Explore Your Options

Fourteen paths.
One right fit for you.

Selling isn't always the answer — and when it is, it isn't always the same kind of sale. Here's every option we walk homeowners through, grouped by intent, with honest tradeoffs for each.

This page is educational, not legal or financial advice. The right answer depends on your specific situation.

Keep the home

Options to keep the home

These paths work with your lender or your budget to make the current home sustainable.

Loan modification

What it is: Your lender permanently changes the terms of your loan — often the rate, length, or past-due balance — to make payments manageable.
When it fits: You want to keep the home and can afford a reasonable monthly payment going forward.
Tradeoffs: Requires documentation and lender approval. Can take weeks to process.
Who typically helps: Your loan servicer or a HUD-approved housing counselor.

Repayment plan

What it is: You make your regular payment plus a portion of the past-due amount each month until you're caught up.
When it fits: You've had a short-term setback and your income has returned to normal.
Tradeoffs: Monthly payments are higher for the length of the plan.
Who typically helps: Your loan servicer.

Reinstatement

What it is: You pay the full past-due amount in a lump sum and the loan is restored to good standing.
When it fits: You have access to funds — savings, family help, or a lump sum — and want to stop the process immediately.
Tradeoffs: Requires cash on hand. Timing matters, especially near a sale date.
Who typically helps: Your loan servicer; sometimes a housing counselor helps coordinate.

Forbearance

What it is: Your lender temporarily reduces or pauses payments during a hardship, with a plan to catch up later.
When it fits: The hardship is temporary — job loss, medical, disaster — and income is expected to recover.
Tradeoffs: You'll owe the missed amount eventually, usually through a plan or modification.
Who typically helps: Your loan servicer.

Refinance

What it is: You replace your current loan with a new one — often to lower the rate, extend the term, or pull cash out of equity.
When it fits: You have equity and credit, and rates or terms make a new loan meaningfully better.
Tradeoffs: Closing costs and credit requirements apply. Not always available if you're already behind.
Who typically helps: A mortgage lender or broker.

Keeping the home

What it is: Sometimes the right answer is a small change — a budget adjustment, a hardship program, or waiting out a rough patch — not a sale.
When it fits: The hardship is temporary and the home genuinely fits your life going forward.
Tradeoffs: Requires an honest look at income, expenses, and the months ahead.
Who typically helps: A HUD-approved counselor or a trusted financial advisor.

Get help from others

Options that bring in outside help

Programs and legal tools designed for hardship. Often used alongside a lender solution.

Bankruptcy

What it is: A legal process that can pause foreclosure and reorganize or discharge debts. Chapter 13 can restructure missed payments over time.
When it fits: Debt across multiple areas is unmanageable, or a foreclosure sale is imminent and no other tool fits.
Tradeoffs: Has long-term credit impact. Not a decision to make without an attorney.
Who typically helps: A licensed bankruptcy attorney.

Government or nonprofit assistance

What it is: State, federal, and nonprofit programs can cover past-due payments, taxes, or utilities during a qualifying hardship.
When it fits: You've had a documentable hardship and meet program requirements.
Tradeoffs: Application processes take time and paperwork. Funds are limited.
Who typically helps: HUD-approved counselors, Arizona Department of Housing, local nonprofits.

Sell the home

Options to sell the home

If a sale is the right answer, there's more than one way to do it. Each has real tradeoffs.

Listing with a real estate agent

What it is: You put the property on the open market with a licensed agent and sell to the best available buyer.
When it fits: The home is in reasonable condition, you have time (usually 30–90+ days), and you want top-of-market pricing.
Tradeoffs: Commissions, showings, repairs or credits, and a variable closing date.
Who typically helps: A trusted local real estate agent.

Novation agreement

What it is: A written agreement where a third party takes over improving and selling the home, then splits the upside above an agreed payoff to you.
When it fits: The home needs work and equity is thin — a straight cash sale wouldn't leave you with much.
Tradeoffs: Requires trust and a clear written agreement. Timeline depends on repairs and market.
Who typically helps: An experienced investor or advisor who works in novation.

Subject-to

What it is: A buyer takes over the property while your existing loan stays in place, with the buyer making the payments going forward.
When it fits: Payments are current or nearly current, and you'd rather transfer the property than list it.
Tradeoffs: Loan stays in your name unless refinanced. Needs a knowledgeable attorney or advisor.
Who typically helps: An investor experienced with subject-to; a real estate attorney.

Cash purchase

What it is: A qualified buyer purchases the home as-is with no financing contingency, closing on a date you choose.
When it fits: You value speed, privacy, and certainty over squeezing out the last dollar of market value.
Tradeoffs: Offer is typically below full retail because the buyer takes on repairs and risk.
Who typically helps: A direct buyer (this is one of the paths HomeVia can offer).

Investor partnership

What it is: You partner with an investor who brings capital or expertise while you retain some interest in the property.
When it fits: You'd like to keep exposure to the home's value but can't carry it alone right now.
Tradeoffs: Split upside. Requires clear, written terms and legal review.
Who typically helps: A real estate attorney and a vetted investor.

Selling traditionally (FSBO)

What it is: You sell the home yourself without a listing agent, keeping commissions but doing the work.
When it fits: You have time, some real estate knowledge, and a straightforward property.
Tradeoffs: You handle marketing, showings, disclosures, and negotiation. Legal and title support still recommended.
Who typically helps: A real estate attorney or transaction coordinator.

Not sure which one is right?

That's exactly what the guidance process is for. We'll help you narrow the fourteen down to the two or three that actually fit your situation.

Start Your Rescue Plan

Fourteen paths.One right fit for you.