Stop foreclosure in Florida by selling your house

Where are you in the process?

Pick what describes your situation. We will mark the stage, what usually comes next, and what you can still do, including the ways out that do not involve us.

1. 1. Behind on paymentsYou are here

   Nothing has been filed yet. The servicer calls and sends letters, and late fees add up.

   Federal rules generally require the loan to be more than 120 days delinquent before the first official filing. This is the point with the most options.

   What you can still do

   • Reinstate the loan if you can gather the arrears.
   • Ask the servicer for a modification, a repayment plan or forbearance.
   • Talk to a HUD-approved housing counselor, free.
   • Sell on the open market: if the house is in good shape and there is time, it usually nets more.
   • Sell fast and as-is, if repairs or time are not on your side.
2. 2. Breach or demand letter arrivedYou are here

   The servicer demands the arrears and warns it may accelerate the loan (demand the full balance).

   The letter usually carries a deadline. After it passes, the next step is the lawsuit.

   What you can still do

   • Respond to the servicer before the letter deadline, in writing.
   • Ask for the exact reinstatement figure (what it takes to be current today).
   • HUD housing counselor, free.
   • Selling before the lawsuit starts leaves the best price range.
3. 3. You were served (lis pendens)You are here

   The lawsuit was filed and recorded against the property. It is public, which is why mail from people who bought that list starts arriving.

   ⚠️ You have 20 days to respond. This is the deadline people miss: no response usually means a default judgment, and the case moves much faster.

   What you can still do

   • Answer the court within 20 days, even without a lawyer.
   • Look for free legal aid or a Florida attorney: real defenses exist.
   • Keep negotiating with the servicer, the lawsuit does not stop that.
   • Selling is still possible: if it closes before the sale date, it ends the case.
4. 4. There is a judgmentYou are here

   The court set the amount and will schedule the auction, usually several weeks out.

   The window narrows but has not closed: in Florida the right of redemption generally runs until the certificate of sale is filed.

   What you can still do

   • Confirm the exact auction date with the clerk of court.
   • Pay the judgment in full (redemption) if that is possible.
   • Sell before the auction: it has to close before that date, so timing rules everything.
   • Ask an attorney about deficiency risk after the sale.
5. 5. A sale date is setYou are here

   The property is sold, usually online, through the clerk of court in your county.

   This is the shortest window. Any sale has to CLOSE before that date, not merely be agreed.

   What you can still do

   • Redemption: still available until the certificate of sale is filed.
   • An attorney can assess whether there is a basis to move to postpone the sale.
   • If you sell, tell the buyer about EVERY debt on the property, including the ones that look small.
   • If nothing can close in time, prepare for what comes after the auction.
6. 6. The auction already happenedYou are here

   The property sold. Once the certificate of sale is filed, redemption has generally ended.

   Two things almost nobody tells you remain: SURPLUS (if it sold for more than was owed, that money may be yours) and DEFICIENCY (if it sold for less, the lender may pursue the difference).

   What you can still do

   • Ask the clerk of court about surplus funds in your name. Do not pay anyone to "recover" them without advice.
   • Consult a Florida attorney about deficiency and its deadlines.
   • Be careful with anyone charging up front to fix this: it is where most scams live.

General information about Florida's judicial foreclosure process, not legal advice. Timing varies by county and by case; confirm yours with the clerk of court or a Florida attorney.

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