Facing Foreclosure in Dallas–Fort Worth? Your Options

The short answer: Most Texas home foreclosures are out-of-court trustee sales held on the first Tuesday of the month between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., at a spot each county designates near its courthouse. The notice of sale must be posted, filed with the county clerk and mailed to you at least 21 days ahead, after at least 20 days’ notice to catch up. Until the sale happens, the house is still yours and you still have options.

In DFW, the first question isn’t “how long do I have?” It’s “which county is my house in?” Texas sets the statewide rules, but each county picks where its monthly sale happens and where its notices get posted. Start there and the rest of the picture comes into focus fast.

Four counties, four sale spots

County	Where first-Tuesday sales happen	Where to look up notices
Dallas	North side of the George Allen Courts Building, facing Commerce Street, under the overhang (600 Commerce St.)	Dallas County Public Search (choose “Foreclosure”); also posted in the building lobby
Tarrant (Fort Worth)	Base of the courthouse steps, west side of the Tarrant County Courthouse, 100 W. Weatherford St.	Tarrant County Public Search
Collin (Plano, McKinney, Frisco)	Front steps of the Collin County Courthouse, 2100 Bloomdale Rd., McKinney (location in effect since Nov. 5, 2024)	Collin County foreclosure notices
Denton	Southwest corner of the Denton County Courts Building, 1450 E. McKinney St., Denton	Denton County Foreclosure Notices

Counties can move their sale spot by commissioners court order (Collin did in 2024), so always go by the location printed on your own notice.

Counting backward from the first Tuesday

Texas foreclosure runs on fixed minimums, so you can count backward from any sale date to see where you stand:

Sale day: the first Tuesday of the month, between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. The auction has to start at the time in your notice or within three hours after it (Property Code §51.002(a), (c)).
At least 21 days earlier: the notice of sale is posted, filed with the county clerk and sent to you by certified mail (§51.002(b)). If you’re reading a posted notice, you’re inside this window.
Before that: for a home you live in, the servicer must give you written notice of default by certified mail and at least 20 days to catch up (§51.002(d)).
Before any of it: federal rules generally keep a servicer from starting foreclosure until you’re more than 120 days behind (12 CFR §1024.41(f)).

Home equity loans, HELOCs and reverse mortgages are different: on a Texas homestead they need a court order before a sale (Texas Constitution art. XVI §50), usually through an expedited court process with a response deadline. If you’ve received court papers instead of a posted notice, read them right away.

What you can still do

Call your servicer and ask, in writing, for a reinstatement quote (the amount to bring the loan current) and whether you qualify for a repayment plan, forbearance or a loan modification. The earlier a complete loss-mitigation application goes in before the sale, the more protection it gives you. If the house is worth less than you owe, ask about a short sale or a deed in lieu. And if you think a notice was wrong or you’re weighing bankruptcy, talk to an attorney before the sale date.

Free DFW help: a HUD-approved housing counselor costs nothing (HUD’s line is 800-569-4287). The CFPB counselor finder lists local agencies offering mortgage delinquency counseling, including the Dallas County Home Loan Counseling Center and Housing Channel in Fort Worth. If you qualify by income, Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas handles foreclosure cases across Dallas, Tarrant, Collin and Denton counties (Legal Aid Line: 888-529-5277).

When selling is the better move

Sometimes the numbers just don’t work for keeping the house. If a sale can close before the first Tuesday, the loan gets paid off and whatever equity is left after liens and costs goes to you instead of disappearing at the auction. We buy DFW houses as-is — no repairs, no showings, no fees or commissions — and when the timeline allows we can close in as little as two weeks through a Texas title company. We’ll be straight with you: if your sale date is too close for a closing to happen, we’ll say so, and point you back to the servicer, a counselor or an attorney.

Also in Fort Worth? See selling your Fort Worth house fast.

What happens when you reach out

You talk to an owner. Call or text (678) 926-9776 and you’ll reach William or Peter, the owners of MarKey Home Buyers. We’ve been in business for more than 10 years.
We ask a few questions. The address, roughly what you owe, the condition of the house, and your sale date if you have one. Your latest mortgage statement and any notice you’ve received help.
You get an honest read. We tell you whether there’s realistically time for a sale to close before your sale date, and whether selling makes sense for you at all.
If it fits, you get a written offer after a quick walkthrough, in person or by video. No fees, no obligation.
You decide. Compare it with your other options and talk it over with family, your servicer, a housing counselor or an attorney first.

How we figure an offer: we start from what the house would sell for after repairs, then subtract the repairs it needs, our costs to buy, hold and resell it, and a margin for our risk. That’s why a cash offer is lower than a full retail price. In return you skip repairs, showings and commissions, and you pick the closing date. We’ll walk you through the numbers on your house.

What we’ll never do

Promise we can stop your foreclosure. No honest buyer can promise that.
Charge you a fee, ask for money up front, or ask you to make payments to us.
Ask you to sign over your deed before closing. The house stays yours until a closing attorney or title company closes the sale.
Tell you to stop talking to your lender, a housing counselor or an attorney.
Rush you. Every term is in writing before you agree to anything.
Hide how we buy. We may buy your house ourselves or assign our purchase contract to another buyer, and we tell you which in writing before you sign.

MarKey Home Buyers is a real estate investment company that buys houses. We are not a lender, law firm, government agency or housing counselor, and we’re not affiliated with your lender or servicer. A sale to us is a sale: at closing, ownership transfers and you move out on the date we agree.

When a cash sale probably isn’t your best move

You can afford the payment again and your servicer offers a reinstatement, repayment plan or modification that works.
The house is in good shape, you have real equity, and there’s enough time before the sale to list it with an agent. That will usually net you more.
You qualify for an assistance program that can catch you up.

If any of those fit, we’ll tell you, even if it means we don’t buy your house.

Got a notice or a sale date?

Send us the address and the sale date. We’ll tell you honestly whether there’s time for a sale to close, and what you’d walk away with.

See My Options →Confidential · No obligation · Or call/text (678) 926-9776

Questions homeowners ask

Where are foreclosure auctions held in Dallas County?

On the first Tuesday of the month, on the north side of the George Allen Courts Building facing Commerce Street, under the overhang at 600 Commerce Street, unless the Commissioners Court designates another spot. The earliest start is 10 a.m.; your notice lists the exact time.

Where are foreclosure auctions held in Fort Worth?

Tarrant County holds them on the first Tuesday at the base of the courthouse steps on the west side of the Tarrant County Courthouse, 100 W. Weatherford Street, downtown Fort Worth. Check your notice for the start time.

How do I find out if my house is on this month’s foreclosure list?

Search the county clerk’s posted notices. Dallas County posts notices filed since February 24, 2026 on its Public Search site (choose Foreclosure). Tarrant County posts them on its Public Search site too, Collin County has a foreclosure notice lookup, and Denton County has a Foreclosure Notices page. Notices are posted at least 21 days before the sale.

Can I sell my house once the foreclosure is posted?

Yes. You own the house until the trustee sale, and if a sale closes before it, the loan is paid off from the proceeds and any equity left after liens and costs goes to you. Timing is the hard part, since a closing needs a title search and a payoff from your servicer, so reach out as soon as you see a posting.

What happens if the house sells at auction for less than I owe?

The lender can sue for the difference within two years of the sale, but you can ask the court to credit the home’s fair market value instead of the auction price, which can reduce or wipe out the deficiency (Texas Property Code §51.003). Get legal advice if that letter arrives.

More help

Sources

Last reviewed October 19, 2026. General information, not legal advice. Laws and county procedures change; confirm dates with your notice, your servicer, or an attorney.

Facing Foreclosure in Dallas or Fort Worth? Know Your Options