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South Carolina · Weigh your options

What happens after a foreclosure sale in South Carolina

After a South Carolina foreclosure auction, what happens next depends on whether the lender asked for a deficiency judgment. If it did, bidding stays open 30 more days. There is no right to buy the home back after the sale. The buyer gets a master's deed and can ask the court to have the sheriff remove anyone still living there, and any extra money from the sale must be claimed within a set time.

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Reviewed against South Carolina law and official sources on October 12, 2026. General information, not legal advice.

What happens after the sale in South Carolina, in order

  1. Bidding stays open (deficiency cases only)

    Until the 30th day after the sale

    Anyone can enter a higher bid during this time, and the officer reopens bidding at 11 a.m. on the 30th day. A higher price lowers or wipes out any deficiency. If the deficiency was waived, the sale is final on sale day.

    S.C. Code Ann. §§ 15-39-720, 15-39-760

  2. Ask for an appraisal to reduce a deficiency

    Within 30 days after the sale

    If a personal judgment is taken or asked against you, file a verified petition with the clerk of court for an appraisal. Three state-certified appraisers set the home's true value on the sale date, and that value is credited against the deficiency. Either side can appeal their report within 10 days after notice it was filed.

    S.C. Code Ann. §§ 29-3-680, 29-3-700, 29-3-740, 29-3-750

  3. Buyer pays and gets the master's deed

    By the compliance date in the judgment

    After the buyer pays, the officer who held the sale signs a deed to the buyer. You have no right to redeem the home after the sale, so if you plan to pay off the loan it must happen before the auction.

    SCRCP 71(b); S.C. Code Ann. § 15-39-830

  4. Writ of assistance and move-out

    After the deed, if you are still in the home

    The buyer can ask the master for a writ of assistance, which orders the sheriff to remove the occupants and their personal property. Plan your move before the sale is final so you are not forced out on short notice.

  5. Report of sale and surplus notice

    When the officer files the report of sale

    The officer pays the sale costs and the judgment, then files a report showing every dollar received and paid out. If there is a surplus, the officer must send a notice of the surplus to all parties who appeared in the case.

    SCRCP 71(b), (c)

  6. File your surplus claim

    Within 45 days after the report is filed

    File a claim with the master or the officer who held the sale, signed under oath or with an affidavit, giving your name, the nature and date of your claim, and the amount. If no one else claims, the money is paid to the owner or lienholder entitled to it. If no claim is filed in time, it is treated as abandoned.

    SCRCP 71(c)

The three questions that matter after a sale

Can I get the home back in South Carolina?

No redemption after sale

We found no South Carolina law that lets a homeowner buy the home back after a mortgage foreclosure sale. You can pay off the debt before the sale. When the lender seeks a deficiency, bidding stays open for 30 days after the sale, but that is a chance for others to bid higher, not a redemption right.

S.C. Code Ann. § 15-39-720

Can the lender come after me for the rest?

Limited

The court can order you to pay what the sale does not cover if you are personally liable on the loan. Within 30 days after the sale you can petition the clerk of court for an appraisal. Three appraisers set the true value of the home as of the sale date, and that value replaces the sale price when the deficiency is figured, which can shrink or wipe it out. This right cannot be waived for a dwelling place. If you miss the 30 days, the deficiency stands.

S.C. Code Ann. §§ 29-3-660, 29-3-680 to 29-3-770

What if the home sold for more than I owed?

If the home sells for more than the costs and the amounts the judgment orders paid, the officer who held the sale keeps the surplus and must send a notice of it to all parties who appeared in the case when filing the report of sale. To claim it, file a sworn claim with the master or the officer who held the sale within 45 days after the statement of receipts and disbursements is filed; a late claim is treated as abandoned. The master then holds a hearing on the claims. If no one claims, the money is paid to the owner or lienholder entitled to it.

SCRCP 71(b), (c)

Common questions in South Carolina

Can I buy back my South Carolina home after the foreclosure sale?

We found no South Carolina law that gives a homeowner a right to redeem after a mortgage foreclosure sale. The 30-day open bidding period in deficiency cases (S.C. Code Ann. § 15-39-720) lets others bid higher, but it is not a buy-back right. Any payoff needs to happen before the auction.

How do I claim surplus money from a South Carolina foreclosure sale?

File a sworn claim with the master-in-equity or the officer who held the sale within 45 days after the statement of receipts and disbursements is filed (SCRCP 71(c)). The master then holds a hearing on the claims. Keep your address current with the court, and be wary of anyone who wants a cut of your surplus to file this for you.

Can the lender still come after me if it bought my South Carolina home at the sale?

Yes, if a deficiency was demanded and you are personally liable. A lender that buys at the sale does not wipe out the rest of the debt (S.C. Code Ann. § 29-3-670). Your protection is the appraisal petition within 30 days of the sale, which credits the home's true value instead of a low bid.

Can I waive my South Carolina appraisal rights in the mortgage?

Not for a home. South Carolina's appraisal statute lets a defendant waive appraisal rights in general, but not in a foreclosure involving a dwelling place or a consumer credit transaction (S.C. Code Ann. § 29-3-680(B)). The petition still must be filed within 30 days after the sale.

Step by step

More on foreclosure in South Carolina

Understand the process

What is happening and how much time there is.

Weigh your options

What can stop it, and what happens if it goes ahead.

Get help now

Who to call, and what to do when a sale is scheduled.

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Sources for this page

  1. Supreme Court of South Carolina, Order of May 17, 2023, Rescission of Administrative Orders Governing Mortgage Foreclosure Actions
  2. South Carolina Rules of Civil Procedure, Rule 71, Foreclosure and Partition
  3. South Carolina Rules of Civil Procedure, Rule 12, Defenses and Objections
  4. South Carolina Rules of Civil Procedure, Rule 40, Assignment of Cases for Trial
  5. S.C. Code Title 15, Chapter 11, Lis Pendens
  6. Supreme Court of South Carolina, Local Rule for the Fifteenth Judicial Circuit, Automatic Reference to the Master In Equity for Certain Foreclosure Matters (March 26, 2026)
  7. Beaufort County Master-in-Equity: Foreclosure Matters
  8. Horry County Master In Equity
  9. Richland County Master in Equity
  10. South Carolina Legal Services (apply for help)
  11. S.C. Code Title 29, Chapter 3, Mortgages and Deeds of Trust Generally
  12. S.C. Code Title 15, Chapter 39, Executions and Judicial Sales Generally
  13. Supreme Court of South Carolina, Administrative Order 2011-05-02-01, Mortgage Foreclosure Actions (rescinded May 17, 2023)
  14. SC Housing: South Carolina Homeowner Rescue Program has closed
  15. SC Housing: Avoid Foreclosure
  16. SC Board of Financial Institutions, Consumer Finance Division: File a Complaint