When a congregation member comes to you in crisis about their home, you don't need to know real estate law. You need to know what the notice means, what to say in the first conversation, and what free help exists that you can safely recommend. This page covers all three.
The most important thing you can do in the first conversation is validate the person's courage in coming to you — and then give them one clear next step, not a flood of information. The free HUD housing counselor hotline (1-800-569-4287) is the single safest, most powerful recommendation you can make. Everything else on this page is context so you can have an informed conversation and recognize when urgency is real.
Four types of notices your congregation member might bring to you. Each has a different urgency level.
The lender has formally recorded that the homeowner is behind on payments. This is the beginning of the foreclosure process, not the end. There is typically months of time remaining and multiple options still available.
Most important action: Call a HUD housing counselor immediately.
In Florida, a lis pendens means the lender has filed a lawsuit in court. The homeowner must respond within 20 days or risk a default judgment. This is urgent — an attorney or HUD counselor should be contacted the same week it's received.
Urgency: This week. A 20-day legal deadline is running.
This is the auction notice. In Texas, the home can be sold at auction as soon as 21 days after this notice is posted. This is the most time-sensitive notice a homeowner can receive.
Urgency: Today or tomorrow. Not next week.
Letters from investors offering to buy the home for cash, often arriving shortly after a default notice. They are legal but almost always represent a 30–50% discount from the home's actual value. The homeowner should not sign anything or agree to anything verbally before understanding what their home is actually worth.
Not urgent — but do not let them sign anything before checking the equity.
Most people don't come to their pastor about money problems until they're in crisis. The shame they feel is often as heavy as the financial stress. Start here:
Five phrases that close the door instead of opening it:
After your conversation, the most powerful thing you can give them is a warm handoff to a HUD counselor. Offer to sit with them while they make the call:
"Let's call the HUD hotline together right now. I'll stay with you."
That phone call — 1-800-569-4287 — is free, confidential, and has helped millions of homeowners navigate this exact situation.
Print this section and hand it directly to a congregation member who has received a foreclosure notice. You don't need to explain everything — the sheet does it for you.
🌿 HomeLeafs Community Housing Action Sheet
If you received a foreclosure notice, you have rights and options. Here are your immediate next steps.
Step 1 — Call the free HUD housing counselor hotline
📞 1-800-569-4287 — Free, government-certified, available in multiple languages.
They will review your situation, identify your options, and contact your lender on your behalf. There is no fee.
Step 2 — Do not sign anything without getting a free property check first
🌿 HomeLeafs.com — Free property report showing your home's recorded status, estimated equity, and county foreclosure timeline.
Same data the investors use — on your side. No account required.
Step 3 — Know your timeline
Step 4 — You do not have to face this alone
Your church or community organization is here for you. Speak to your pastor or community leader — or call the HUD hotline directly at 1-800-569-4287.
All of the following are free, non-commercial, and safe to recommend without any professional liability concern.
HUD Housing Counselor Hotline
1-800-569-4287 — Certified counselors, no fee, available in Spanish and other languages. Can review the notice, explain options, and contact the mortgage servicer on the homeowner's behalf.
HomeLeafs
homeleafs.com — Free property status check, estimated equity, and foreclosure timeline by county. No account required. Shows the same data investors use — before any decision is made.
Legal Aid
Search "[county] legal aid foreclosure" — most counties have free foreclosure legal help for income-qualifying homeowners. Many provide free attorney consultations and court representation.
CFPB Plain-Language Guides
consumerfinance.gov/ask-cfpb/foreclosure — Plain-language foreclosure guides and servicer complaint process from the federal consumer protection bureau.
State Housing Finance Agencies
Most states have a free foreclosure prevention hotline. Search "[state] foreclosure prevention hotline" for state-specific guidance and emergency funds in your area.
HomeLeafs shows the recorded public record status, estimated equity, and county foreclosure timeline for any address — free, no account required. A 60-second check tells you how much time is actually left.
Check Any Address Free Or call HUD directly: 1-800-569-4287Validate first, inform second, never shame. The goal of the first conversation is to keep the door open, not solve the problem immediately. Acknowledge the courage it took to come to you, then give one clear next step: call the free HUD counselor hotline together at 1-800-569-4287.
Yes. HomeLeafs provides free educational information and free property reports — not legal or financial advice. Recommending a free educational resource is no different from recommending a HUD counselor. There is no fee, no account required, and no obligation attached to using the service.
In Texas, the home can be sold at auction in as few as 21 days from the posting of this notice — the minimum required under Texas Property Code §51.002. In Florida, the foreclosure process is judicial and typically takes 12–24 months from the initial lis pendens filing before a sale occurs. If a congregation member in Texas brings you a Notice of Trustee Sale, urgency is not an overstatement.
HUD-approved housing counselors (1-800-569-4287), legal aid societies, state housing finance agency hotlines, and HomeLeafs' free property intelligence — all at no cost. These four options cover the majority of what a homeowner needs in the first two weeks after receiving a notice.
Last reviewed: May 2026