Read this before you call anyone.

This letter means your lender says you are behind, and it is the formal first step in the Texas process. Under Tex. Prop. Code §51.002, the lender must give you at least 20 days to cure before a sale notice for a debt secured by your residence, unless an applicable agreement provides otherwise.

Catching up is called curing the default. The letter should state the amount you owe and the date it is due. Ask the servicer to confirm the payment instructions and whether paying that amount by the stated date will cure your default.

What to do first. Call your servicer and ask for the loss mitigation department by name. Ask for your reinstatement amount in writing, with a good-through date. That one document tells you exactly where you stand.

This letter means a sale of your home has been scheduled. Under Tex. Prop. Code §51.002, sale notice must be given at least 21 days before the sale. Certified-mail service is complete when mailed, not when you receive it. The notice is also posted at the courthouse and filed with the county clerk.

These Texas trustee sales generally happen on the first Tuesday. If that day is January 1 or July 4, the statute moves them to the first Wednesday. In Tarrant County they are held at the base of the courthouse steps, 100 West Weatherford Street in downtown Fort Worth, or as designated by the Commissioners Court. The exact spot can change, so you can call the County Clerk at (817) 884-1195 to confirm it.

What to do first. Call your servicer and ask for the loss mitigation department by name. Ask whether a complete application can still be reviewed before the sale date, and ask for any answer in writing.

Not receiving a letter does not confirm your loan status or mean that no sale is scheduled. Ask your servicer about your balance, notices, and any deadlines.

The most useful thing you can do right now is call your servicer, ask for the loss mitigation department, and ask what programs your loan may qualify for. You can also talk to a free HUD approved housing counselor. The number is further down this page.

Texas moves faster than most states, so the dates on your paperwork matter. Here is the order things usually happen in.

First comes a notice of default. For a debt secured by your residence, the servicer generally must give at least 20 days to cure before giving sale notice, unless an applicable agreement provides otherwise. That comes from Tex. Prop. Code §51.002.

Next comes a notice of sale. It must be given at least 21 days before the sale date. Certified-mail service is complete when mailed, not when received. It is also posted at the courthouse and filed with the county clerk.

The sale generally happens on the first Tuesday. If that day is January 1 or July 4, the statutory sale day is the first Wednesday. In Tarrant County they are held at the base of the courthouse steps, 100 West Weatherford Street in downtown Fort Worth, or as designated by the Commissioners Court. The exact side of the building can change, so call the County Clerk at (817) 884-1195 to confirm before you go. The clerk is at 100 W. Weatherford St., Suite 130, Fort Worth 76196. Office hours are Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Tarrant County does not post a list by sale date. Every notice is in the Official Record Search, which you search by name, and on the basement terminals at the courthouse. The online search is available 24 hours a day. In person, notices are on the basement bulletin board and terminals in rooms B-20 and B-30 at 100 W. Weatherford St.

Before an inherited house can be sold, someone needs the legal authority to sign for it. Until that is settled, a title company usually cannot close the sale.

How that gets settled depends on whether there is a will and how the estate is handled. Sometimes it means probate. Sometimes a simpler affidavit works. A Texas probate attorney can tell you which path fits, and many offer a free first conversation.

Two practical things help in the meantime. Gather the deed, any will, and recent mortgage statements. And keep paying the insurance and utilities if you can, so the house stays protected while the paperwork sorts out.

If there is a mortgage on the house, it does not disappear. It is usually paid off from the sale price at closing.

Your reinstatement figure is the exact amount that brings your loan current. Call your servicer and ask for the loss mitigation department by name, not customer service. Then ask for the figure in writing, with a good-through date.

When you have it in writing, check three things on it.

1. 1.The total amount and the date it is good through.
2. 2.How they accept payment, since many require certified funds.
3. 3.What happens if the payment arrives after the good-through date.

Texas is a non-disclosure state. Home sale prices are not public record here, so online estimates may rely on incomplete information. Providers may also use private sales data. Their numbers are estimates, not appraisals.

Better ways to get a real number. Ask a local agent for a comparative market analysis, which most will do free. Hire a licensed appraiser for a formal value. Or look at your county appraisal district value, knowing it is set for taxes and may differ from market value.

If you get an offer from any buyer, ask for time to compare it against other numbers. Check its written expiration and do not sign before you understand the terms.

You can also run the numbers yourself. Our free equity calculator starts with a value and a loan balance, then shows what is left after the fees and the cost of selling. You do not have to give your name or your email to use it. (https://thefirstoak.com/equity)

Listing with an agent. Usually the highest price, and usually the slowest. You pay a commission and the buyer may ask for repairs.

Selling to a cash buyer. Fast and simple, usually below full market price. No repairs and no showings. The trade is speed for price.

Seller financing. The buyer pays you over time instead of all at once. You become the bank. It can mean a better price, and it means waiting for your money.

Subject-to. The buyer takes over your payments while the loan stays in your name. It can work in some situations, and it carries real risk for you, so get legal advice first.

Wholesaler assignment. The person making the offer plans to sell your contract to someone else for a fee. They may never buy your house at all.

Whatever the offer, ask two questions. Who is the actual buyer, and does the contract let them assign it to someone else?

If a house is sold at a tax foreclosure sale for more than the taxes and costs owed, eligible claimants may be entitled to the excess. Under Tex. Tax Code §34.04, those funds are held by the District Clerk.

Texas Tax Code §34.04 generally requires a petition before the second anniversary of the sale. Eligibility and distribution depend on the statute and any competing claims. Ask the district clerk or a Texas attorney about your case.

You may get letters from companies offering to recover the funds for a fee. Read those carefully before signing anything. You can contact the district clerk for the county where the sale occurred and ask what is required.

If your lender forecloses and the sale brings more than you owe, the extra money is called surplus. The substitute trustee who ran the sale pays it out in lien order. Under Tex. Prop. Code §51.0075(f), the trustee may instead deposit it into the district court registry.

Start with the trustee named on your notice of sale. Ask in writing whether any surplus exists and where it is being held. If it went to the court registry, you claim it through the district court.