Pre-Foreclosure Help in Benton, Arkansas

You Know This Town. You Know This Square.

If you’ve lived in Benton for any length of time, you know what makes this place special. You’ve driven past that unique bauxite building downtown—the Gann Museum, the only structure in the entire world built from bauxite blocks. You’ve circled the courthouse square with its distinctive clock tower that’s been standing since 1902, maybe stopped during Old Fashioned Day when the whole downtown fills with Civil War reenactors, quilts, baking contests, and thousands of people celebrating the history that runs so deep here.

You know the rhythm of this community. How it’s grown from a quiet county seat to become the 12th largest city in Arkansas, a thriving suburb just 30 miles from Little Rock on the I-30 corridor. You’ve probably shopped at the antique malls, caught a show at the historic Royal Theatre that’s been entertaining folks since the early 1900s, or driven down Military Road—that historic thoroughfare that dates back to the 1830s when this was still frontier territory.

This is a place where history isn’t just something you read about—it’s in the buildings you pass every day. The Shoppach House from 1853, the first brick house in Saline County, where Confederate soldiers received their battle flag from the front porch before marching off to war. The courthouse that was featured in the Burt Reynolds movie “White Lightning.” The Niloak pottery with its famous swirl pattern that collectors worldwide seek out, made right here in Benton from 1909 to 1946 using a secret technique that died when Charles Hyten tragically drowned without ever sharing how he created those distinctive swirls.

So when you’re facing pre-foreclosure here in Saline County, it doesn’t feel like just a financial problem. It feels like you’re losing your place in a community with deep roots, where your family might have lived for generations, where people know your name when you walk into the pharmacy or the grocery store.

What Pre-Foreclosure Feels Like in a Place Like Benton

In a city of 35,000 that functions like a small town—especially in the older neighborhoods near downtown or around the courthouse square—financial struggles can feel particularly visible. You worry about what people will think when they find out. You wonder if anyone’s noticed the certified letters from the bank. You might avoid certain places—the courthouse square during Old Fashioned Day, church on Sunday, even driving through downtown—because you don’t want to run into someone you know and have to pretend everything’s fine when it’s not.

If you’re part of the commuter wave that drives to Little Rock every day for work, you know how quickly expenses add up—gas, vehicle maintenance, time away from home. If you bought your home during Benton’s rapid growth period, thinking property values would keep climbing as Little Rock sprawl continued, you might find yourself underwater on your mortgage now. A medical bill, unexpected car repairs, helping family members in need, and suddenly you’re behind on payments. It doesn’t mean you made bad choices. It means life happened.

And here’s what’s crucial to understand: You’re not out of time yet. Pre-foreclosure means you still have options. It means the bank hasn’t taken your home. It means you can still breathe, think clearly, and make decisions that work for you and your family.

How Foreclosure Actually Works in Arkansas

Let’s talk about what’s really happening with the foreclosure process, because understanding it helps reduce some of the fear. In Arkansas, most foreclosures are what’s called “non-judicial,” which means your lender doesn’t have to go through the court system to foreclose on your home. This makes the process move faster than in some other states.

Here’s the typical timeline:

The Arkansas Foreclosure Timeline

When You First Miss a Payment: Nothing dramatic happens immediately. The bank sends notices. You get phone calls. But they’re not rushing to foreclose—foreclosure is expensive and time-consuming for them too, so they’d actually prefer to work something out with you.

After 30-90 Days: The letters get more serious and official. You start seeing legal language like “default notice” or “intent to accelerate the debt.” This is where many people start to panic and avoid opening their mail. But you still have time to respond.

The Notice of Default and Intent to Sell: Under Arkansas law, your lender must send you written notice before they can sell your home. This notice has to give you at least 30 days and must clearly state:

• The total amount you owe
• The deadline by which you must pay to bring your account current
• A statement that if you don’t pay by that deadline, they intend to sell the property

This notice typically comes by certified mail to your last known address. If you’re still living in your home near downtown, or out by Hurricane Lake, or in one of the neighborhoods along Military Road, you’ll get it. This is your official warning.

The Publication Requirement: Here in Saline County, the lender also has to publish a notice of the foreclosure sale in a local newspaper once a week for two consecutive weeks. This would typically be in a paper like the Saline Courier, which has been publishing since 1876. The first publication must happen at least 20 days before the scheduled sale date. This is public notice—anyone can see it.

The Foreclosure Sale: If you haven’t been able to work something out or sell the property yourself, your home goes to public auction. In Arkansas, this typically happens at the county courthouse. For Saline County, that’s at the historic courthouse right there on the square in downtown Benton, the same building that’s been the center of community life since 1902.

The sale is public, usually held on a weekday morning. Your home is sold to the highest bidder—sometimes that’s the bank itself buying it back, sometimes it’s an investor looking for properties.

After the Sale: Once your home is sold at auction, you typically have to move out quickly. Arkansas doesn’t offer a long redemption period like some states. What’s done is done, and it happens fast.

Here’s What Most People Don’t Realize

The non-judicial process can move faster than you think. But here’s the important part: at any point before that auction gavel comes down, you still have options. You can sell the house yourself. You can try to negotiate with the bank. You can explore a short sale if you owe more than the home is worth.

The key is not waiting until the last minute. Not because we’re trying to pressure you—we’re not—but because the earlier you take action, the more choices you have and the better your outcome is likely to be.

Why Benton Homes Are Different

Your home here isn’t like a house in a newer Arkansas suburb without history. Benton properties have something special—they’re part of a community with nearly 200 years of history, part of the story of how Central Arkansas grew and prospered.

If you’re near downtown, you might live in one of those beautiful older homes from the early 1900s, with the craftsmanship and character you don’t find in modern construction. If you’re in one of the neighborhoods that grew up during Benton’s boom years—when the population exploded from 10,000 in 1960 to over 35,000 today—you might have a place that was perfect for raising a family, with good schools and safe streets. If you’re closer to the I-30 corridor, you know the convenience of being able to reach Little Rock in 20 minutes while still living in a community with small-town values.

Maybe you’ve got a home near the courthouse square where you can walk to Old Fashioned Day every year, or a modest place that’s been in your family since your grandparents bought it when Benton was still a sleepy county seat, or a house you purchased thinking you’d retire here and never want to leave.

These aren’t just addresses on a property tax statement. They’re places with memories—kids learning to ride bikes, family Thanksgivings, summer evenings on the porch, watching Benton grow and change while still holding onto what makes it special.

And here’s what matters right now: properties in Benton have real value, even if you’re behind on payments, even if the house needs some work. You’re in the 12th largest city in Arkansas. You’re 30 miles from Little Rock, perfectly positioned on the I-30 corridor. You’re in Saline County, which has grown to over 125,000 people, fueled by families and professionals who want to escape the city but stay close enough to commute. People want to live here—families looking for good schools and safer streets, young professionals working in Little Rock but wanting more space and lower costs, retirees wanting small-town community with big-city amenities nearby.

That means your home, even in pre-foreclosure, has value. And that value might be your way out of this situation.

The Weight You’re Carrying Right Now

Let’s be completely honest about what you’re going through: this is heavy. You’re probably not sleeping well. Every time you drive past the courthouse square or through downtown, you feel the weight of what’s happening. Every unknown phone call makes your stomach drop. You avoid checking the mail because you’re terrified of what might be there.

You’ve done the math a hundred times. You’ve stayed up late going over the numbers, trying to figure out where the money could come from. But the numbers don’t work, and that reality is crushing.

Maybe you’ve thought about asking family for help, but pride won’t let you, or you don’t want to burden them with your problems. Maybe you’re embarrassed because you have a good job in Little Rock and feel like you should have your financial life more together. In a community like Benton where generations of families know each other, where people see you at the store or at church, it feels like there’s nowhere to hide. If you’re married, this is probably causing serious tension in your relationship—money stress always does. If you’re on your own, the isolation might feel unbearable.

You might be praying about it, asking God for guidance, trying to maintain faith that somehow this will work out—and some days that brings peace, and some days the fear overwhelms everything.

Here’s what we need you to hear: This situation doesn’t define who you are. You’re not a failure. You’re not irresponsible. You’re not less worthy than the people whose houses still look perfect or who seem to have it all together. You’re a person facing an incredibly difficult situation, and you’re trying to figure out the best way forward.

The fact that you’re reading this right now—that you’re actively looking for information and solutions instead of just giving up—shows real courage. A lot of people in your situation just shut down, ignore the problem, and hope it goes away. You’re not doing that. You’re here, you’re reading, you’re trying to understand your options. That matters more than you probably realize.

Your Options

There’s no urgency here. No one’s going to pressure you into anything. We just want you to understand what’s actually possible, because sometimes just knowing you have real choices makes it easier to breathe.

Option 1: Catch Up on Payments

If you’ve come into some money—maybe an inheritance, a work bonus, help from family, a settlement—you can pay what you owe and get your account current. This stops the foreclosure process immediately. If this is possible for you, wonderful. Problem solved.

But if you’re reading this page, it’s probably because that’s not realistic right now. And that’s completely okay. There are other paths forward.

Option 2: Loan Modification or Forbearance

You can try working directly with your lender to modify your loan terms. Sometimes they’ll lower your monthly payment, extend the loan term, defer part of what you owe, or in rare cases even reduce the principal balance. Sometimes they’ll agree to forbearance, which means you can pause or reduce payments temporarily while you get back on your feet.

This can work, but it’s slow and bureaucratic. There’s extensive paperwork. Long phone calls and wait times. Waiting for decisions. And there’s no guarantee they’ll approve anything—they’re under no obligation to help you.

If you want to try this route, we support that decision. But understand it takes considerable time, and time might be something you’re running short on.

Option 3: Sell Your Home Yourself

If you have equity in your home—meaning it’s worth more than you owe—you could list it with a real estate agent and try to sell it the traditional way. You’d pay off the mortgage, cover the closing costs and agent commissions (typically 5-6%), and keep whatever’s left over.

The challenge? Traditional sales take time. Even in a steady market like Benton where there’s demand because of the Little Rock proximity, it could take weeks or months to find the right buyer. And if you’re already in pre-foreclosure, you might not have that kind of time. Plus, getting your house “show ready”—making repairs, keeping it spotless for showings, dealing with inspections—can feel overwhelming when you’re already stressed.

Option 4: Short Sale

If you owe more on your house than it’s currently worth, a short sale might be an option. This is where the bank agrees to let you sell the home for less than the full mortgage balance. They take a loss, but it’s better for them than foreclosure.

Short sales can help you avoid foreclosure on your credit report, but they’re complicated and slow. The bank has to approve every step, which can take many months. And you still have to find a buyer willing to wait through the entire approval process.

Option 5: Sell Directly to a Cash Buyer

This is where we come in, and it’s the option that brings the most relief to people in your situation.

Here’s how it works: We buy houses directly, in any condition, in any situation. You don’t have to fix anything. You don’t have to clean anything. You don’t have to stage it or wait months for the perfect buyer or deal with bank approval processes.

We look at your home, we look at your situation, and we make you a fair cash offer. If you accept it, we handle all the details—the paperwork, the title work, the closing, everything. You can close in as little as a week or two if you need to move quickly, or we can work on your timeline if you need more time.

No real estate agent commissions eating into your proceeds. No closing costs coming out of your pocket. No judgment about your situation.

You walk away without the crushing weight of the mortgage, without the foreclosure on your record, and you can start the next chapter of your life with a clean slate.

Why People in Benton Choose This Route

We’ve worked with families all over Saline County—people with homes near the courthouse square, people in the neighborhoods along Military Road, people closer to Bryant, people throughout Benton. Here’s what they consistently tell us:

“We just needed it to be over.” The constant stress of waiting, wondering, dealing with the bank—it was too much. Selling quickly gave them immediate peace of mind.

“We didn’t have the money to fix it up.” Many homes in pre-foreclosure need repairs. Selling to us meant they didn’t have to come up with thousands of dollars they didn’t have.

“We didn’t want everyone in Benton to know.” In a community where people know each other through church, through schools, through generations of families, a foreclosure sale at the historic courthouse feels painfully public. Selling privately kept their business private.

“The Little Rock commute was killing us financially.” Gas, vehicle wear and tear, time away from family—sometimes the math just doesn’t work anymore, and selling became the smartest choice.

“We wanted to stay in Saline County.” Some folks needed to sell but wanted to stay in the area because of jobs, schools, or family. A quick sale made that possible without months of stress.

What Makes Benton Special

Let’s talk about this town for a minute, because it deserves recognition.

Benton was settled in 1833 and formally chartered in 1836 when Arkansas achieved statehood, named for Missouri Senator Thomas Hart Benton who was a strong advocate for Arkansas statehood. By the late 1800s, Benton had become known for something that would put it on the world map: bauxite.

In 1887, the first bauxite—the ore used to make aluminum—was discovered in Arkansas. Soon after, major deposits were found near Hurricane Creek, northeast of Benton. By 1936, the bauxite mines in Saline and Pulaski Counties were producing 96 percent of all aluminum ore in the entire United States. Think about that for a moment. Nearly everything made of aluminum in America came from right here.

During World War II, when aluminum was critical for building aircraft, the federal government took over operations of the Hurricane Creek plant. The peak output came in 1943, and you can still see the New Deal-era mural inside the courthouse that depicts bauxite miners at work—a reminder of when Benton helped power the war effort and save the world from tyranny.

That’s why the Gann Museum is so special. Built in 1893 by patients of Dr. Dewell Gann who couldn’t afford to pay for their medical care, they constructed his office using blocks of bauxite dug from a nearby farm. It’s the only known building in the entire world made of bauxite. Arkansas’s state rock, formed into the walls of a building that still stands downtown, a testament to ingenuity and community.

Benton also became famous for Niloak pottery. Charles Hyten developed a unique swirling technique using the kaolin clay found here (Niloak is “kaolin” spelled backward). From 1909 to 1946, Niloak pottery was sold in department stores across America and overseas. At its peak, Hyten was producing 60,000 pieces per year. The pottery’s distinctive swirl pattern made each piece one-of-a-kind. When Charles Hyten tragically drowned in the Saline River in 1944, he took his secret technique to his grave. No one has ever been able to replicate it. Today, Niloak pottery is highly sought after by collectors worldwide.

The Royal Theatre has been entertaining folks since the early 1900s, originally known as “The IMP.” Actor Jerry Van Dyke owned it for a time in the 1990s. The Shoppach House, built in 1853 as the first brick house in Saline County, is where Confederate Company E received their battle flag from the ladies of Benton before marching off to war in 1861. During Union occupation in 1863, officers took quarters in that same house.

Since 1976, Old Fashioned Day has brought the community together around the courthouse square with Civil War reenactments, baking contests, quilt displays, and thousands of people celebrating the history and heritage that make Benton special.

This is a place where history lives in the buildings you pass every day. Where pottery from here sits in museums and collections worldwide. Where the aluminum that built American planes and won a war came from the ground beneath your feet.

If your home is part of this place—whether it’s near the historic downtown, or along the I-30 corridor connecting to Little Rock, or in one of the neighborhoods where families have lived for generations—it has value. Real value to someone who wants what Benton offers.

And that includes us.

No Pressure. No Games. Just Honest Help.

We’re not here to pressure you into anything. We’re not going to tell you that you have to decide today, or that this is your last chance, or use any high-pressure sales tactics. That’s not how we operate, and it’s not how we’d want to be treated.

What we are here to do is offer you an option that might bring some relief. If you want to talk, we’ll listen without judgment. If you have questions, we’ll answer them honestly. If you need time to think it over, take all the time you need.

This is your home. Your decision. Your life. We’re just here to help if that’s what you want.

What Happens If You Reach Out

If you decide to call or fill out the form on this page, here’s exactly what happens:

1. We’ll have a conversation. No sales pitch, no pressure. Just an honest discussion about your situation, your home, and what you’re hoping to accomplish.
2. We’ll come look at your property. If you’re comfortable with it, we’ll schedule a time to come by and see the house. We’ll ask some questions about the condition, the neighborhood, and your timeline.
3. We’ll make you a fair cash offer. Usually within 24-48 hours, we’ll present you with an offer in writing. No obligation whatsoever. If it works for you, great. If it doesn’t, that’s fine too.
4. You take whatever time you need to decide. Think about it. Pray about it. Talk it over with your family. We’ll be here when you’re ready.
5. If you accept, we handle everything. We work with a local title company, we take care of all the paperwork, and we make the process as smooth as possible. You don’t have to worry about a thing.

This Isn’t the End of Your Story

Whatever happens with this house, it’s not the end of your story or your connection to this community. You’re going to be okay. That might be hard to believe right now, but it’s true.

Losing a home is one of the hardest things a person can go through, especially in a place like Benton where history and community run so deep. But this moment doesn’t define who you are or what you’re capable of achieving.

People come back from this. People rebuild their lives, their credit, their sense of home. People find new places, new communities, new peace. You will too. You’re stronger than you feel right now.

Right now, you just need to take the next step. And if that next step is reaching out to us, we’ll be here.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is pre-foreclosure and how does it work?

Pre-foreclosure is that critical window of time between when you fall behind on your mortgage payments and when your home is actually sold at public auction at the Saline County courthouse. Think of it as the warning phase—the bank has started the legal foreclosure process, but your home still legally belongs to you and you still have the power to make decisions about what happens next. Here in Arkansas, this process typically begins after you’ve missed several monthly payments and your lender sends you an official Notice of Default and Intent to Sell, which by law must give you at least 30 days before any sale can happen. During the pre-foreclosure period, you still live in your home, you’re still the legal owner on the deed, and most importantly, you still have options and control over the outcome. In Saline County, you’ll see the foreclosure notice published in the Saline Courier—the newspaper that’s been publishing since 1876—for two consecutive weeks, and that publication has to happen at least 20 days before the scheduled auction date at the historic courthouse on the square in downtown Benton. This window of time—which can be anywhere from a few weeks to a few months depending on where you are in the process when you take action—is your opportunity to do something about the situation. You can catch up on payments if you’re able to come up with the money, you can try to work out modified terms with your lender, or you can sell the property on your own terms before the bank takes control and auctions it off to the highest bidder at that public sale. Pre-foreclosure feels absolutely terrifying because the legal language in all those certified letters makes it sound final and inevitable, like there’s nothing you can do to stop it, but that’s actually not true at all. It’s the period when you still have the most options, the most control, and the best chance of protecting yourself and your credit. The key is recognizing that you’re in pre-foreclosure and taking some kind of action while you still have time to act, rather than letting fear, shame, and overwhelm paralyze you into doing nothing and just hoping somehow the problem will go away on its own, which it never does.

Can I sell my house during pre-foreclosure?

Absolutely yes, one hundred percent, and in fact selling during pre-foreclosure is often one of the smartest and most effective decisions you can make to protect yourself and your future. It’s completely legal, it’s completely common throughout Saline County and all of Arkansas, and it can save you from having a foreclosure on your credit report for the next seven years. Your home is still legally yours until that auction actually takes place at the courthouse on the square in downtown Benton, which means you have every right to sell it just like you would at any other time—the only real difference is that you need to move faster than a traditional sale typically allows because you’re working against the foreclosure timeline. Here in Benton, if you listed your home near the courthouse square or in one of the neighborhoods along Military Road or out by Hurricane Lake with a regular real estate agent, you’d probably have to wait several weeks or even several months for the right buyer to come along, and your house would need to be in good showing condition throughout that entire time with repairs made and everything kept spotless. But when you’re in pre-foreclosure, you don’t have months to wait around hoping for the perfect buyer who’ll pay top dollar, and you probably don’t have the money sitting around or the emotional energy to make repairs, stage the house perfectly, and keep it show-ready for potential buyers who might or might not make an offer. That’s exactly why selling directly to a cash buyer makes so much sense for people in your situation. We can close the sale in as little as 7-10 days if time is absolutely critical and you’re up against a tight foreclosure deadline, which gives you plenty of time to pay off the mortgage in full before the foreclosure sale happens at the courthouse. You walk away without the foreclosure hitting your credit report and damaging your score for seven years, which would make it incredibly difficult to rent, get approved for a car loan, or buy another home. You’re not scrambling in a complete panic at the last possible moment. Plenty of homeowners throughout Saline County and the Little Rock area have sold their homes during pre-foreclosure and moved forward with their dignity and their credit relatively intact, ready to rebuild and start fresh.

How long do I have before my house goes to foreclosure?

The honest answer is that it depends on exactly where you are in the process right now, but Arkansas doesn’t give you as much time as some other states do, so you need to take this situation seriously and act while you still can. Once your lender sends you that official Notice of Default and Intent to Sell, Arkansas law requires them to give you at least 30 days before they can schedule the auction at the Saline County courthouse. But here’s what many people don’t realize and what catches them off guard—by the time you actually receive that official notice in your mailbox, you’ve usually already been behind on your payments for several months.
do I have before my house goes to foreclosure?

The honest answer is that it depends on exactly where you are in the process right now, but Arkansas doesn’t give you as much time as some other states do, so you need to take this situation seriously and act while you still can. Once your lender sends you that official Notice of Default and Intent to Sell, Arkansas law requires them to give you at least 30 days before they can schedule the auction at the Saline County courthouse. But here’s what many people don’t realize and what catches them off guard—by the time you actually receive that official notice in your mailbox, you’ve usually already been behind on your payments for several months. Most lenders don’t start formal foreclosure proceedings until you’re somewhere between 90 and 120 days delinquent because they’re trying to work with you and because foreclosure is expensive and time-consuming for them as well. So from your very first missed payment all the way to the actual foreclosure auction at the historic courthouse on the square in downtown Benton, you might have four to six months total in the entire timeline. But the second half of that timeline—once you’ve received the official notice—moves very quickly and accelerates dramatically. Once that notice gets published in the Saline Courier for two consecutive weeks as required by Arkansas law, you’re really down to the final countdown and your options start disappearing fast. If you’re reading this right now and you’ve already received that official notice with a sale date scheduled, don’t waste another single week hoping things will magically work themselves out or that some miracle will fall from the sky at the last moment. You probably have a few weeks left, maybe a month or two at the absolute most depending on when exactly the sale is scheduled. That’s enough time to sell your home and get out from under this if you act right now today, but it’s definitely not enough time to procrastinate, avoid dealing with the problem, or keep waiting for the perfect solution to appear. Every single day you wait and do nothing is one day closer to losing all your options completely. If you’re earlier in the process—maybe you’ve just received your first default letter or you’re still in that 60-90 day delinquent stage—you have more breathing room to figure things out and explore your options carefully, but you should still treat it with the seriousness it deserves and start taking action now while you still have some control.

Will selling my house in pre-foreclosure stop foreclosure?

Yes, it absolutely will stop the foreclosure completely—if you sell in time and for enough money to cover what you owe on the mortgage. When you sell your home and use the proceeds to pay off the mortgage in full, the foreclosure process stops immediately and completely because there’s literally nothing left for the bank to foreclose on. The debt is satisfied, the bank gets their money back, you get whatever equity remains after paying off the loan and the closing costs, and the whole nightmare is finally over. Your credit report will show the late payments you already made before you sold the house, and those do negatively affect your credit score, but you avoid the actual foreclosure itself, which is far more damaging to your credit and stays on your credit report for a full seven years making it extremely difficult to buy another home, rent a decent place, or even get approved for a car loan. Even if your home is worth less than what you currently owe on it—which happens more often than people think, especially if you bought during a high market period or if you took out a second mortgage or home equity loan at some point—selling can still stop the foreclosure if your lender agrees to what’s called a short sale, where they accept less than the full mortgage balance because it’s still financially better for them than going all the way through the foreclosure process and auction. We’ve helped many homeowners in Benton and throughout Saline County do exactly this kind of transaction—we negotiate directly with their bank or mortgage company on their behalf so they can sell the property, pay off what they realistically can, and walk away without the foreclosure hanging over their head like a dark cloud for the next seven years. The absolute key to making this work successfully is acting while you still have some time on your side. Once that auction date is set at the courthouse downtown and you’re down to the final few days before the scheduled sale, it becomes much harder and sometimes completely impossible to coordinate everything and get it done in time. But if you reach out to us early enough in the pre-foreclosure process while you still have a few weeks or a month or more, selling your home is absolutely an effective and proven way to stop the foreclosure in its tracks and move forward with a much cleaner financial slate.

What happens if I do nothing during pre-foreclosure?

If you do nothing at all and just let the process run its course without taking any action to stop it, it doesn’t end well for you, and the consequences are serious, long-lasting, and painful. Your lender will continue with the foreclosure proceedings exactly as scheduled, your home will be sold at public auction on the steps of the Saline County courthouse—that beautiful historic building on the square that’s been the heart of Benton since 1902—and you’ll lose the house completely. Depending on what the property actually sells for at auction and how much you owed on the mortgage, you might still owe money even after losing your home—Arkansas law allows what are called deficiency judgments, which means if your house sells at auction for less than your remaining mortgage balance, the bank can sue you personally for the difference and potentially garnish your wages or your bank accounts to collect it. So you lose your home and you might still owe thousands of dollars that you definitely don’t have. The foreclosure goes on your credit report and absolutely destroys your credit score, typically dropping it by 200-300 points or even more, making it incredibly difficult for the next seven years to rent a decent apartment, get approved for a car loan, qualify for another mortgage, or sometimes even get certain jobs that check credit as part of their hiring process. If you’re still living in the house right up until the foreclosure sale happens, you’ll be forced to move out, and if you don’t leave voluntarily after the sale is complete, the new owner can start eviction proceedings against you, which adds another black mark to your record and makes it even harder to find housing. Beyond just the financial and legal consequences that will follow you for years, there’s the emotional and social toll of foreclosure, especially in a community like Benton where so many people are connected through church, through schools, through work, through generations of families who’ve known each other. A foreclosure sale at the courthouse on the square is public record—the notice gets published in the Saline Courier, people might see it, neighbors might notice when you suddenly have to move out, and in a community this size where people know each other it’s much harder to keep it private and anonymous. On a deeply personal level, doing nothing and letting it happen usually comes from feeling completely paralyzed and overwhelmed by the situation—feeling ashamed, not knowing where to turn for help, being too scared or too proud to reach out and ask for assistance, hoping somehow it will just go away or fix itself. But that paralysis and avoidance only makes the outcome worse in every possible way. The hardest part is taking that first step and making that first phone call to actually do something about the situation, but once you do take that step, you’ll discover there are more options available and more people willing to help than you realized. Doing nothing absolutely guarantees the worst possible outcome for you and your family. Doing something—even if it’s just reaching out to have an honest conversation—opens up real possibilities for a better ending.

Will selling to you hurt my credit less than a foreclosure?

Yes, significantly and measurably less damage to your credit. A foreclosure stays on your credit report for a full seven years and causes massive, devastating, long-term damage to your credit score—often dropping it by 200-300 points or even more depending on where your score started. Selling your home, even when you’re behind on payments and even when you’re in pre-foreclosure, shows that you took responsibility for the situation and resolved the debt rather than just walking away and abandoning it. You’ll still have a record of the late payments you made before you sold the house, and those late payments do negatively affect your credit score, but the impact is nowhere near as catastrophic as an actual foreclosure sitting on your record. Many lenders, landlords, and even employers who check credit view someone who proactively sold their home to avoid foreclosure much more favorably than someone who just let it go all the way to auction without trying to resolve it. It demonstrates character, responsibility, problem-solving ability, and integrity even in extremely difficult financial circumstances. That distinction can make a real, tangible difference when you’re trying to rent your next place, apply for a car loan to get to your job in Little Rock, or start rebuilding your financial life.

What if I owe more than the house is worth?

We can still help you even if you’re underwater on your mortgage, and this situation is actually much more common than you might think—you’re definitely not alone in this. Sometimes we can work directly with your lender to negotiate what’s called a short sale, where they agree to accept less than the full mortgage payoff amount because it’s still financially better for them than going through the entire foreclosure process, hiring attorneys, maintaining the property, and auctioning it off. We’ve successfully done this many times with banks and mortgage companies of all sizes, and we understand how to navigate the process, what documentation they typically need, how long it usually takes, and how to present your situation in a way that’s most likely to get approved. It does take some time and patience because the bank has to review everything and make an approval decision, but it’s absolutely possible and realistic, and it’s still much, much better for your credit score and your financial future than letting the foreclosure happen.

Do I have to pay any fees or commissions?

No, you don’t pay anything at all. We don’t charge any fees of any kind, and there are no real estate agent commissions that come out of your proceeds like there would be with a traditional sale through an agent. We make you an offer based on the property and your situation, and if you accept that offer, the number we quote you is the actual amount you receive. We cover all the normal closing costs on our end of the transaction. What we offer is exactly what you get. There are no surprises, no hidden fees, no last-minute deductions, no fine print. Just a straightforward, honest transaction.

How quickly can we close?

As fast as you need us to move, or as slow as works better for your particular situation. We can close the sale in as little as 7-10 days if time is absolutely critical and you’re up against a foreclosure deadline that’s coming up very soon. Or we can wait a few weeks or even longer if you need more time to figure out your next living situation, find a place to rent closer to your job in Little Rock, arrange for movers, coordinate with your family, or just emotionally prepare for the transition. We work entirely on your timeline and what works best for you and your family. We’re completely flexible because we understand that everyone’s situation is different and unique.

What if my house needs a lot of work?

It doesn’t matter to us at all—we buy houses in absolutely any condition imaginable. We’ve bought beautiful historic homes near the courthouse square that just needed some updating, and we’ve bought houses that needed new roofs, new HVAC systems, foundation repairs, complete kitchen and bathroom renovations, homes with code violations, homes with serious structural issues—you name it, we’ve probably seen it and bought it. You don’t have to fix a single thing. You don’t have to paint, repair, update, or even clean. We buy the house exactly as it sits today, with all its problems and needed repairs. That’s our job to deal with after we buy it, not yours.

Can I stay in the house for a little while after we close?

In many cases, yes, we can absolutely work that out. If you need a few extra days or even a couple of weeks after closing to move out and get settled in your next place, we can often build that into the agreement as what’s called a “rent-back” period or “post-closing occupancy.” Just let us know what you need and what your timeline looks like, and we’ll do our very best to accommodate your situation. We understand that moving is stressful and takes time to coordinate properly, especially when you’re already dealing with the emotional weight of financial stress.

What parts of Saline County do you cover?

All of it, every part of the county. Whether you’re in Benton proper near the courthouse square or along Military Road, closer to Bryant, toward Bauxite, Shannon Hills, Alexander, or anywhere else in Saline County, we’re genuinely interested in helping. We work throughout the entire county and the broader Little Rock metropolitan area. Location doesn’t matter to us—if you’re facing pre-foreclosure in Saline County, we want to talk with you.

Take a Breath. You’ve Got This.

You’ve made it all the way through this entire page, which means you’re seriously thinking about your options and actively looking for a way forward rather than just giving up. That’s genuinely good. That’s genuinely important.

Whatever you ultimately decide to do, please know that you’re not alone in facing this situation. Thousands of people have been exactly where you are right now in this moment—feeling that same fear, that same shame, that same overwhelming uncertainty about the future—and they found a way through it to the other side. You will too.

If you want to talk with someone who will listen without any judgment and help you understand your options clearly, honestly, and completely, we’re here for you. No pressure whatsoever. No sales tactics or manipulation. No games. Just an honest, respectful conversation about what might be possible.

You’re going to get through this. You’re going to be okay. Let’s figure this out together.