Mortgage, little equity, or behind
When a cash offer would not even cover the payoff
If you owe close to what the house is worth, a cash buyer cannot help you: their number lands below your payoff. Taking over the existing loan is the structure that fits — and it is the one that needs the most explaining.
You may be current and stretched, or a few months behind, or holding a low-rate loan you would rather not lose. Any of those can work.
The industry calls this a subject-to purchase: title transfers to the buyer, your existing loan stays in place and in your name, and the buyer makes the payments. Where you have real equity, part of it is paid at closing and the rest as a note.
What we are, and what we are not
We buy houses. We are not a foreclosure-rescue service and we are not a credit-repair service.
We do not deal with your lender on your behalf, and we cannot promise any particular outcome with your loan.
What we can do is buy the house, bring the loan current at closing where that is part of the deal, and take over the monthly payment from that point.
What stays in your name
The loan does
Until it is paid off or refinanced, the loan remains yours. You are still the borrower on it. Nobody can honestly tell you otherwise.
The credit reporting does
The loan keeps reporting under your name, with the payment history the servicer creates. On-time payments report as on-time payments.
The right to verify does
You can check that the loan is current at any time, with the servicer or directly with your lender. That right is written into the agreement.
The due-on-sale clause, in plain language
Almost every mortgage contains a due-on-sale clause. It says the lender may demand the whole loan be paid back when the property changes hands.
It is a right, not an automatic event. Federal law (Garn–St Germain) lists exceptions for family transfers and some trusts; a sale to a buyer is not one of them, so the right exists here.
In practice lenders rarely call a loan that is current and insured, because a performing loan is what they want. But they can, and you should decide with that on the table rather than off it.
If it happened, the agreement says what we do: refinance or pay off the loan, sell the house, or return the property to you under the performance clause. That plan is in writing before you sign, not invented afterwards.
That is a legal question about your own loan documents, so have your attorney read them with you.
What protects you
The loan stays in your name
The loan stays in your name until it is paid off or refinanced.
A licensed third-party servicer
Payments go through a licensed third-party loan servicer, so there is an independent record of every payment and you receive statements.
A deed held in escrow
A deed back to you is held in escrow with a performance clause: if the payments stop, the property returns to you.
The right to verify payments
You keep the right to verify at any time that payments are current, with the servicer or directly with the lender.
Insurance kept in force
Property insurance stays in force with you named as an additional insured, with proof at closing and at every renewal.
Attorney review, and we wait for it
Independent attorney review is encouraged before anything is signed, and we will wait for it.
A cancellation window where the law requires one
A written cancellation window applies where state law requires one.
If you do have equity
Where the equity is meaningful, the structure is a hybrid: we take over the existing loan and pay for your equity with a down payment at closing plus a note with interest, secured by the house.
That way the equity is paid to you rather than discounted away — which is what a cash offer does with it.
If you are already behind
Arrears can be brought current at closing as part of the deal. That stops the missed payments from accumulating from that point forward.
It does not undo what has already been reported to the credit bureaus, and it is not a promise about what your lender will do between now and closing.
Timing matters more here than anywhere else on this site. The earlier the conversation, the more structures are still possible.
Other options you may have
Selling is not the only path, and it is not always the best one. Before you talk to us, or to anyone else, it is worth knowing what else exists.
A loan modification
Your servicer may be able to change the terms of your loan so the payment fits your situation. Ask your servicer about loss mitigation.
Forbearance or a repayment plan
A temporary pause or a plan to catch up over time. Often available after a job loss, illness or another one-off shock.
A HUD-approved housing counselor
Free, independent advice from a counselor approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Call the HOPE hotline on 888-995-HOPE, or find a counselor at hud.gov.
Listing it, if there is time and equity
If the equity is there and the clock is not too far along, a normal sale with an agent may net you more. Our comparison shows that column for a reason.
We list these because they are real options, not because we are required to. We are a buyer; a counselor is free and works for you.
See what taking over the loan would look like
Your address and four questions. The sample shows what happens to the loan, the arrears and your cash at closing — as ranges, in writing.