If I Lose My Home to Foreclosure in Washington, Can I Get It Back?

In most cases, if you lose your home to foreclosure in Washington, you won’t be able to get it back by redeeming (repurchasing) it.

By , Attorney · University of Denver Sturm College of Law

Question

Several years ago, I took out an adjustable-rate loan to buy a house in Seattle, Washington. The payments were very reasonable initially, but a while ago, they went up by a lot. I can't afford them anymore, and my home recently went into foreclosure. I just found out about something called the "right of redemption" after a foreclosure sale in Washington, which might allow me to get my house back if the foreclosure goes through. How does this work?

Answer

You might get the chance to repurchase or "redeem" your home after losing it in a Washington foreclosure, although it's not likely. State law provides foreclosed homeowners with the right of redemption—but only under specific circumstances. If yours is like most foreclosures in Washington, you won't be able to get the house back by redeeming it after the sale. Washington's redemption laws are explained in further detail below.

Right to Redeem After the Foreclosure Sale in Washington

Whether you can redeem your home after the sale in Washington depends on whether the foreclosure was judicial or nonjudicial. Here are the rules:

Judicial foreclosures. Following a judicial foreclosure sale, you can redeem within either:

  • eight months if the foreclosing bank waives the right to a deficiency judgment, or
  • one year if the bank doesn't waive a deficiency judgment. (Wash. Rev. Code Ann. § 6.23.020(1)).

If you don't redeem the home within this time frame, called the "redemption period," your right to get the house back this way expires. After that, you won't have another opportunity to redeem your home.

Judicial foreclosures of abandoned properties. If the court determines that you've abandoned the home for six months or more, you don't get a redemption period. (Wash. Rev. Code Ann. § 61.12.093).

Nonjudicial foreclosures. You can't redeem the home after a nonjuducial foreclosure in Washington. (Wash. Rev. Code Ann. § 61.24.050(1)). Because most foreclosures in Washington are nonjudicial, foreclosed homeowners usually don't get a right to redeem after the sale.

How Much You'll Have to Pay to Get Your Home Back

To redeem (if you get that right), you must reimburse the person or entity who bought the home at the foreclosure sale for the amount of the bid, plus all other allowable charges after the sale, including:

  • interest
  • amounts the purchaser paid on prior liens, plus interest, and
  • amounts the purchaser paid for assessments or taxes, plus interest on that amount. (Wash. Rev. Code Ann. § 6.23.020(2)).

How to Redeem Your Home

To redeem the home, you'll have to give the sheriff at least five days' written notice that you intend to redeem before actually paying the redemption amount. (Wash. Rev. Code Ann. § 6.23.080).

If you need help with the notice or have other questions about the procedure for redeeming the home, get help from a Washington attorney.

Take Action Before the Foreclosure Sale to Save Your Home

If you want to keep your home and the foreclosure is nonjudicial, you'll need to figure out how to do this before the sale. Even with a judicial foreclosure, it's better to take action before the foreclosure sale.

You might be able to, for example, pay off the past-due amounts to reinstate the mortgage. Under Washington law, you can reinstate the loan at any time prior to the 11th day before the sale. Or you might be able to work out an alternative to foreclosure that will allow you to keep the house, like a mortgage modification, forbearance agreement, or repayment plan.

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