When The House Is Foreclosed
MCL 600.3240 — redemption after the sheriff's sale, usually 6 months or 1 year
In Michigan, a mortgage is usually foreclosed by advertisement: notice is published once a week for 4 successive weeks in a local newspaper, and a copy is posted on the premises within 15 days after the first publication.
The sale is not the end: redemption. After a sheriff's sale, the owner may redeem within the period the section sets. For residential property of up to 4 units, under a mortgage signed on or after January 1, 1965, where the amount claimed is more than two thirds of the original debt, the period is 6 months from the sale. Where none of the section's shorter periods applies, it is 1 year.
| The assumption | What the law actually does |
|---|---|
| The assumptionThe house is gone at the sheriff's sale | What the law actually doesA redemption period follows the sale |
| The assumptionEvery foreclosure has the same redemption period | What the law actually doesIt depends on the property, the mortgage date and how much is still owed |
The section sets other periods for abandoned property, commercial and agricultural land, and other cases, which are not reproduced here. Loss mitigation, loan modification and the federal servicing rules run alongside a foreclosure on their own deadlines and are not on this page. Whether a notice was proper, whether a defense exists, and what a particular sale means are questions for a licensed Michigan attorney.
Sources for this section (2)
- MCL 600.3240 — Redemption of premises after a foreclosure sale; periods
- MCL 600.3208 — Notice of foreclosure; publication; posting
Legal information, not legal advice. Verified as of September 2026. Applying it to a particular situation is the work of a licensed Michigan attorney.