PENNSYLVANIA FORECLOSURE PROCESS

In Pennsylvania, foreclosures are executed by the court system.

Pre-Foreclosure Period

The PA foreclosure process cannot begin until a borrower is at least 60 days late on payments. The lender will normally send two letters to the borrower before beginning the foreclosure process. The letters are notification of the foreclosure and options to prevent it. The owner will have about 2 to 4 months to find a way to prevent foreclosure before the lender proceeds with further action.
 

If the borrower can not find a way to prevent foreclosure, the lender will file suit against the borrower for the balance of the loan. The borrower is notified in person or by mail. After being notified of the foreclosure action, the borrower has about one month to respond before the court will direct that the property be sold to recover the money due the lender.
 

There is still time to prevent the sale at this point. In fact, we can stop the sale any time up to one hour before the sale by paying the amount owed and possibly fees. In addition, motions may be filed to prevent sale.
 

Notice of Sale or Auction

The county sheriff will give notice of the sale at least 30 days prior. The sheriff does this by putting a handbill on the property as well as delivering a copy of the notice to the borrower. The sale is also advertised once a week at the minimum for three consecutive weeks in both a local general-interest newspaper and a local legal newspaper.

The sale is a public auction overseen by the county sheriff and takes place 1-2 months following the court's order. The property is sold to the highest bidder and the sheriff completes the necessary documents to transfer ownership. The sale may be postponed once up to 100 days by announcement at the sale. The court must approve any further postponements.

In a Pennsylvania foreclosure, there is no right of redemption for borrowers following the sale.