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North Dakota · What this letter means

North Dakota foreclosure letters and notices

The papers North Dakota homeowners receive, in the order they usually arrive. Each page uses the name on the North Dakota document, explains the deadline it starts under North Dakota law, and lists what to do this week.

  1. Step 1

    Notice Before Foreclosure

    In North Dakota, the lender must serve this written notice on the record owner 30 to 90 days before it can sue to foreclose. It lists what you need to pay to bring the loan current. If you pay that within 30 days, the law says the mortgage is reinstated as if you never fell behind.

    What it means
  2. Step 2

    Summons and Complaint (foreclosure)

    In North Dakota, a foreclosure lawsuit starts the moment you are served with the summons and complaint, even if nothing has been filed in court yet. You have 21 calendar days after service to serve a written answer on the lender's lawyer. If you do nothing, the court can enter a default judgment and order the home sold.

    What it means
  3. Step 3

    Notice of Sheriff's Sale

    After a foreclosure judgment, the county sheriff must publish the time and place of the sale in the county's official newspaper once a week for 3 weeks in a row. The last notice must run at least 10 days before the sale. Even if the sale happens, you have 60 days afterward to buy the home back for most homes.

    What it means
  4. Step 4

    Sheriff's Certificate of Sale

    At a North Dakota foreclosure sale, the sheriff gives the winning bidder a certificate of sale, not a deed. For most homes, you then have 60 days from the sale to redeem by paying the bid plus interest, and you can keep living in the home until then. If you do not redeem, the sheriff gives the buyer a sheriff's deed right after the 60 days end.

    What it means
  5. Step 5

    Notice of Intention to Evict

    If you are still in the home after the redemption period ends, the buyer must give you 3 days' written notice of intention to evict before it can start an eviction case. The notice is not a court order. Only a district court judge can order you out, and the eviction summons sets a court date 3 to 15 days after it is issued.

    What it means

Got a letter not listed here? See every foreclosure letter explained, or how foreclosure works in North Dakota.