Everything We're Usually Asked, In One Place.

Briargate was started by a family who had been through a foreclosure themselves many decades ago due to a battle with cancer. Working for a national recovery company beforehand, they watched clients get taken advantage of, over and over, by other companies and lawyers that had no business handling anyone's money. We knew we could add honesty, integrity, and transparency to make sure our clients are cared for.

No, but you could be scammed by a predatory or inexperienced company working in this same space. When a property sells at a foreclosure auction for more than is owed to the bank, the owner before the sale is owed the difference, minus any other liens or encumbrances. That's not a loophole, it's simply how the math works when a bidder pays more than the debt. What makes it feel like a scam is everything that happens next: foreclosure records are public, so within days of a sale a person can start getting calls from companies in states they've never heard of, all wanting a signature. See the "Spotting a Predatory Company" section below for how to tell the good ones from the rest.

Both, in roughly equal numbers. About half the people we work with lost the home themselves; if the auction brought in more than the bank was owed, that difference is still theirs, and there's no short window in which they have to claim it. The other half are heirs, adult children, siblings, or grandchildren settling the affairs of someone who passed away. See the "For Heirs and Families" section below for what's different about those cases.

Most recoveries close 30 to 60 days after the sale. Some take as little as a week; older or more complex cases, including ones that involve probate or a contested claim, can take up to a year and a half. We've recovered funds as long as 15 years after a foreclosure, so there's no hard deadline that rules a case out.

Liens and other encumbrances come out before you receive your share, so they have to be identified and resolved first. We handle that as part of the process rather than leaving it with you to sort out.

Yes, and people take us up on it. Our sales reps, owners, and attorney are all available to take client calls throughout the process. If hearing it explained by the person who will actually be holding your funds would settle your mind, say so and we'll arrange the call.

Roughly half our cases are exactly this. Heirs are frequently entitled to these funds. Determining who is entitled is usually the hardest part, and our legal team handles it, including probate, affidavits of heirship, and the documentation the trustee requires.

Probably not. We've recovered funds as long as fifteen years after a foreclosure. Older cases can take longer to work through, but age alone doesn't disqualify a claim.

No. It means entitlement is determined by the law of the state rather than by a document, which changes the paperwork involved but not whether a claim can be made. This is exactly the kind of thing our legal team sorts out.

Multiple heirs is common and it's handled as part of the case. What matters is establishing correctly who is entitled and to what share, so that the trustee can release the funds without further dispute. If someone else has already filed against the same funds, that's handled too, including litigation counsel if it comes to that.

Some estates do and some don't, depending on the situation and the state. Where probate is required, our legal team includes probate counsel, so it doesn't become something you have to arrange separately.

You shouldn't, on the strength of a phone call. Foreclosure and death records are both public, so a lot of companies know exactly when a family is at its most vulnerable, and grieving families get targeted more than most. Check whoever you're talking to, including us, against the "Spotting a Bad Company" section below, ask to speak to the attorney handling the money, and take the time to decide. Most trustees won't touch the file for thirty days anyway.