What Is Pre-Foreclosure? Options for Homeowners in Florida & Maryland
Updated 2026-11-01 · General information, not legal advice.
Pre-foreclosure is the stage after you've missed mortgage payments and the lender has started (or is about to start) the foreclosure process, but before the house is sold at a foreclosure sale. It's the window where the most options are still open.
How pre-foreclosure usually unfolds
It typically starts with missed payments and notices from your mortgage servicer. If the loan stays in default, the lender can begin a foreclosure case. Both Florida and Maryland run foreclosures through the court system, and the exact steps and timing depend on the lender, the loan and the court.
Because timelines vary and can move quickly once papers are filed, read every notice, note every date, and ask your servicer for a written payoff and reinstatement figure.
Options to compare
Catch up on payments (reinstatement), ask your servicer about a repayment plan, forbearance or loan modification, list the house with an agent, ask the lender about a short sale if you owe more than it's worth, or sell directly to a cash buyer. Bankruptcy is another option to discuss with an attorney.
A sale only ends a foreclosure if it closes and pays off what's owed. Selling to a cash buyer, including SwiftHome Solutions, trades some price for speed, certainty and no repairs or commissions.
Get free, independent help first
HUD-approved housing counselors are free and can review your options: hud.gov/findacounselor or 888-995-HOPE. Consider speaking with a licensed attorney about your state's process.
Never sign your deed over to anyone before a closing, never pay a company upfront to "save" your home, and never send mortgage payments to anyone other than your servicer.
Thinking about a cash sale?
Get my no-obligation offer