Five days before the sheriff sale.

The situation

This was an investment property that got away from the owner. The mortgage fell behind, the tenants left it wrecked, and by the time he called us the property was already listed for sheriff sale — five days out.

At that point most people assume it's over. It isn't, but the clock is real. If the auction happens, the house goes and the owner walks away with nothing, plus a foreclosure on his credit.

What we did

We got the payoff figure from the lender, worked directly with the attorney handling the sale, and closed before the auction date. The foreclosure was stopped, the debt was paid off, and the owner left the table with about $20,000 in his pocket — money he would have lost entirely a week later.

He didn't clean it out, didn't fix anything, didn't pay a commission. He handed us the keys with the house exactly as the tenants left it.

Then we rebuilt it

Full gut: new kitchen, two new baths, floors, mechanicals, paint, and the yard. It went back to market as a finished home for a family in Lawndale.

If you're facing a sheriff sale

Call before the sale date, not after. Even a week is often enough. We've closed in as little as four days, and we deal with the lender and the attorney so you don't have to.