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 catch up the past-due amount before it can move to the next step.

Catching up is called curing the default. The letter should state the amount you owe and the date it is due. If you pay that amount by that date, the loan goes back to normal in most cases.

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, you must get this notice at least 21 days before the sale date. The notice is also posted at the courthouse and filed with the county clerk.

In Texas, sales happen only on the first Tuesday of the month. 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.

Then you are earlier in this than most people who find this page, and that is good news. Nothing here is urgent yet.

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. Your lender must give you at least 20 days to catch up before it can take the next step. That comes from Tex. Prop. Code §51.002.

Next comes a notice of sale. You must receive it at least 21 days before the sale date. It is also posted at the courthouse and filed with the county clerk.

The sale itself happens on the first Tuesday of the month. 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.

Tarrant County does not publish a list of upcoming sales online. The County Clerk does not compile one, and each month's file is destroyed the day after the sale. You can view the notices on public terminals in the basement of the Old Courthouse at 100 West Weatherford.

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 websites like Zillow do not see what houses on your street actually sold for. Their numbers are educated guesses.

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 is often lower than market.

If you get an offer from any buyer, you are allowed to take a day and compare it against other numbers. A fair offer will still be there tomorrow.

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, the extra money belongs to the former owner. Under Tex. Tax Code §34.04, those funds are held by the District Clerk.

There is a hard deadline. You have two years from the sale to petition for the money. After that it can be gone for good.

You may get letters from companies offering to recover the funds for a fee. Read those carefully before signing anything. You can contact the Tarrant County District Clerk yourself 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.