In August 2007, I was working at the flower shop I owned near my home when a neighbor came to find me. She told me that my belongings were being put outside in my yard.

I knew we were facing foreclosure, but I did not believe we would be removed from the home that day. I had previously sought legal guidance and left with the understanding that I had until January.

In my mind, I still had time. Time to understand what was happening. Time to prepare my family. Time to decide what we would do next.

Instead, while I was at work, my furniture, clothing, family belongings and pieces of our lives were being carried out of our home and placed outside.

What Did I Do When I Found Out?

I did not immediately go home. I could not.

Instead, I drove to the community center on Glenn Dale Road, sat there and cried. I was embarrassed, overwhelmed and afraid to face what was happening. I knew my neighbors could see our belongings outside. I knew people would know that we were losing our home.

At that moment, my pride would not allow me to go back.

Then another neighbor called me. She told me that I had to get out of my pride, come home and handle my business. It was not easy to hear, but it was exactly what I needed.

I gathered myself, returned to my neighborhood and faced one of the most painful days of my life.

What Happened When I Returned Home?

When I arrived, my neighbors stepped in to help. Many of them offered to store the larger and more meaningful pieces that could not simply be left outside. They helped protect items such as my piano, my grandfather clock and other furniture and belongings that carried both financial and sentimental value.

In a moment when I felt exposed and humiliated, my neighbors reminded me that I was not completely alone. Their kindness did not change what was happening, but it helped me begin handling what needed to be handled.

I had to move past the shock, the fear and the embarrassment long enough to protect what I could.

Were All of My Belongings Returned?

No. I later learned that several items of value had not been placed outside with the rest of our belongings. Some items had been kept inside the house. Others had been moved into the shed.

I do not know what the intentions were, and I do not want to make accusations about what someone may or may not have planned to do. However, the way those possessions had been separated from the belongings placed outside caused me serious concern.

I knew exactly what I owned. I knew which valuable items were missing. I had to repeatedly advocate for myself and fight to regain access to possessions that belonged to my family.

That experience taught me another painful lesson: during a foreclosure, homeowners can become so overwhelmed by the loss of the house that they may not immediately realize what else is at risk.

Your furniture, documents, photographs, jewelry, keepsakes and family heirlooms also have value. Some have financial value. Others can never be replaced.

Even while experiencing shock and embarrassment, I had to pay attention, ask questions, document what was missing and stand firm about what belonged to me.

How Did I Get to That Point?

Like many homeowners facing financial hardship, I did not fully understand the foreclosure process. I did not understand the true timeline. I did not know which dates were final, which notices required immediate action or how quickly the process could move.

Most importantly, I did not know that I may have had options.

The hardest part of my foreclosure was not simply losing the house. It was later understanding that I had equity in the property and may have been able to use that equity to create a different outcome for my family. Selling the home may have allowed me to preserve some of that equity and prepare for the next chapter with greater control and financial stability.

But no one sat down with me and explained the process in a way I could understand. I did not know what questions to ask. I did not know who to trust. And by the time I fully understood what may have been possible, the opportunity had passed.

What Did Foreclosure Feel Like?

Foreclosure is often discussed as if it is only about missed mortgage payments, court documents and credit. It is much more than that.

It is emotional. It affects your confidence, your sense of security and the way you see yourself. It can make you avoid phone calls, stop opening letters and hide what is happening from the people who care about you. It can make you sit on Glenn Dale Road crying because you are too embarrassed to return to your own neighborhood.

For a long time, I carried the experience as a personal failure. I replayed that day in my mind. I thought about the neighbor coming into my flower shop. I thought about my belongings sitting outside. I thought about the possessions that were not immediately returned. I thought about what I might have done differently if someone had clearly explained my rights, my equity and my options.

How Did I Rebuild?

Rebuilding took time. I had to rebuild emotionally, financially and personally.

I began learning everything I wished I had known before losing my home. I learned about mortgages, credit, equity, foreclosure timelines and the importance of asking questions before a situation reaches the point of no return.

Then, exactly ten years to the day after losing my home, I became a homeowner again. This time, the home was bigger and better than the one I had lost.

That day was about much more than purchasing a house. It represented restoration. It represented growth. It represented the fact that one of the most painful days of my life did not have the power to determine the rest of my life.

Exactly ten years later, I was handed the keys to another home.

That experience permanently changed how I view homeownership. I will never treat owning a home as something ordinary. I understand the sacrifice, security and opportunity that a home can represent. I understand how quickly it can feel as though that security is being taken away. I will always treasure homeownership, and I will always treasure my home.

Why Did I Become a REALTOR®?

My foreclosure experience eventually led me into real estate. I became a REALTOR® because I wanted to become the person I needed during that difficult time.

I wanted homeowners to have someone who would explain their equity, their timeline and their possible choices before they reached a point where decisions were being made for them. I wanted buyers to understand the responsibility and value of homeownership before receiving their keys.

I wanted sellers to understand that selling a home during financial hardship is not always a failure. In some situations, it can be the decision that allows a homeowner to protect their equity, maintain some control and begin again.

Most importantly, I wanted people to feel safe asking questions. There should be no shame in admitting that you do not understand something. There should be no shame in asking for help. And there should be no shame in making the decision necessary to protect your family’s future.

Where Did My Journey Lead Me?

I went on to build a successful career helping buyers, sellers and homeowners throughout Prince George’s County and the surrounding Maryland, Washington, D.C., and Virginia communities. I continued learning, serving and growing within the real estate industry.

Eventually, the woman who once sat crying on Glenn Dale Road because she could not bring herself to face the loss of her home became the President of the Prince George’s County Association of REALTORS®.

That title does not erase my foreclosure story. It gives my journey greater meaning. I went from not understanding how to protect my own home to helping lead an association of real estate professionals. I went from feeling as though I had no voice in the process to using my voice to educate, advocate and serve. I went from losing my home to becoming a homeowner again exactly ten years later.

Why Do I Share This Story?

I share my story because someone reading this may be sitting somewhere crying, afraid to go home and face what is happening. Someone may be ignoring letters because they do not understand them. Someone may believe they have more time than they actually have. Someone may have equity in their property without realizing that it could help them create another path forward. Someone may be allowing pride or embarrassment to stop them from asking for help.

I understand all of those emotions because I lived them. But I also learned that pride cannot protect your home, your equity or your belongings. Information can. Action can. The right guidance can.

A missed mortgage payment does not make you a bad person. Financial hardship does not mean you have failed. Facing foreclosure does not mean you will never own another home. And asking for help does not mean you are giving up. It means you are choosing to understand your situation before it is too late.

What Should You Do If You Are Facing Foreclosure?

Start by learning exactly where you are in the process. Open every letter. Understand your deadlines. Contact your mortgage company. Determine how much equity you may have in your property. Speak with qualified legal, housing, financial and real estate professionals who can explain the choices that may apply to your situation.

For some homeowners, the best solution may be working directly with the lender. For others, selling the property before the foreclosure is completed may allow them to preserve equity and make a more controlled transition. Every homeowner’s circumstances are different.

The goal is not to pressure you into selling. The goal is to help you understand your options before those options disappear.

You Are More Than This Moment

I know what it feels like to believe everything is falling apart. I also know what it feels like to rebuild.

I went from losing my home to owning a bigger and better home exactly ten years to the day later. I went from facing foreclosure without understanding my choices to building a real estate career centered on educating and protecting others. I went from sitting on Glenn Dale Road, unable to face my neighborhood, to becoming President of the Prince George’s County Association of REALTORS®.

Your current circumstances do not get to write the final chapter of your story.

Every home has a story.
My story helps you move smarter.

— Carole Webb, REALTOR® · 2026 President, PGCAR