Whenever any levy shall be made upon the lands or tenements of a householder whose homestead has not been selected and set apart, such householder, the householder or householder’s spouse, when the marriage relationship exists, or an agent or attorney of the householder may notify the officer in writing at the time of making such levy, or at any time before the sale, of what the householder regards as the homestead, with a description thereof, and the remainder alone shall be subject to sale under such levy.