Foreclosure Help • Indiana & Pennsylvania
If foreclosure is looming, take a breath. Below is a plain-English guide to what foreclosure really is, how the Indiana and Pennsylvania timelines work, and the five options homeowners in your spot usually have.
The Basics
Foreclosure is the legal process a lender uses to take back a home when the mortgage falls behind — but it is a process, and it takes time.
When you took out your mortgage, your home became the collateral for the loan. If payments stop, your lender has the legal right to recover what it’s owed by forcing a sale of the property. That’s foreclosure. It’s frightening, it’s stressful, and it carries real consequences for your credit and your family’s stability.
Foreclosure doesn’t happen overnight. In both Indiana and Pennsylvania, foreclosure is “judicial,” meaning your lender has to file a lawsuit and move through the county court system before anyone can take your home. That takes months — and those months are time to look at your options.
Opening the letters and learning where you stand gives you the most choices. This page is here to help with that.
A completed foreclosure is reported on your credit report for up to seven years and can make it harder to rent or buy again. In some cases a lender may pursue a deficiency judgment for the remaining balance. Looking at your options early gives you more of them.
Know Where You Stand
Every option below depends on when you act. Find yourself on this timeline — the earlier you are, the more doors are open.
You fall behind. Late fees start, but this is the easiest, cheapest point to recover.
Your servicer sends formal notice that the loan is seriously delinquent. Indiana requires a pre-suit notice offering you a chance to request a settlement conference.
The lender files a complaint in county court and you are served. You have the right to respond and to request a settlement conference to negotiate.
If unresolved, the court enters a judgment of foreclosure and orders the property sold.
Indiana law requires a waiting period (commonly around three months after filing) before the sheriff’s sale. The home is auctioned to the highest bidder.
At stage 1 or 2, nearly every option is available to you — including quietly catching up the loan with no lasting damage. By stage 5, most options have closed. Wherever you are on the timeline, it helps to know which options are still open.
Timeframes are general illustrations and vary by lender, loan type, and county. This is not legal advice — consult an attorney licensed in your state or a HUD-approved counselor for your specific case.
Pennsylvania Homeowners
Pennsylvania foreclosures also go through the courts, with a few extra protections built in. Here’s how it usually goes in Philadelphia and Delaware County.
You fall behind. This is still the easiest, cheapest point to recover.
Before filing, most lenders must mail an Act 91 notice. You get about 30 days to meet with a free housing counselor, and you may qualify for Pennsylvania’s HEMAP emergency mortgage help.
The lender sues in the county Court of Common Pleas. You generally have 20 days to respond once you’re served.
In Philadelphia, owner-occupied homes go through the Mortgage Foreclosure Diversion Program — a sit-down with your lender before any sale. Ask about local conciliation options in Delaware County too.
Philadelphia and Delaware County hold regular sheriff sales. Pennsylvania generally gives no right to buy the home back after the sale, so acting before this stage matters most.
Call the Save Your Home Philly Hotline at (215) 334-4663 for a free housing counselor. In Delaware County and the rest of PA, ask the PA Housing Finance Agency (PHFA) or a HUD-approved counselor.
Want to talk through a cash sale or other options too? We’ll lay it all out — no cost, no pressure.
Timeframes are general and vary by lender, loan type, and county. This is not legal advice — talk to a Pennsylvania attorney or housing counselor about your case.
If You’re Heading Into Foreclosure
There is rarely just one way out. Here are the five most common paths for a homeowner facing foreclosure, what each one means, and when it makes sense.
Bring the loan current by paying the missed payments, late fees, and any legal costs in a single lump sum. If your lender accepts it, the loan is brought current. Ask your lender for the reinstatement amount in writing, with a good-through date. It’s the cleanest fix when you can access the funds — through savings, retirement, help from family, or another legitimate source.
Best when you can raise the cash
Contact your lender’s loss-mitigation department and work to restructure the loan — lowering the payment, extending the term, or rolling the missed payments back into the balance. A modification can make your mortgage affordable again and let you keep the home, without needing a big lump sum up front.
Best when you want to stay long-term
Chapter 13 is a court-supervised repayment plan. Whether it fits your case is a question for a bankruptcy attorney. We’ll never advise you on bankruptcy ourselves; we’ll simply make sure you know it exists and point you to the right professional.
Last resort • See a bankruptcy attorney
Sell the house as-is. At closing, the mortgage and other liens are paid from the sale, and any remaining money (your equity) goes to you. Selling to Jonar Property Solutions is one option; listing with a licensed agent is another.
Best when you’re ready to move on
A buyer purchases the home while the existing loan stays in place. Ask us how this option works and talk with your own attorney before deciding.
Talk to your own attorney
That’s exactly what we’re here for. In one free, no-pressure conversation, we’ll help you understand which of these paths actually fits your situation — even if it’s not the one that involves us.
Or call Joe directly: (317) 721-4459
Common Questions
Often there is still time. Being served means the process has started; in Indiana there is usually a waiting period before a sheriff’s sale, and you can respond and request a settlement conference. Talk to an attorney or housing counselor about your case.
No. Consultations with Jonar Property Solutions are completely free and confidential. We’ll walk through your options with no obligation to sell or to work with us.
A completed foreclosure is reported on your credit. How any option affects your credit depends on your situation. A HUD-approved housing counselor can go over this with you for free.
That equity is yours. In a cash sale, your mortgage and obligations are paid off and any money left over goes to you. We’ll always be transparent about the numbers so you know exactly where you stand.
We’re based in Indianapolis and also work in the Philadelphia area. We help homeowners across Indiana and in Philadelphia, Delaware, Montgomery, Bucks, and Chester counties in Pennsylvania. If you have a property in Indiana or the Philadelphia area and you’re facing foreclosure or hardship, reach out — we’ll do our best to help.
No. Jonar Property Solutions buys houses directly as a real estate investor. We are not real estate agents, brokers, attorneys, or lenders, and we don’t list homes or charge commissions.