Important: Listing your home does not stop or postpone a foreclosure; only your lender, a court, or a legal process can change the sale date. Talk to your lender and a HUD-approved counselor right away.
Free help is available: a HUD-approved housing counselor can review your options at no cost — call (800) 569-4287 or find one at hud.gov/findacounselor. I never charge an upfront fee. In California, upfront fees for loan-modification or foreclosure-relief help are illegal — if someone asks for one, walk away.
The first calls to make
Dates drive foreclosure. Make these calls before you list:
- Your loan servicer, for a written reinstatement figure and a written payoff figure.
- A HUD-approved counselor, at no cost, through HUD's counselor search or (800) 569-4287.
- A California attorney, with every lender notice stacked in date order.
- Me, for a home value review that you can take to the counselor and the attorney.
Ask the servicer, in writing, which options it offers: catching up, a repayment plan, forbearance, a modification or a short sale. Selling is one path among those options.
Red flags that mean walk away
Refuse anyone who wants a payment before doing anything, who tells you to stop paying the servicer or to send mortgage payments to them, or who asks you to sign the deed over. The CFPB lists these as common foreclosure-relief scam signs, and the California DRE explains the state's advance-fee rules. I never charge an upfront fee.
Lincoln Heights facts that can add days
| Local fact | Why it can delay a tight sale | What to do early |
|---|---|---|
| Liquefaction on the flats | City and State maps put about half the area in a liquefaction zone | Run EQ Zapp and order the natural hazard report on day one |
| Fire zone in the northeast hills | Parts of Lincoln Heights, mostly in the hills on its northeast side, are mapped as a Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone, but not every street is. Check the specific parcel on ZIMAS or the CAL FIRE map, and confirm with the natural hazard disclosure in escrow. | Confirm the parcel and clear brush if the zone applies |
| Tenants in a second unit | Rent rules may apply depending on the building's age and type | Check the address with LAHD; ask your attorney |
| Unpermitted rooms or units | Buyers and lenders ask for the permit record | Pull the LADBS file before listing |
| Access for inspectors | Vendors and inspectors need entry on short notice | Set a key and lockbox plan with me in the first week |
| The City report | Required for most residential sales | Order the Residential Property Report in the first week |
An open escrow or an accepted offer does not stop the trustee's sale. No timing is assured, and the sale date can still come first. Keep your servicer and counselor updated as escrow moves.
Paying the loan through escrow
Escrow orders a payoff demand from the servicer and pays it, plus any other recorded liens, from the sale funds. If the price falls short of the total owed, the lender would have to agree to take less, which is a short sale; your attorney can explain what that would mean for you.
Closing costs on a pre-foreclosure sale
The standard ones, taken from the proceeds. LA County's documentary transfer tax is $1.10 per $1,000 of the sale price. Lincoln Heights is in the City of Los Angeles, which adds its own transfer tax of $2.25 per $500, plus Measure ULA of 4 percent on sales above $5,400,000 but less than $10,900,000 and 5.5 percent at or above $10,900,000 (the applicable ULA rate is calculated on the full gross value conveyed, not just the amount above the threshold); thresholds adjust each July 1. Your escrow officer shows how it and the county tax apply to your sale.
LADBS requires the seller of residential property in the City of Los Angeles to give the buyer a Residential Property Report before the sale or the close of escrow (LAMC Section 96.300; $70.85 per report as of November 5, 2026). The LADBS Form 9 application says no new report is needed for six months after one is issued, and it lists exceptions, including property exempt from the documentary transfer tax and the first sale of a home in a subdivision whose final map was recorded not more than two years earlier. Check your transfer with LADBS before ordering.
The amount or rate of real estate commissions is not fixed by law. They are set by each broker individually and may be negotiable between the seller and broker.
What to bring to your CPA or attorney: every notice from the lender, the payoff and reinstatement letters, the escrow estimate, and any IRS forms the lender sends after closing.
Related reading
- How to sell a house in Lincoln Heights
- How a Lincoln Heights short sale works
- Selling a Lincoln Heights house as-is
- Foreclosure help services
- California seller disclosures
- Nearby: Montecito Heights foreclosure help and Highland Park foreclosure help
Sidney Manzo, CA DRE #01108914
In real estate since 1990 · RE/MAX Hall of Fame · Member, Pasadena Foothills Association of REALTORS® and California Association of REALTORS® (C.A.R.)
Brokerage: RE/MAX Dream Properties (ASLG Inc), CA DRE #02142193
Last reviewed by Sidney Manzo · About Sidney
Questions
Lincoln Heights foreclosure questions
- Does listing my Lincoln Heights house stop the foreclosure?
- No. Listing does not stop or postpone a foreclosure; only your lender, a court or a legal process can change the sale date.
- Who can help me for no charge?
- A HUD-approved housing counselor. Call (800) 569-4287 or search hud.gov/findacounselor.
- Should I pay someone upfront to save my house?
- No. In California, upfront fees for loan-modification or foreclosure-relief help are illegal, and I never charge one.
- Can I sell if I owe more than the house may bring?
- Possibly, through a short sale, which needs the lender's approval. Approval is not assured and can take time.
- What if a tenant lives in part of the property?
- Rent and eviction rules may apply. Check the address with LAHD and ask your attorney before you plan the sale around a vacancy.
- Will the liquefaction map stop a sale?
- No. It is a disclosure item, not a bar to selling; order the natural hazard report early so it does not hold up escrow.
- Do I still need the City's Residential Property Report?
- Usually, unless an exception applies. Order it early so it does not hold up escrow.
- What should I bring to my first meeting with you?
- The latest lender notice, your payoff figure if you have it, and any permits or inspection reports for the house.
Sources
Sources
- HUD, avoiding foreclosure (accessed October 13, 2026)
- HUD, find a housing counselor (accessed October 13, 2026)
- CFPB, how to spot and avoid foreclosure relief scams (accessed October 13, 2026)
- California DRE, advance fees (accessed October 13, 2026)
- ZIMAS (parcel designations) (accessed October 13, 2026)
- CAL FIRE Office of the State Fire Marshal, Fire Hazard Severity Zones (map viewer) (accessed October 13, 2026)
- City GeoHub map services (Liquefaction, Landslide, Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones; queried 2026-11-05) (accessed October 13, 2026)
- California Geological Survey, EQ Zapp (accessed October 13, 2026)
- LAFD, Brush Clearance Requirements (accessed October 13, 2026)
- LA Housing Department, Rent Stabilization Ordinance overview (accessed October 13, 2026)
- Metro, A Line timetable effective June 7, 2026 (PDF; Lincoln/Cypress station) (accessed October 13, 2026)
- LADBS, Residential Property Report (accessed October 13, 2026)
- LADBS, Residential Property Report application (Form 9, PDF; as of 2026-11-05) (accessed October 13, 2026)
- LADBS, online building records (accessed October 13, 2026)
- LA County Registrar-Recorder, documentary transfer tax (accessed October 13, 2026)
- LA City Finance, Measure ULA FAQ (accessed October 13, 2026)
Your agent
Who reviews your home?
Sidney Manzo, Agent, CA DRE #01108914.
- In real estate since 1990
- 155+ closed sales
- RE/MAX Hall of Fame
- Member, Pasadena Foothills Association of REALTORS® (PFAR) and C.A.R.
RE/MAX Dream Properties (ASLG Inc), CA DRE #02142193
Last reviewed by Sidney Manzo.