Check the county clerk's posted notices first; that tells you the sale date. Tarrant sells at the west steps of the old courthouse and Dallas at the George Allen Courts Building, on the first Tuesday. The clerks do not run sales, so your written request goes to the loan servicer.
Our Texas guide to stopping foreclosure on an inherited house covers the federal successor-in-interest rules and the state notice deadlines. This page is the local layer for heirs in Tarrant, Dallas and Collin counties: where the auctions take place, how to find a posted notice, who to call, and which probate filings the servicer is likely to accept as proof that you now own the house.
Where DFW foreclosure auctions take place
Texas sets the day: the first Tuesday of the month, or the first Wednesday when that Tuesday falls on January 1 or July 4, with the commissioners court of each county choosing the spot (Property Code Sec. 51.002(a) and (a-1)). Here is what the clerks post for the two largest DFW counties.
- Tarrant County. Sales take place at the base of the courthouse steps on the west side of the building at 100 West Weatherford Street in downtown Fort Worth. Each notice states the time.
- Dallas County. Under Court Order 2009-0463, postings and sales take place on the north side of the George Allen Courts Building, facing Commerce Street below the overhang, unless the commissioners designate another place. The clerk's page gives 10:00 a.m. as the earliest start, and no later than three hours after that.
- Collin County. The clerk's foreclosure notice page links the commissioners court order that sets the sale location; read it before sale day.
How to find out if a parent's house has been posted
Lenders file the notice of sale with the county clerk at least 21 days before the auction. Family members can miss it, because the mailed copy goes to the house itself unless the borrower gave the servicer another address in writing. Checking the posting yourself takes a few minutes.
DFW notice lookups: Tarrant County Clerk foreclosures · Dallas County Clerk foreclosure notices · Collin County foreclosure notices
- Tarrant. Notices can be viewed around the clock through the county's Official Records search, on public terminals in the basement of the Old Courthouse, and on a bulletin board at the east end of that basement. Printed copies cost $1 per page. The clerk notes that each month's file is destroyed the day after the sale and that the postings are neither indexed nor searchable, so look through the current month's notices online or in person.
- Dallas. The clerk's website groups notices by city and month, and you can search each file by name or street address. For notices filed on or after February 24, 2026, the clerk sends you to its Public Search site: pick Foreclosure from the dropdown and filter by sale date or city. Notices are also posted in the George Allen Courts Building lobby at 600 Commerce Street, and copies cost $1.00 per page.
- Collin. The online list can be filtered by sale date, city, property type and filed date.
The clerk cannot stop the sale; the servicer can
Both the Tarrant and Dallas clerks say plainly that their staff do not run the auctions or know the details of any sale. Trustees conduct them on the lenders' behalf, and if you believe a house was posted by mistake, the clerks' own advice is to contact the lender. That is the right instinct for an heir, too. Your first written letter goes to the loan servicer, at the address it lists for information requests, saying the borrower has died and you may be a successor in interest.
Timing drives everything after that. Under Regulation X, 12 CFR 1024.41(g), a complete loss mitigation application gets its strongest protection when it reaches the servicer more than 37 days before the scheduled sale. Read the sale date off the posted notice, count back 37 days, and you know how much room you have.
Local filings that prove you own the house
A servicer will want proof that you inherited. The CFPB's commentary to 1024.38 says the documents it asks for must be reasonable under state law, and it uses an affidavit of heirship as an example of proof that can be enough. Here is what each common DFW filing costs under the posted January 2026 schedules.
| Filing | Tarrant County Clerk | Dallas County Clerk |
|---|---|---|
| Will probated with letters testamentary | $392, issuance and posting included | $360 base fee, plus posting ($20) and citation issuance ($8 each) |
| Will probated as a muniment of title | $392, issuance and posting included | $360 base fee, plus posting ($20) and citation issuance ($8 each) |
| Heirship, no administration | $360, publication extra | $360 base fee, plus posting ($20), citation issuance ($8 each), publication ($65 plus the newspaper's bill) and a $600 attorney ad litem deposit |
| Small estate affidavit | $404, issuance, posting, judge's signature and certified copy included | $360 base fee |
A few local details save trips. The Dallas probate division says a small estate filing needs a copy of the death certificate, the $360 fee, and an application signed, notarized and sworn by two disinterested witnesses, and that at least 30 days must have passed since the death. It also says affidavits of heirship are filed with the Recording Division, not at the probate counter. The Recording Division is in the Records Building at 500 Elm Street in Dallas.
Court cases take weeks. Do not wait for a judgment before writing to the servicer. Send the letter now and tell the servicer which filing is in progress.
A DFW heir's foreclosure checklist
- Search the county posting by the house address and write down any sale date.
- Collect every envelope at the house; the default and sale notices are mailed there.
- Send the servicer a written successor-in-interest letter with the death certificate.
- Choose the probate filing that fits the estate and file it in the county where your parent lived.
- Count back 37 days from the sale date and decide whether to apply for loss mitigation or sell.
- Talk with a local probate or foreclosure attorney if the sale is less than a month away.
When we buy an inherited DFW house before the sale
Cash Home Advisors is based in Fort Worth and buys houses across DFW. If a sale date is already posted, the goal is a closing before it: we can close in 7–14 days, we pay all closing costs, and the servicer's payoff is listed on the closing statement you review before you sign.
Start with a cash offer request, check our service areas, or visit our Fort Worth and Dallas pages. For probate deadlines, see our DFW guide to inherited property time limits.
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Frequently asked questions
Where are foreclosure sales held in Tarrant County?
The Tarrant County Clerk says sales take place on the first Tuesday of each month at the base of the courthouse steps on the west side of the building at 100 West Weatherford Street in downtown Fort Worth. The time is printed on each notice.
How do I check whether a late parent's Dallas County house is posted for sale?
The Dallas County Clerk posts notices on its website, sorted by city and month, and in the lobby of the George Allen Courts Building at 600 Commerce Street. For notices filed on or after February 24, 2026, it points to its Public Search site, where you choose Foreclosure from the dropdown and filter by sale date or city.
Can the county clerk cancel a sale because the borrower died?
No. Both the Tarrant and Dallas clerks say their staff do not conduct the sales or know the details; trustees run them for the lenders. If you think the house was posted in error, the clerks tell you to contact the lender.
Does Collin County post foreclosure notices online?
Yes. The Collin County Clerk's foreclosure notice page lists posted properties and lets you filter by sale date, city, property type and filed date. It also links the commissioners court order setting the sale location.
Sources
- Tarrant County Clerk, Foreclosures (Notices of Substitute Trustee Sales)
- Dallas County Clerk, Recording Division: Find Foreclosure Notices
- Collin County Clerk, Foreclosure Notices
- Tarrant County Clerk, Probate fee schedule (effective January 1, 2026)
- Dallas County Clerk, Probate fee schedule (effective January 1, 2026)
- Dallas County Clerk, Probate Courts Division: Know Before You Come
- Dallas County Clerk, Recording Division: Filing Fees and Payment Information (address)
- CFPB, Regulation X 12 CFR 1024.38 (documents servicers may require from successors)
- CFPB, Regulation X 12 CFR 1024.41 (37-day rule)
- Texas Property Code, Chapter 51 (Secs. 51.0001 and 51.002 notice and sale)
- Texas Estates Code, Chapter 33 (Sec. 33.001 venue)
General information, not legal or tax advice. Talk to a Texas attorney or CPA about your situation.