New data released this month shows Texas leading the nation in completed home foreclosures, with filings climbing across the Dallas-Fort Worth area. According to Leinart Law Firm, most homeowners seek help only after a foreclosure sale date has been posted, often leaving them with limited options. Marcus Leinart, founder and managing attorney of the firm and a Dallas bankruptcy lawyer with over two decades of experience, is working to educate local families on the actual timeline they have to act.
ATTOM's mid-year foreclosure report, released on July 16, 2026, counted 227,548 properties nationwide with foreclosure filings in the first six months of the year, a 21% increase from 2025. Completed foreclosures rose even faster, with lenders taking back 27,983 properties nationally, up 33% year-over-year. Texas accounted for 3,322 of those completed foreclosures, more than any other state.
Bankruptcy filings have also increased, reaching 591,850 for the twelve months ending March 31, 2026, according to the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts. Chapter 13 filings, which are often used to save a home, rose 8% in the first quarter of the year.
Texas homeowners face a faster foreclosure process than they might expect. The state uses a nonjudicial process governed by Chapter 51 of the Texas Property Code. A servicer must give a homestead owner 20 days to cure the default, then provide 21 days' notice before the sale, which is held on the first Tuesday of the month at the county courthouse. In total, a homeowner can go from notice to sale in roughly six weeks. There is no lawsuit filed and no judge reviews the case.
Filing for bankruptcy can stop the process. The automatic stay takes effect the moment a bankruptcy case is filed, halting a foreclosure sale even if it is scheduled for the next day. Chapter 13 bankruptcy allows homeowners to repay past-due amounts over three to five years. The Texas homestead exemption has no limit on value, so qualifying homeowners can typically keep their home.
"People call us on a Monday about a sale scheduled for the next morning, and sometimes we can still help them," said Marcus Leinart. "But the options are much better six weeks earlier. What homeowners in Texas often don't realize is how little has to happen before a house is sold. There's no courtroom, no hearing, no judge. A filing stops the sale immediately, and Chapter 13 gives a family a structured way to catch up while staying in the home."
The rise in foreclosures and bankruptcies underscores the financial strain many Texas families are facing. With the state's nonjudicial process, homeowners must act quickly to protect their properties. Leinart Law Firm, which has served the Dallas-Fort Worth area since 2005, has filed thousands of bankruptcy cases and helps clients navigate Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 filings, creditor negotiations, and the court process while protecting as much property as Texas law allows. For more information on foreclosure options, visit Leinart Law Firm.
