Behind on Your Mortgage in the Sacramento Region? Your Options, in Plain Words

This page is general information, not legal advice. Take a breath. You have more options early than late, so the first step is simple: call your servicer. The CFPB's page "If I can't pay my mortgage loan, what are my options?" (last reviewed August 28, 2026) says to contact your servicer right away. Be ready to say why you can't pay, whether the problem is short-term or lasting, and what your income and expenses look like.

Then fill out any assistance application the servicer sends, and keep copies of everything. Write down who you spoke with and when. If foreclosure is close or you've been served legal papers, the CFPB suggests talking with an attorney.

The CFPB lists several options a servicer may offer. Not every loan qualifies for every one.

• Forbearance. Your servicer pauses or lowers payments for a set time. The CFPB's forbearance page (last reviewed August 28, 2026) is clear that you still owe the full amount and pay it back later, by lump sum, by adding it to the end of the loan or by spreading it over time.
• Repayment plan. You catch up by paying a little extra each month until the past-due amount is gone. The CFPB's repayment plan page (last reviewed January 2, 2025) notes the servicer may still report the delinquency to credit bureaus until you're caught up.
• Loan modification. The terms of the loan change to bring the payment to something you can afford. The CFPB (page last reviewed September 4, 2020) says that can mean a longer term, a lower rate or setting aside part of the balance. It suggests talking with a housing counselor first.
• Refinance. A new loan pays off the old one. This usually needs income and equity, so it fits some situations and not others. See our refinance page.

Leaving can still be done on your terms. The CFPB's "Avoid foreclosure" page (last modified September 30, 2026) describes three paths:

• Sell the home. If it's worth more than you owe, a regular sale pays off the loan and you keep the rest. The CFPB says this is usually better for your finances and credit than foreclosure. You don't need the servicer's approval, but tell them.
• Short sale. You sell for less than you owe with the lender's approval. See our short sale page, including California's deficiency rule.
• Deed in lieu of foreclosure. You give the home to the servicer and move out, after applying and getting approved.

If time matters more than top price, our sell as-is page explains a faster, simpler sale. If the home belonged to a parent who has passed, start with probate and trust sales.

Often, yes. California Civil Code 2924c (checked October 22, 2026) gives a right to reinstate a monetary default, meaning you pay what's past due plus permitted costs. That right runs from the date the notice of default is recorded until five business days before the sale date in the recorded notice of sale.

Applying for help also matters. Under the CFPB's Regulation X (12 CFR 1024.41), if you send a complete loss mitigation application more than 37 days before a scheduled sale, the servicer generally can't hold the sale while it reviews that application. Ask your servicer what it has received and what is still missing.

Call (916) 549-3131. We'll look at what you owe, what the home might be worth and which paths make sense. If keeping the home is possible, we'll say so. You can also send us a note or fill out the loan options form.

Worried about your credit afterward? Read credit after a short sale or foreclosure and our page on credit scores.