Reinstatement Pay the arrears plus fees and the loan returns to current. Many states protect this right until shortly before the sale, later than most people assume. In California it runs until five business days before the trustee sale.
Loan modification The servicer changes the terms so the loan becomes affordable. Apply early: a complete application submitted in time can pause the sale while it is reviewed.
Selling before the sale date If there is equity, selling on the open market almost always nets more than an auction does. Auctions are not designed to find the property its best price.
Short sale Where the debt exceeds the value, the lender may accept less than owed. It needs their agreement and it takes time, so it is not a last-week option.
Bankruptcy Filing triggers an automatic stay that halts the sale immediately. It is a serious step with long consequences and should be taken on legal advice, not as a delaying tactic.
Be careful
Rescue offers that are not rescues
A recorded Notice of Default is public, so a homeowner in trouble becomes a marketing target overnight. Treat with suspicion anybody who asks for an upfront fee to stop a foreclosure, asks you to sign over title, asks you to make mortgage payments to them instead of your servicer, or guarantees a specific outcome.
Legitimate help does not require you to pay before anything has happened.
If it goes ahead
The sale is not the end of the money question
If the auction happens, ownership transfers and the debt is settled from the proceeds. But if the property sold for more than was owed, the surplus belongs to you as the former owner, not to the lender and not to the county.
It is held by the trustee or the county. Notice goes to the last address on file, which for somebody who has just lost their home is very often the address they no longer live at.
Was a property already sold at auction?
If a foreclosure or tax sale has already happened, there may be money left over that belongs to you. The search is free and you owe nothing unless we recover funds.