Falling behind happens. A job change, a medical bill, a divorce or a payment that jumped can put anyone a few months behind. If the letters from your lender are getting more serious, you have more options than it may feel like right now, and selling is only one of them. Call us and we will walk through all of them with you, including the ones that do not involve us.
- Free, no-pressure call
- Cash offer within 24 hours
- Close in as little as 7 days
The timeline
How foreclosure works in Virginia
You miss payments
Your lender calls and sends letters, late fees add up, and the missed payments are reported to the credit bureaus.
The 120-day mark
Federal rules generally keep a mortgage servicer from starting foreclosure until you are more than 120 days behind. The earlier you act, the more options you keep.
Notice of sale
In Virginia a foreclosure usually happens without a court case, through a trustee’s sale. If you live in the house, the trustee has to mail you notice of the sale at least 60 days ahead and advertise it in a local newspaper.
Trustee sale
The house is sold at a public auction. After the sale, the new owner can take steps to take possession of the house.
General information, not legal advice. Every loan is different. For more detail, read our guide to selling a house in foreclosure in Virginia.
Your options
Ways to stop or avoid foreclosure
Catch up on the loan
Paying what is past due, plus fees, can bring the loan current. Ask your lender for the exact reinstatement amount.
Loan modification or repayment plan
Your lender may change the loan terms or spread the missed amount over several months. Apply early. If your servicer gets a complete application more than 37 days before a scheduled sale, federal rules generally stop the sale while it’s reviewed.
Forbearance
Some lenders will pause or reduce payments for a short time after a hardship. The missed amount still has to be repaid later.
Sell the house
If the house is worth more than you owe, selling before the sale date pays off the loan and keeps the equity with you. That can be a listing if there is time, or a cash sale if there is not.
Short sale
If you owe more than the house is worth, your lender may agree to accept less than the full payoff. This needs the lender’s approval and takes time.
Deed in lieu
In some cases a lender will take the house back without a foreclosure sale. Ask your lender whether they offer it.
Help you can get: a HUD-approved housing counselor can review your options, often at little or no cost. Find a counselor near you.
Selling to us
How a fast cash sale stops the foreclosure
If we can close before the trustee sale, your loan is paid off at closing and the foreclosure ends there.
Call us with the sale date
Call (757) 578-1214 or fill out the form. Tell us the sale date if you have one, so we know how much time there is.
We look at the house
Sam or Jack walks through the house. You do not need to clean or fix anything.
Get your cash offer
You get a no-obligation cash offer, typically within 24 hours of the walkthrough.
Close before the sale
At closing, the title company pays off your lender from the sale. If there is money left over, it goes to you.
If you owe more than the house is worth, a sale may need your lender’s approval as a short sale. We will tell you that up front. More on how we buy houses.
Inherited a house in foreclosure?
When the house you inherited is behind on the mortgage
It happens more than people think. A parent passes away, nobody is making the mortgage payments while the estate gets sorted out, and the letters start arriving at an empty house. By the time the family sees them, a sale date may already be set.
The loan doesn’t go away when the owner dies, but the house can usually still be sold before the trustee sale once the person with legal authority to sign is in place. The sale pays off the loan at closing, and anything left goes to the estate. If you’re dealing with an estate, see our page on selling an inherited house.
Get My Cash Offer →What to do first
- Find the most recent mortgage statement and any letters from the lender or trustee
- Look for a sale date in those letters
- Call the servicer, tell them the owner has died, and ask what they need from the family
- Talk to an estate attorney about who can sign
- Call us early, so there’s time to close before the sale
Real deal · Hampton, VA · September 2026
Inherited house with a foreclosure auction date set. Closed in 14 days.
A family inherited this brick ranch at 33 Azalea Drive in Hampton. Nobody had the money to keep up the mortgage payments, and a foreclosure auction date had already been set.
We closed in 14 days, before the auction. The mortgage was paid off from the sale, and the family walked away with six figures in equity instead of risking it at auction.
- Inherited
- Auction date set
- Closed in 14 days
- Six figures to the family
Real deal · Hampton, VA · June 2025
Behind on payments. Closed before foreclosure.
The owner of this split-level at 212 Breckinridge Court in Hampton had fallen behind on the mortgage, and the house was heading toward foreclosure.
We paid cash and closed before the foreclosure. The loan was paid off from the sale, and the seller kept their equity instead of losing it.
- Behind on payments
- Closed before foreclosure
- Paid cash
- Seller kept their equity
Foreclosure questions
Facing Foreclosure: FAQs
How close to the sale date can I still sell?
Call as soon as you know the sale date. We have to close before the trustee sale, and how fast we can close depends on title and getting a payoff from your lender. The earlier you call, the more options you have.
Will selling keep a foreclosure off my credit?
If the house sells before the trustee sale, there is no completed foreclosure. Late payments that were already reported stay on your credit report. A completed foreclosure can stay on a credit report for up to seven years.
What if I owe more than the house is worth?
Then a sale usually needs your lender’s approval as a short sale. Tell us what you owe and we will be honest about whether a sale to us can work.
Does it cost anything to talk to you?
No. The call and the offer are free and there is no obligation. If you do sell, your loan payoff is paid from the sale at closing.
Can I stay in the house until closing?
Yes. You stay in the house until closing, and you pick the closing date as long as it is before the sale.
Should I talk to an attorney?
If you have questions about your rights, a bankruptcy, or the foreclosure itself, an attorney or a HUD-approved housing counselor is the right person to ask. We can tell you what the house would sell for and how fast we can close.
Other questions? Call (757) 578-1214 or see our full FAQ.
Real sellers, real reviews
Hampton Roads sellers on working with us
We needed to sell our house quickly and searched for we buy houses Norfolk VA companies. O’Neill Home Buyers stood out right away. They viewed our property, gave a no-obligation cash offer, and closed exactly when we needed. The entire process was seamless and stress-free. I highly recommend them to anyone looking to sell their house fast in Norfolk, VA.
If you are struggling with how to quickly get rid of an inherited property, Jack at O’ Neill Home Property is your guy. My father passed away and I inherited his property that was not very well maintained and needed a lot of work. I live out of state and really needed help figuring out how to handle my situation and quickly because I didn’t want to get stuck with paying property taxes, etc. Jack bought the house quickly and made the situation pleasant.
I worked with Jack and his team at O’Neill Home Buyers. The process of selling a house is very stressful for us as it isn’t something we have done before. Jack was able to paint a clear picture of how the process would go, we felt we got more than a fair number for the house since it needed a good amount of work and they actually stuck to the timeline they agreed too. Highly recommend them if you need help with a property.
We help homeowners facing foreclosure in
Virginia BeachNorfolkChesapeakePortsmouthSuffolkHamptonNewport NewsFree guide
How to Stop and Avoid Foreclosure
A short free guide you can read tonight. It covers:
- The most common reasons homeowners fall behind
- How the foreclosure process works
- Options that may help you stop or avoid foreclosure
Rather talk? Call (757) 578-1214. You’ll get Sam or Jack.
Free, no obligation
Get your cash offer
Tell us where the house is. We’ll send a fair offer within 24 hours.
Rather talk? Call (757) 578-1214