Facing foreclosure in Minnesota? You may still have options.
If your home is in foreclosure in Anoka County, Washington County, or Ramsey County, it can feel overwhelming, confusing, and urgent. You may be receiving letters from attorneys, your lender, the sheriff’s office, your homeowners association, or companies offering “quick solutions.”
Before you make any decision, it is important to understand one thing:
Foreclosure does not always mean you are out of options.
Depending on where you are in the process, you may still be able to work with your lender, speak with a foreclosure prevention counselor, consult an attorney, reinstate the loan, redeem the property, or sell the home before the redemption period expires.
I am not an attorney, and I do not provide legal, tax, financial, or foreclosure-prevention advice. My role as a licensed Minnesota REALTOR® is to help homeowners understand the real estate sale option when keeping the home is no longer possible or no longer the best path forward.
If you would like free foreclosure-related resource links, text me at 651-964-0289 and I will send information for HUD-approved housing counselors, Minnesota legal aid resources, and homeowner support contacts.
Minnesota foreclosure basics
Minnesota foreclosure usually follows one of two paths:
Foreclosure by advertisement is the most common nonjudicial process when the mortgage allows a power of sale. The lender publishes and serves required notices, and the property may be sold at a sheriff’s sale.
Foreclosure by action is a court-based foreclosure process. If you receive a Summons and Complaint, there may be a deadline to respond. Do not ignore court papers.
The Minnesota Attorney General describes the foreclosure process as moving through several major stages, including default, sheriff’s sale, and redemption period. After a sheriff’s sale, the homeowner may still have a redemption period, but the loan usually can no longer be “cured” in the same way; instead, the amount required may include the sheriff’s sale bid, interest, attorney fees, and other permitted costs.
What is a sheriff’s sale?
A sheriff’s sale is the public foreclosure sale handled through the county sheriff. In the Twin Cities metro area, homeowners may encounter sheriff’s sale notices for:
Anoka County foreclosure sales
Washington County foreclosure sales
Ramsey County foreclosure sales
The sale notice should include important information such as the property address, legal description, mortgage information, sale date, sale location, amount due, and the redemption period. Minnesota law requires foreclosure sale notices to include the time allowed by law for redemption.
What is the redemption period in Minnesota?
The redemption period is the time after the sheriff’s sale when the homeowner may still have the right to redeem the property by paying the legally required amount.
Many Minnesota residential mortgage foreclosures have a six-month redemption period, but not all. Some situations may involve a 12-month redemption period, a five-week redemption period, or another timeline depending on the facts.
A five-week redemption period may apply in certain abandoned-property situations only if the legal requirements are met, including a judicial order under Minnesota law. Minnesota foreclosure notices also include language warning that the redemption period may be reduced to five weeks if a court determines, among other things, that the property is an abandoned residential dwelling of fewer than five units and not agricultural property.
Because the redemption deadline is critical, you should have the date verified by a Minnesota title company, attorney, or qualified foreclosure professional before relying on it.
Can I sell my house during the redemption period?
In many Minnesota cases, yes. If the homeowner still has redemption rights, a sale may be possible before the redemption period expires.
Selling during redemption can be complicated because the closing must address:
the sheriff’s sale amount or redemption payoff;
mortgage foreclosure attorney fees and costs;
property taxes;
homeowners association or condo association dues;
judgment liens;
utility or municipal assessments;
title defects;
any junior liens or creditor claims;
buyer financing and title underwriting requirements.
The goal is to determine whether the home can be sold for enough to pay required liens, closing costs, and redemption-related amounts so the buyer receives marketable title.
Why timing matters
Foreclosure timelines move quickly. Waiting too long can reduce your options.
If you are trying to sell before the redemption period ends, the property must usually be listed, marketed, placed under contract, cleared through title, and closed before the deadline. That can take time, especially if there are multiple liens, association dues, legal fees, estate issues, divorce issues, bankruptcy concerns, or repair problems.
A realistic plan should start with three questions:
What is the confirmed redemption deadline?
How much must be paid to clear title?
What is the property likely to sell for in today’s market?
As a local REALTOR®, I can help with the third question and coordinate with the title company on the real estate side. Legal questions should be directed to an attorney.
What if there are unpaid HOA, townhome, or condo association dues?
If your property is part of a condominium, townhome, or common interest community, unpaid association dues can become a major issue.
Minnesota’s Common Interest Ownership Act, often called MCIOA, is found in Minnesota Statutes Chapter 515B and regulates many Minnesota condominiums, townhomes, and planned communities. Under Minn. Stat. § 515B.3-116, an association may have a lien for unpaid assessments and may be able to foreclose that lien.
If you are selling a property with unpaid association dues, the title company will typically need an association payoff or ledger. The buyer may also be entitled to common interest community resale documents under Minn. Stat. § 515B.4-107.
In plain English: unpaid association dues do not automatically disappear just because there is a mortgage foreclosure. They must be reviewed before closing.
What must be disclosed to a buyer?
Minnesota sellers are generally required to make written disclosure of material facts known to the seller that could adversely and significantly affect the buyer’s use and enjoyment of the property.
For a home in foreclosure or redemption, important disclosures may include:
the foreclosure status;
sheriff’s sale date, if known;
redemption deadline, if known;
unpaid mortgage balance or payoff issues;
unpaid property taxes;
association dues, liens, and legal fees;
judgment liens;
pending litigation;
tenant occupancy or leases;
known property defects;
repair issues;
common interest community documents, if applicable.
The buyer should not be surprised by foreclosure-related title issues at the last minute. A good process starts with title review early.
How do you help make sure the buyer gets clear title?
The safest approach is to involve a Minnesota title company as early as possible.
A title company can help identify what must be paid, released, satisfied, or recorded before the buyer can receive clear or marketable title. In a foreclosure or redemption sale, this may include ordering payoff statements, confirming the sheriff’s sale and redemption information, checking recorded liens, reviewing property taxes, and coordinating lien payments through closing.
As your REALTOR®, I help coordinate the real estate side of the transaction, including pricing, marketing, buyer negotiations, timelines, communication, and closing coordination. I do not replace the title company, attorney, lender, or foreclosure counselor.
Can a homeowner postpone a Minnesota sheriff’s sale?
Minnesota law allows some homeowners to postpone a sheriff’s sale by following a specific statutory process. According to the Minnesota Attorney General, Minnesota law allows a homeowner to delay a sheriff’s sale for five months by filing an Affidavit of Postponement with the county.
However, this can affect the redemption timeline, so homeowners should speak with an attorney or foreclosure prevention counselor before deciding whether postponement is the right strategy.
Free Minnesota foreclosure resources
If your goal is to keep your home, contact a qualified foreclosure prevention resource immediately.
Helpful resources include:
HUD-approved housing counselors
HUD provides access to approved housing counselors, and HUD’s Minnesota page lists the national housing counselor phone number as 800-569-4287.
Minnesota Homeownership Center
The Minnesota Homeownership Center connects homeowners with nonprofit advisors offering free foreclosure prevention help.
LawHelpMN
LawHelpMN provides Minnesota foreclosure rights information and legal aid resources. Its foreclosure materials also explain that homeowners may have rights even after the sheriff’s sale.
Minnesota Attorney General
The Attorney General’s “Facing Mortgage Foreclosure” guide explains the foreclosure stages, redemption period, and postponement option.
Text 651-964-0289 and I will send these resource links directly to you.
When selling may be the best option
Selling is not the right answer for everyone. If you can keep your home through reinstatement, loan modification, repayment, refinancing, legal defense, or another approved solution, you should explore those options with the right professionals.
But if keeping the home is not realistic, selling before the redemption period expires may help you:
protect remaining equity;
avoid losing the property without receiving any proceeds;
pay off mortgage debt, taxes, association dues, or liens;
create funds for moving and rebuilding;
reduce uncertainty;
position yourself to buy again when you are financially ready.
The earlier we talk, the more options you may have.
Local foreclosure help for Anoka, Washington & Ramsey County homeowners
I work with homeowners across the east and north metro, including:
Anoka County: Andover, Anoka, Blaine, Coon Rapids, Fridley, Ham Lake, Lino Lakes, Ramsey, Spring Lake Park, and surrounding communities.
Washington County: Stillwater, Woodbury, Cottage Grove, Oakdale, Lake Elmo, Hugo, Forest Lake, Mahtomedi, Newport, Afton, and surrounding communities.
Ramsey County: Saint Paul, Maplewood, Roseville, Shoreview, White Bear Lake, New Brighton, Vadnais Heights, North St. Paul, Little Canada, Arden Hills, and surrounding communities.
If your home is in foreclosure in one of these counties, I can help you understand the market value, likely selling timeline, buyer demand, repair strategy, and whether selling before the redemption deadline may be possible.
Talk with Sarah before time runs out
You do not have to figure this out alone.
If you are facing foreclosure in Anoka County, Washington County, or Ramsey County, and you want to understand whether selling could help protect your equity, contact me confidentially.
Sarah Marrinan, CRS® | GRI® | SRS® | CLHMS® | RENE® | PSA™ | e-PRO®
Lifestyle Real Estate Advisor | REALTOR®
Call/Text: 651-964-0289
Website: www.CallSarahFirst.com/about
Call Sarah First — before your redemption period runs out.
Important disclosures
This page is for general real estate information only. It is not legal, tax, financial, lending, bankruptcy, foreclosure-prevention, or title advice. Foreclosure laws and deadlines are fact-specific. Homeowners should consult a qualified Minnesota attorney, legal aid provider, HUD-approved housing counselor, tax advisor, financial advisor, mortgage servicer, and/or title company before making decisions.
Sarah Marrinan is a licensed real estate professional and REALTOR® with Keller Williams Premier Realty. Any real estate advertising must clearly and conspicuously display the real estate brokerage name under Minnesota real estate advertising requirements.
REALTORS® are subject to the National Association of REALTORS® Code of Ethics. The Code includes advertising standards requiring REALTORS® to disclose the name of the REALTOR®’s firm in a reasonable and readily apparent manner, and fair housing-related duties prohibiting discriminatory conduct in professional real estate activities.
Equal Housing Opportunity. Housing services are provided without regard to race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sex, gender identity, marital status, disability, status with regard to public assistance, sexual orientation, familial status, or any other protected class under applicable federal, state, or local law. Federal Fair Housing law prohibits discrimination in housing because of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status, and disability; Minnesota’s Human Rights Act includes additional protected classes for housing and real property.
