Michigan homeowners — free help, no cost, no obligation.
Open every letter from your lender. Ignoring it is the single most common way people lose a home they could have kept.
Then call a certified non-profit housing counselor or your local legal aid office — free:
Counseling through HUD-approved agencies and MSHDA is free. Anyone charging you an upfront fee to “stop foreclosure” is a red flag — see below.
Relle Willis — Help People 411
A loan modification is an agreement with your lender to change the terms of your mortgage — usually by lowering the interest rate, lengthening the repayment period, or both. The standard version lowers your monthly payment and adds the amount you are behind onto the loan balance.
Principal reduction is possible but uncommon. Do not count on it, and do not pay anyone who promises it.
| When | What happens |
|---|---|
| Day 2–36 | Payment is due on the 1st and delinquent on the 2nd. Late charges accrue. Your servicer must attempt live contact to explain your options. Ask: “What are my options, and what do I qualify for?” |
| Day 45 | The servicer must give you a single point of contact and written notice of the delinquency and your loss-mitigation options. |
| Day 45–121 | You can still negotiate a workout or modification. If your lender accepts partial payments, make them — but do not agree to a payment you cannot afford. |
| Day 121 | If the default is unresolved, foreclosure begins. A sheriff’s sale date is scheduled and published in the county newspaper for four consecutive weeks. Notice is posted on the property within about two weeks of the first publication. |
| Sheriff’s sale | The sale is held. The sheriff’s deed states the last date the property can be redeemed. Up until the sale happens, you can still submit a loss-mitigation application. |
After a sheriff’s sale, you usually still own the property until the redemption period ends:
During redemption you keep the right to sell the property, and even to buy it back. You are not required to make mortgage payments, but you must maintain the property, keep the utilities on, and keep insurance in force. You must also allow the purchaser to inspect.
To redeem, you pay the amount bid at the sheriff’s sale plus interest and fees.
If the purchaser believes the property is abandoned or that an inspection was unreasonably refused, they may move to shorten the redemption period and begin eviction. Do not move out early on the assumption that it is over.
If the numbers genuinely do not work, selling — rather than waiting out a sale — preserves more of your equity and gives you control of the timeline. Two routes:
During redemption you can still sell, which is often the difference between walking away with something and walking away with nothing.
Need to sell and want a cash offer instead? Help People 411 buys houses across southeast Michigan as-is — no repairs, no agent commissions, you choose the closing date. Call 313-355-2851. You are under no obligation, and if selling isn’t right for you we will tell you so.