California homeowners · Little or no equity
Owing more than it's worth is a problem. It is not the end of your options.
If you're upside down, behind on payments, or already have a date on a notice, the most valuable thing you have is time — and it keeps getting shorter while you decide. Here is what's actually on the table, including the free help you should use first.
Talk through your options
No cost, no upfront fee, no obligation. If selling isn't your best move, we'll say so.
Request received
We'll review it and reach out within one business day. If you told us about a sale date, expect to hear from us sooner.
What's actually available
Six paths. Not all of them end in a sale.
Which of these fits depends entirely on your numbers and your calendar. Nobody can tell you which one is right without seeing both.
Short sale
Your lender agrees to accept less than the payoff so the sale can close. It takes lender approval, documentation, and an agent who has done one before. Approval is never guaranteed.
Reinstatement or repayment plan
Bringing the loan current in one payment, or spreading the past-due amount across future payments. This is a conversation with your servicer, and it costs nothing to have it.
Forbearance or modification
Pausing or restructuring payments. Your servicer handles this directly and free of charge. We do not offer loan modification services and you should not pay anyone an upfront fee for them.
Sell before the sale date
Even with thin or zero equity, a conventional sale can sometimes close in time and pay the loan off. Whether it can depends on your numbers and how much calendar is left.
Deed in lieu of foreclosure
Handing the property back by agreement instead of going through the auction. It carries real credit and tax consequences and isn't available on every loan.
Talk to a bankruptcy attorney
Sometimes the honest answer isn't a sale at all. If that's your situation, we'll say so and point you toward counsel rather than toward a listing.
Where we stand
The rules we hold ourselves to, in writing.
What we do
- +Introduce you to an agent who has closed short sales and negotiated with servicers before.
- +Tell you plainly if selling is not your best move, even though a sale is the only way we get paid.
- +Point you to free HUD-approved housing counseling before you spend a dollar with anyone.
- +Move fast. If you have a recorded sale date, say so and we'll treat it that way.
What we never do
- ×Charge you an advance fee, a retainer, or any upfront cost. Ever. Under any label.
- ×Promise that a lender will approve a short sale, stop a sale date, or reduce what you owe.
- ×Ask you to sign over your deed, rent your home back, or transfer title to us or anyone we know.
- ×Tell you to stop paying your mortgage or to stop communicating with your servicer.
Free help exists and you should use it first. HUD-approved housing counselors are free, independent, and available in Spanish and English. Call the HOPE Hotline at (800) 569-4287, or find a counselor at hud.gov. We'd rather you call them and never call us.
Talk through my options