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.
Vermont uses a judicial-strict foreclosure process. Key dates come from your own papers — enter them above for your exact timeline.
Before judgment you can cure the default by paying the missed payments and charges stated in the lender's notice of default (per the mortgage terms and federal servicing rules) — Vermont Legal Aid confirms curing before judgment stops the case. Vermont also has a court-connected foreclosure mediation program (request form is served with the summons) where the lender must consider affordable loan modifications. AFTER judgment there is no arrears-only reinstatement: during the redemption period you must redeem by paying the FULL amount owed (or negotiate a modification with the lender's agreement). 12 V.S.A. ch. 172; vtlawhelp.org/foreclosure-process-vermont
Before the sale: You may redeem by paying the full judgment amount at any time until the court-set redemption date expires — by statute, the default is 6 months from the date of the decree unless the court orders (or you agree to) a shorter time (and for non-owner-occupied/non-farmland property it can be sharply shortened or eliminated); strict foreclosure without sale is only allowed if the court finds no substantial value in the property above the debt plus unpaid taxes (12 V.S.A. §4941(a)). The exact redemption date is COURT-SET and printed in the decree — read it off the judgment, do not compute it. In judicial-sale cases the sale itself cannot occur until the redemption period has run, and for an owner-occupied residence no sale may occur within 7 months of service of the complaint unless the court shortens the period or the parties agree (12 V.S.A. §4946).
After the sale: None. Once the redemption period expires the borrower's rights terminate; there is no statutory post-sale redemption in Vermont — after the sale the court holds a confirmation hearing and issues a writ of possession (14 days to vacate). 12 V.S.A. §4941 · 12 V.S.A. §4946 · 12 V.S.A. §4945–4954
Until the redemption period in your decree expires, you still own the home and can sell it, pay off the judgment in full, and keep the remaining equity — Vermont Legal Aid expressly lists selling during the redemption period as an option. After the redemption date passes, you lose that right; if a judicial sale then occurs, any surplus over the debts is distributed per the court's order, but do not count on surplus — selling before redemption expires is the reliable way to keep equity. The redemption date is COURT-SET (6-month statutory default, court may shorten).
Want the fuller picture beyond the dates? Read the Vermont foreclosure guide — timeline, rights & options.
After a tax collector's sale, the owner, mortgagee, or lienholder may redeem within ONE YEAR from the day of sale by paying the sum the land sold for plus interest at 1% per month (or fraction thereof); the collector must give written notice 90–120 days before the redemption deadline, and if redeemed no tax deed is delivered to the purchaser. 32 V.S.A. §5260
Commonly around 10–14+ months for an owner-occupied home: ~21 days to answer, several months to judgment (longer if mediation or contested), then the 6-month default redemption period, then sale notice (30 days + 3 weeks publication), sale, and confirmation. Uncontested cases with shortened redemption can be faster. (practitioner estimate) (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.