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What happens after a foreclosure sale in Washington

After a Washington trustee sale, you cannot buy the home back. The buyer is entitled to possession on the 20th day, but must use a court eviction case if you have not left. The lender cannot get a deficiency judgment after a trustee sale of a home loan, and any surplus is deposited with the superior court for you to claim.

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

What happens after the sale in Washington, in order

  1. The sale becomes final

    When the bid is accepted, if the trustee's deed is recorded within 15 days

    Up to the 11th day after the sale, the trustee or lender may void it for listed reasons, such as an error in the sale, a loan modification or other agreement made before the sale, or a reinstatement or payoff the lender accepted.

    RCW 61.24.050

  2. No right to buy the home back

    None after a trustee sale; 8 months or 1 year after some court foreclosures

    After a trustee sale, no one has a right to redeem. Only if the lender foreclosed through a court case can you redeem, within one year, or eight months if the lender waived a deficiency and the property is not farm land.

    RCW 61.24.050(1); RCW 6.23.020

  3. Buyer's right to possession

    20th day after the sale

    The buyer must give written notice to the people living there stating the 20th-day date. Until then you can stay. After it, the buyer can use the summary eviction process, but only if you got all the notices the law requires.

    RCW 61.24.060

  4. Unlawful detainer (eviction) case

    Return date 7 to 30 days after you are served

    The buyer files a complaint and serves a summons that names the day you must appear and answer. An eviction after a trustee sale must comply with the notice rules of the Deed of Trust Act. Respond by the return date and contact legal aid.

    RCW 59.12.032, 59.12.070, 59.12.080

  5. No deficiency judgment

    After a trustee sale of a home loan

    The lender cannot get a judgment against you for the shortfall after a trustee sale under that deed of trust. The exceptions are for commercial loans. A court foreclosure follows different rules.

    RCW 61.24.100(1)

  6. Surplus funds

    Deposited with the superior court clerk after the sale

    The trustee deposits any surplus with the clerk in the county where the sale happened and mails notice to you. To get it, you file a motion in that superior court and give the other parties at least 20 days' notice. The clerk pays only on a court order.

    RCW 61.24.080(3)

  7. Money claims against the lender or trustee

    Within 2 years after the sale

    For an owner-occupied home, you can still sue for money damages over fraud, Consumer Protection Act violations or the trustee's failure to follow the law, even if you did not try to stop the sale. These claims cannot undo the sale.

    RCW 61.24.127

The three questions that matter after a sale

Can I get the home back in Washington?

Limited redemption

After a trustee's sale, the nonjudicial kind that most homeowners face, there is no right to redeem. If the lender forecloses through a court case instead, you can redeem within one year after the sale, or within eight months if the lender waived any deficiency in its complaint and the mortgage states the property is not farm land.

RCW 61.24.050(1); RCW 6.23.020

Can the lender come after me for the rest?

Limited

After a trustee's sale under a home loan deed of trust, the lender cannot get a deficiency judgment against you. The exceptions in the statute are for commercial loans. If the lender chooses a court foreclosure instead, a deficiency is possible unless it is waived.

RCW 61.24.100(1)

What if the home sold for more than I owed?

After paying sale costs and the foreclosed loan, the trustee must deposit any surplus, less the clerk's filing fee, with the clerk of the superior court in the county where the sale took place, and mail notice of the surplus to everyone who was sent the notice of sale. Liens wiped out by the sale attach to the surplus in their order of priority. To get the money, you file a motion for disbursement in that superior court and give notice to the other parties.

RCW 61.24.080(3)

Common questions in Washington

How fast do I have to leave after a Washington trustee sale?

The buyer is entitled to possession on the 20th day after the sale (RCW 61.24.060). If you are still there, it must file an unlawful detainer case, and the summons gives a return date 7 to 30 days after you are served (RCW 59.12.070). Only a court order can remove you.

A company wants a fee to recover my Washington surplus funds. Is that legal?

The fee is capped. No one may charge more than 5 percent of the surplus returned to you, plus attorney fees a court approves, and charging more is a crime (RCW 61.24.135(3)). Any such contract must let you cancel within 10 days. You can file the motion yourself in superior court.

What happens to my renters after a Washington foreclosure sale?

A tenant living in the home at the time of the sale must get 60 days' written notice to vacate before they can be removed, unless the new owner offers a new rental agreement (RCW 61.24.146). This rule does not apply if you, the borrower, stay on as a tenant.

My lender approved a modification but the sale went through. Can it be undone in Washington?

Possibly. Up to the 11th day after the sale, the trustee or lender may void the sale if you and the lender had agreed to a modification, forbearance or other loss mitigation agreement before the sale (RCW 61.24.050). They are allowed to, not required to, so call the trustee and servicer right away.

Step by step

More on foreclosure in Washington

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. Chapter 61.24 RCW: Deeds of Trust (full text)
  2. Chapter 59.12 RCW: Unlawful Detainer (full text)
  3. Chapter 61.34 RCW: Distressed Property Conveyances (full text)
  4. Washington Department of Financial Institutions: Foreclosure Assistance
  5. Washington Attorney General: Foreclosure and Mortgage Assistance
  6. Washington Homeownership Resource Center
  7. Chapter 61.24 RCW: Deeds of Trust
  8. RCW 61.24.031 (notice of default; beneficiary's duties; borrower's options)
  9. RCW 61.24.040 (foreclosure and sale; notice of sale)
  10. RCW 61.24.090 (curing defaults before sale)
  11. RCW 61.24.100 (deficiency judgments)
  12. RCW 61.24.163 (foreclosure mediation program)
  13. RCW 61.24.080 (disposition of proceeds of sale; surplus funds)
  14. RCW 6.23.020 (time for redemption from purchaser)
  15. Chapter 61.34 RCW: Distressed Property Conveyances
  16. Washington Department of Commerce: Foreclosure Fairness Program
  17. Washington Homeowner Assistance Fund
  18. RCW 61.24.165 (application of RCW 61.24.163)
  19. RCW 61.24.166 (federally insured depository institutions; exemption)