Enter the dates from your foreclosure papers and see how much time you have — and what to do next.
An estimate for planning, not legal advice — timelines can vary by county and case. Confirm every date with your papers, the court, or your attorney. Free help: find a HUD-approved housing counselor.
South Carolina uses a judicial foreclosure process. Key dates come from your own papers — enter them above for your exact timeline.
No statutory right to cure or reinstate before sale. Reinstatement is contract-only — the standard Fannie/Freddie mortgage reinstatement clause may apply; check the loan documents. The court-mandated foreclosure intervention process (loan modification/short sale/deed-in-lieu review) under S.C. Sup. Ct. Admin. Order 2011-05-02-01 must be offered before a foreclosure hearing and remains in effect. AllLaw/Nolo SC foreclosure guide ('South Carolina law doesn't give a borrower the right to reinstate the loan before the sale'); S.C. Sup. Ct. Admin. Order 2011-05-02-01
Before the sale: Equitable right of redemption: pay the full accelerated debt plus interest and costs to stop the foreclosure at any time before the foreclosure sale is completed. No fixed statutory window.
After the sale: NONE — South Carolina gives the borrower no statutory right of redemption after the foreclosure sale. The only post-sale opening is indirect: if the lender demanded a deficiency judgment, bidding stays open for 30 days after the sale (S.C. Code §15-39-720), during which a higher bid can be placed; that is a bidding mechanism, not a redemption right. S.C. Code §15-39-720 · S.C. Code §15-39-760 · https://www.alllaw.com/articles/nolo/foreclosure/laws-in-south-carolina.html · https://www.scjustice.org/brochure/mortgage-forclosure-sc/
Conservatively, only until the foreclosure sale date: because SC has no post-sale redemption, the homeowner's ability to sell, pay off the mortgage, and keep the equity ends when the property is sold at the judicial sale. A closing (or full payoff) must be completed before the auction. Do not rely on the 30-day open-bidding window — it exists only when a deficiency is demanded and is a bidding contest, not a right to reclaim the home.
Want the fuller picture beyond the dates? Read the South Carolina foreclosure guide — timeline, rights & options.
Delinquent property tax sale: the owner (or lienholders) may redeem within 12 MONTHS from the date of the tax sale by paying the delinquent taxes, costs, and tiered interest on the winning bid (3% months 1-3, 6% months 4-6, 9% months 7-9, 12% months 10-12, capped by statute). After 12 months, a tax deed issues to the purchaser. S.C. Code §12-51-90
PRACTITIONER ESTIMATE (not statutory): roughly 6-12+ months from first missed payment to completed sale — the federal 120-day delinquency waiting period must pass before filing, then service, the 30-day answer window, foreclosure intervention review, a hearing before the master-in-equity, judgment, and ~3 weeks of published sale notice; contested cases, mediation, and court backlogs extend this considerably. (Practitioner estimate, not a statute.)
If your mortgage predates your military service, the federal SCRA generally requires a court order to foreclose during active duty and for 12 months after (50 U.S.C. §3953). These protections must be raised — tell the court and your counselor.