Call the mortgage servicer and the attorney or sheriff listed on your notice now. Then call an Indiana foreclosure attorney and a HUD-approved housing counselor; the CFPB says foreclosure-prevention counseling is free. An offer from any buyer, including Roger, does not pause the case.
Your court papers set the deadline, not a website
Indiana foreclosures go through the courts, and no online timeline can tell you how much time is left in your case. Find the complaint, the summons, the judgment and the sheriff-sale notice, then confirm the current status with the court record, the servicer or your attorney.
The Indiana Judicial Branch foreclosure-help page explains that eligible borrowers may request a settlement conference with the lender. The Indiana Attorney General's homeowner-rights page also describes that process. Court staff cannot give legal advice, so get a lawyer if you need advice about deadlines, defenses, redemption, a deficiency, or the effect of a proposed sale.
Options that may keep the house, and options that sell it
The right choice depends on your income, the value of the house, the loan balance, your hardship and the court schedule. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau recommends contacting the servicer immediately and lists possible options such as repayment plans, forbearance, loan modification, refinance, short sale, and deed-in-lieu. Availability is not guaranteed.
When a sale can work
A normal sale needs enough money to pay the mortgage payoff and everything else required at closing. The title company reviews ownership and liens, gets the payoff figures, prepares the settlement statement and lines up signatures. If the foreclosure is active, you or your lawyer also confirm what the lender and the court require.
If the likely price will not cover the payoff, the difference does not disappear. A short sale needs the lender's written approval, and that approval should say how any remaining balance is treated. Forgiven mortgage debt can have tax consequences. Roger cannot promise lender approval and does not give legal, credit or tax advice.
What Roger does, and what happens next
- Property review: Roger looks at the house, its condition and the local market.
- Written offer: you get terms to compare with a listing, the servicer's options and your own professionals' advice.
- Title and payoff: a title company checks ownership, liens and the payoff requirements.
- Estimated net: the settlement statement shows the price, payoffs, taxes, prorations and your expected proceeds before you sign.
- Closing: only a completed, funded closing and the lender's confirmation determine whether the sheriff sale is stopped.
Mortgage Forfeiture charges no company fee or agent commission. The mortgage, liens, taxes, prorations and other required payoffs still come out of the price, so the contract price is not the same as your proceeds.
Credit and deficiency questions need individual advice
Do not count on a promised credit-score change or recovery period. Late payments, a foreclosure filing, a completed foreclosure and a short sale can each be reported differently, and the effect depends on your credit file and loan program. A completed sale may avoid an additional foreclosure event, but it cannot erase accurate earlier reporting.
Whether a lender can pursue a remaining balance depends on the judgment, the sale proceeds, the loan documents, the lender's decisions and Indiana law. Have an attorney review the facts before assuming a direct sale, short sale or sheriff sale ends every obligation.
Free and official help
- Indiana Judicial Branch: Help with Mortgage Foreclosures
- Indiana Attorney General: Foreclosure Prevention
- CFPB Mortgage Help
- HUD Housing Counseling, or call 800-569-4287
Frequently asked questions
A sale may still be possible, but the title company must obtain current payoff information and determine whether ownership, liens, signatures, and the court schedule allow closing in time. Contact the servicer and an Indiana foreclosure attorney immediately if a sale is scheduled.
A normal sale cannot close unless the price and other funds cover required payoffs. A lender-approved short sale may be an option, but approval, timing, deficiency treatment, and tax consequences depend on the loan and lender.
No buyer can guarantee a credit outcome. Late payments and public filings may remain even if a completed sale pays off the loan before the sheriff sale. Ask the servicer how it will report the account and review your credit reports for accuracy.
Closing time depends on title, ownership, payoff letters, liens, signatures, and any required lender or court approvals. Do not rely on a promised date before the file is reviewed.
Related guides
- Five options to review before an Indiana sheriff sale
- How foreclosure works in Indiana and Kentucky
- What happens to your credit after foreclosure in Indiana
- Behind on mortgage payments in Indiana
- We buy houses in Jeffersonville and Southern Indiana
General information only; not legal, tax, credit or foreclosure-rescue advice.