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Facing foreclosure in Portland? Start here.
In an Oregon nonjudicial foreclosure, the notice of sale must be served or mailed at least 120 days before the trustee sale under ORS 86.764. A homeowner can reinstate the loan by paying what is past due up to five days before the sale under ORS 86.778. Oregon gives no redemption period after a nonjudicial sale.
You probably have more time than it feels like. And selling is one option out of several. We would rather you make an informed choice than a fast one.
How much time do you actually have?
Find two documents: the notice of default and the notice of sale. The date on them is what matters, not the tone of the phone calls.
In an Oregon nonjudicial foreclosure, which is how most of them run, the notice of sale must be served or mailed at least 120 days before the trustee conducts the sale, under ORS 86.764. Before that even starts, federal mortgage servicing rules generally require the servicer to wait until you are more than 120 days delinquent before initiating.
Add it up and there is usually eight months or more between the first missed payment and a sale date. Most people calling us think they have weeks.
Mortgage notices on a kitchen table in a Portland home.
Your options, all of them
Selling is number six on this list for a reason. Work down it.
1. Call a HUD-approved housing counselor. Today. It is free.
Oregon Housing and Community Services runs free foreclosure counseling, or dial 211. These are not salespeople. They will look at your actual numbers and tell you what you qualify for. Do this before you talk to anyone who wants to buy your house, including us.
2. Reinstate the loan
Oregon lets you reinstate by paying what is past due, plus fees, up to five days before the sale under ORS 86.778. If the shortfall is one you can cover or borrow, this ends the whole thing.
3. Loan modification or forbearance
Your servicer may restructure the loan or pause payments. Slow and paperwork-heavy, but it keeps the house. Start early, because the timeline runs whether or not your application does.
4. Foreclosure avoidance mediation
Oregon runs a mediation program that puts you and the servicer in the same room with a neutral third party. A housing counselor can tell you whether you qualify and how to request it.
5. Chapter 13 bankruptcy
Filing triggers an automatic stay that stops the sale and can let you catch up over time. Talk to a bankruptcy attorney, not to us.
6. Sell the house
If there is equity and the other options do not fit, selling before the sale date preserves that equity rather than losing it at auction. That can be a listing if you have time, or a cash sale if you do not.
The sentence nobody tells you
Oregon does not give you a redemption period after a nonjudicial trustee sale, under ORS 86.797. Once it sells, it is gone. There is no window to buy it back. That is exactly why the date on the notice of sale matters more than anything else on this page. Go find it now.
Is it too late once a sale date is set?
Not necessarily, but it tightens fast. A sale has to close and record before the trustee sale date to do you any good, and title work takes time. Liens and back taxes add more. If the house is in probate, more still.
If your sale date is inside three weeks: call a housing counselor today and call us today. Not this week. Today.
If selling is the right call
We can move fast, usually seven to fourteen days, and we buy in current condition so there is no repair work standing between you and a closing. No commission, no fees, and no agent timeline.
You will net less than a listed sale would bring. Here is exactly how we get to the number so you can compare it against what a listing would realistically produce in the time you actually have.
And if you have six months, equity, and a house in decent shape, list it. We will tell you that.
Questions people ask
How much time do I have?
In an Oregon nonjudicial foreclosure the notice of sale must be served or mailed at least 120 days before the trustee sale under ORS 86.764. Federal rules generally require the servicer to wait until you are more than 120 days delinquent before starting.
Can I stop it without selling?
Often yes. Reinstatement up to five days before the sale under ORS 86.778, loan modification, forbearance, a repayment plan, the state mediation program, or Chapter 13. Free HUD-approved counseling is available through Oregon Housing and Community Services, or dial 211.
Is there a redemption period after the sale?
Not after a nonjudicial trustee sale in Oregon, under ORS 86.797. Once it sells, it is gone. That is why the sale date matters more than anything else.
Will selling hurt my credit less than foreclosure?
Generally a completed sale is treated differently from a foreclosure on your credit report, but the specifics depend on your situation and whether there is a deficiency. Ask a housing counselor, not a buyer.
What if I owe more than the house is worth?
Then you are looking at a short sale, which requires lender approval and takes longer. Tell us early. It changes the whole path.
General information about Oregon foreclosure, not legal or financial advice. Free HUD-approved foreclosure counseling is available through Oregon Housing and Community Services, or by dialing 211. Talk to a counselor or an attorney before you sign anything.
Sources: ORS 86.764, ORS 86.778, ORS 86.797, federal mortgage servicing rules. Last verified: September 2026.