Facing Foreclosure?
Let's look at your options before you decide what to do.
If you've fallen behind on your mortgage, received a foreclosure notice, or have a sheriff's sale approaching, you may still have options.
The first step is understanding your timeline, your property's value, your estimated mortgage balance, and the equity you may have.
You may be able to keep the home.
You may be able to sell it and protect your equity.
Or another professional may be better suited to help with your situation.
AJ Rittner is a licensed Michigan REALTOR® and real estate investor who can help you understand the real estate side of your options — without pressuring you to sell.
FREE · PRIVATE · NO OBLIGATION
Example — know your numbers
Example only. Actual property value, mortgage payoff, liens, costs, and net proceeds will vary.
The Michigan process
Where Are You in the Foreclosure Process?
Michigan lenders most often use foreclosure by advertisement — a non-judicial process. The stages below describe the general shape of it. Your own timeline depends on your loan and your circumstances.
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1
Missed Payments
You've fallen behind and your mortgage is delinquent.
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2
Pre-Foreclosure
The lender or servicer may begin formal foreclosure procedures while options to address the delinquency may still exist.
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3
Sheriff's Sale Scheduled
A date may be established for the property to be sold at a sheriff's sale, and notice is published in a county newspaper.
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4
Sheriff's Sale
The property is offered at public auction at the county courthouse.
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5
Redemption Period
Michigan homeowners may have a redemption period following a sheriff's sale. The applicable period and the homeowner's rights depend on the individual circumstances.
Have a Sheriff's Sale Date?
Don't assume you're out of options. Deadlines matter, so review your situation as early as possible and verify important legal deadlines with the appropriate professional.
Review My SituationThe main decision
What Are You Trying to Accomplish?
Almost every foreclosure conversation comes down to one question first: do you want to keep the property, or sell it?
Option one
I Want to Keep My Home
There may be options worth exploring before deciding to sell.
Reinstatement, a repayment plan, a loan modification, refinancing, or housing counseling may all be worth a look first. Your mortgage servicer is the place to start, and AJ can point you toward a lender or attorney.
Free help from HUD-approved counselors: hud.gov · michigan.gov/mshda
Ways to Stay in the HomeOption two
I'm Considering Selling
If keeping the property isn't practical, selling may allow you to address the mortgage and potentially protect your remaining equity.
AJ can help compare:
- Selling with an agent — a traditional listing
- Selling privately, off-market
Both looked at side by side, with real numbers, before any recommendation.
Compare My Selling OptionsIf staying matters most
Want to Stay in the Home?
If reinstating or modifying the loan isn't realistic, two arrangements can sometimes let you stay in the property anyway.
Be clear on what these are: in both of them ownership of the property changes hands. You would no longer be the owner. What you may get is the ability to stay in the home rather than move.
Lease-Back
You sell the property and stay on as a renter under an agreed lease. The mortgage and the ownership burden come off you; the house stays your home for as long as the lease runs.
Land Contract
A seller-financed transfer where payments are made over time and title passes once the balance is paid. Depending on how it's structured, it can be a way to stay in the property or a way to transition out on your own timeline.
Before you consider either one: AJ or a company he is affiliated with is usually the buyer in these arrangements, so he is not a neutral party to the deal. You may remain personally liable on the existing mortgage, and most mortgages contain a due-on-sale clause a lender can act on when the property transfers. These are more complex than an ordinary sale and are not right for most people. Nothing is signed without written disclosure, and you should review any such agreement with your own attorney first.
If you decide to sell
If Selling Makes Sense, You Still Have Options.
Selling a property facing foreclosure doesn't automatically mean accepting a low cash offer. Depending on your equity, condition, and timeline, there is usually more than one way to do it.
Path one
List With an Agent
Maximize market exposure.
Makes sense when you have enough time before important deadlines and the priority is the strongest possible price.
- Full MLS and market exposure
- Professional marketing
- Competitive buyer offers
- Potential to maximize your equity
Path two
Sell Privately, Off-Market
Prioritize simplicity and certainty.
Makes sense when speed, privacy, property condition, or certainty matter more than maximum exposure.
- No public listing or showings
- Sell as-is, typically no repairs
- Flexible closing date
- A faster, more private process
In a private off-market sale AJ or an affiliated company may also be the buyer. Where that is the case he will tell you in writing before you sign anything, and you are always free to have any offer reviewed by your own agent or attorney.
How it works
Three Steps, No Pressure
Tell Me What's Going On
The property, roughly what you owe, and any dates you know about. A phone call or the form below — whichever is easier.
I'll Value the Property
I prepare an estimated market value so we can both see the real numbers instead of guessing at them.
We Compare Your Options
Side by side, with the trade-offs named. Then you decide — including deciding not to sell.
Who you're talking to
I'm Not a Foreclosure Rescue Company.
I'm a licensed Michigan REALTOR® and active real estate investor serving Metro Detroit's east side — St. Clair Shores, the Grosse Pointes, Harper Woods, Eastpointe, and the surrounding Macomb and Wayne County communities.
That lets me look at the property from more than one perspective. If listing it is the better outcome, I'll say so. If a private off-market sale fits your timeline better, we can discuss that. And if selling isn't the right next step at all, I can point you toward a lender, housing counselor, or attorney.
Clear Guidance. Real Results.
Foreclosure questions
Michigan Foreclosure FAQ
Can I still sell my house if I'm in foreclosure?
In most cases, yes — and in many cases you can also sell after the sheriff's sale, during the redemption period. This is the single most misunderstood part of the process. Homeowners who assume the sale ends everything sometimes walk away from equity they might have captured.
The earlier you review the situation, the more time there may be to evaluate your real estate options.
How does foreclosure work in Michigan?
Michigan lenders almost always use foreclosure by advertisement, a non-judicial process — no lawsuit is filed. Under federal rules your servicer generally can't start until you're more than 120 days past due.
Once it starts, notice of the sale is published in a county newspaper once a week for four successive weeks, and a copy is posted on the property within 15 days of the first publication. Then the sheriff's sale is held at the county courthouse. A redemption period usually follows.
Your own timeline depends on your loan and your circumstances, so treat this as the shape of the process rather than a schedule. Verify your dates with your servicer, your attorney, or the county.
What is a sheriff's sale?
A public auction of the property, held at the county courthouse between 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. In most cases the lender bids what it's owed and takes the property back.
The winning bidder receives a sheriff's deed — but that deed doesn't become final until your redemption period expires. The sale is not automatically the end of your options.
What is the Michigan redemption period, and can I sell during it?
The redemption period is the window after the sheriff's sale during which you may still be able to redeem the property — or sell it.
Under MCL 600.3240 the length varies: it is commonly six months for 1–4 unit residential property where more than two-thirds of the original loan amount was still owed, one year where less than two-thirds was owed, and as little as one month where the property is determined abandoned. Which period applies to you depends on your loan and your circumstances, so confirm it before relying on a date.
To redeem, someone must pay the amount bid at the sale plus interest, the sheriff's fee, and any taxes or insurance the purchaser advanced. If the property sells for more than that figure, the difference may be yours rather than the auction buyer's.
Exact deadlines and legal rights depend on your circumstances. Verify your individual situation with an attorney or an appropriate housing professional.
What if I already have a sheriff's sale date?
A sheriff's sale date makes timing especially important. Contact your mortgage servicer and appropriate legal or housing professionals promptly.
AJ can also help evaluate the property's estimated value and potential selling options in the time available.
How do I know how much equity I have?
Start with the property's estimated current market value and compare it with your approximate mortgage payoff and any other liens or obligations associated with the property.
AJ can prepare a free property analysis to help estimate the property's current market value.
Should I list my house or sell privately off-market?
It depends on your timeline, property condition, equity, and priorities.
If maximizing market exposure and potential price is most important and sufficient time remains, listing may make sense.
If speed, privacy, convenience, or selling as-is is more important, a private off-market sale may be worth considering.
AJ can help you compare both.
Will I have to make repairs before selling?
Not necessarily.
An off-market sale may allow the property to be sold as-is. A traditional listing can also sometimes be sold as-is, although property condition may affect marketability, financing, price, and buyer demand.
What if I want to keep my house?
Selling isn't automatically the answer.
Contact your mortgage servicer and consider speaking with a HUD-approved housing counselor, a qualified lender, or an attorney about reinstatement, a repayment plan, loan modification, refinancing, or other possible options.
Can you help with bankruptcy or refinancing?
AJ does not provide legal, bankruptcy, or lending advice.
When appropriate, AJ can help connect homeowners with professionals who specialize in those areas.
When should I ask for help?
Sooner is better, and the reason is arithmetic rather than urgency: reinstatement and modification need lead time, a traditional listing needs weeks on market, and both narrow as the sale date approaches.
That said, "past the sale date" is not automatically too late — the redemption period is real time. If you've already had a sheriff's sale, there's usually still a decision worth making.
Does talking with AJ mean I have to sell?
No.
The purpose of the conversation and property analysis is to help you better understand the real estate side of your situation. There is no obligation to list the property or sell it privately.
How much does the property analysis cost?
Nothing.
The initial property analysis is free and there is no obligation to sell.
Free consultation
Schedule a Time for a Free Consultation
Send me the address and roughly what you owe, and I'll follow up to set up a time that works for you. Free, private, and no obligation to sell.