24/7) or the MA Attorney General’s HomeCorps Hotline at978-457-3406. If your auction is within 7 days, call the MA Division of Banks at978-457-3406 immediately.
Call your servicer and ask for loss mitigation. For free guidance, call the HOPE Hotline at978-457-3406 (24/7), 603 Legal Aid at 603-224-3333 for legal options, or visit nhhfa.org for NH Housing Finance Authority resources. The NH Banking Department Homeowner Hotline is at 1-800-437-5991.
Under federal law, a servicer cannot begin foreclosure proceedings until you are more than 120 days behind on payments. Massachusetts also requires a 90-day right-to-cure notice before any foreclosure steps can begin. In practice, the earliest a Massachusetts foreclosure auction can be scheduled from the first missed payment is roughly six to nine months — and usually longer because of the court confirmation step and required publication period.
Short sales typically take 60 to 120 days or more. In Massachusetts, the longer foreclosure timeline often allows enough time. In New Hampshire, the shorter window makes it harder but still possible with quick action. Your agent should be experienced with short sale negotiations. The lender can also be asked to postpone the auction while a short sale is in progress.
If selling — through a traditional sale or a short sale — is one of the options you are exploring, Lisa Sevajian and her team can walk you through the process with honesty and care. With approaching 2,000 sales across Massachusetts and New Hampshire, the team has navigated complex pre-foreclosure and time-sensitive situations many times. A conversation carries no obligation. Lisa is a real estate professional, not a lawyer or financial advisor, and she will always tell you when it is time to bring those professionals in.
A power-of-sale clause is a provision in your mortgage contract that gives the lender the right to sell your home without going to court if you stop making payments. This is the legal basis for non-judicial foreclosure in New Hampshire. Most NH residential mortgages contain this clause, which means foreclosure in New Hampshire moves faster and gives homeowners fewer formal steps to slow or stop it compared to states that require a court process.
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is a federal agency that oversees mortgage servicers and enforces rules designed to protect homeowners. Under those rules, your servicer must review your application for help within a set timeframe, acknowledge it within 5 business days, and cannot move forward with foreclosure while your complete application is being reviewed. You can file a complaint at consumerfinance.gov or call 855-411-2372. Source: consumerfinance.gov
No, in either state. Once a non-judicial foreclosure sale is completed in Massachusetts or New Hampshire, you cannot buy the property back — there is no grace period after the gavel drops. In both states, you can pay off the full loan balance any time up until the moment of the auction, but not after. This is exactly why acting before the sale date is the only window that counts.
If you are in this situation and selling has come up as one of the paths you are thinking about — whether that is a traditional sale, a short sale, or simply wanting to know what your home is worth before you decide anything — a conversation with me carries no pressure and no obligation. I work with people in hard situations because those are the moments when having the right information and a trustworthy person in your corner matters most. I will tell you honestly what I think, including when the right first step is to call a housing counselor or attorney before talking to me. Whatever your situation, you deserve to make this decision with clear information and a steady head. I am here when you are ready.
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