Selling a Lehigh Valley home in pre-foreclosure or facing a sheriff sale

You probably received an Act 91 notice in the mail and didn't fully understand what it meant. Or you've been in conversations with your servicer for months and the words 'sheriff sale' just appeared on a document. Either way, the next 30 to 90 days matter more than the rest of your year. The most important thing to know first: Pennsylvania gives you real legal protections you may not know about. We're going to walk through them before talking about selling to us.

Step one — find out if HEMAP can pause this

HEMAP (the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency's Homeowners' Emergency Mortgage Assistance Program) was designed for exactly your situation. If you've fallen behind on your mortgage because of circumstances beyond your control — job loss, medical emergency, a divorce — HEMAP can pay your mortgage current and continue paying installments for up to 24 months. Your Act 91 notice came with HEMAP application materials. The PHFA HEMAP hotline is 800-342-2397. Call them before you call us. If HEMAP works for you, you keep your home and you don't sell it.

Step two — understand the actual PA foreclosure timeline

Pennsylvania is a judicial-foreclosure state, which means your lender has to file a lawsuit in the Court of Common Pleas to take your home — they can't just auction it. From the formal complaint filing through the sheriff sale typically runs 4 to 7 months. A lis pendens (public notice of pending lawsuit) gets indexed against your title automatically. Sheriff sales in Lehigh County happen the second Friday of every month at the Lehigh County Courthouse; Northampton County holds them monthly at the Easton courthouse. The sale date is your hard deadline.

Step three — if a sale is the right move, here's how cash works

When HEMAP isn't available or you've decided the home isn't worth keeping, a cash sale can typically settle the lender directly and release the lien before the scheduled sheriff sale date. The constraint isn't usually the money — it's the title work and the lender's loss-mitigation department. Bring your loan number and the case docket on the first call. Mike Sup is an InterNACHI Certified Professional Inspector and walks the property himself — the offer he writes is the price you receive, so there's no last-minute revision at the closing table that wholesalers are known for. We coordinate directly with your lender and the Lehigh County Sheriff's Office.

Your next steps

If you're facing a sheriff sale, please don't wait. Even if you don't sell to us, calling HEMAP today gives you options you won't have in 30 days.

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Written by

Mike Sup

InterNACHI Certified Professional Inspector · #21032009 · speaks English & Spanish

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Selling a Lehigh Valley home in pre-foreclosure or facing a sheriff sale

Step one — find out if HEMAP can pause this

Step two — understand the actual PA foreclosure timeline

Step three — if a sale is the right move, here's how cash works

Selling a Lehigh Valley home in pre-foreclosure or facing a sheriff sale

Step one — find out if HEMAP can pause this

Step two — understand the actual PA foreclosure timeline

Step three — if a sale is the right move, here's how cash works

Your next steps

Other seller profiles

Lehigh Valley cities

Request your no-obligation offer

Stop Your Foreclosure

Selling a Lehigh Valley home in pre-foreclosure or facing a sheriff sale

Step one — find out if HEMAP can pause this

Step two — understand the actual PA foreclosure timeline

Step three — if a sale is the right move, here's how cash works

Your next steps

Other seller profiles

Lehigh Valley cities

Request your no-obligation offer

Stop Your Foreclosure