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Foreclosure sale date set in Washington: what you can still do

If a Washington trustee sale is scheduled, your right to catch up ends before the 11th day before the sale, and the mediation referral window closes 90 days before it. Count calendar days and do not wait for the last one. First confirm the date with the trustee, then work down this list with your servicer, the trustee and a counselor or lawyer.

Free HUD counselor: (800) 569-4287

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

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Options still open before a sale in Washington

  • Confirm whether the sale is still on

    Now, and again the week of the sale

    Your Notice of Trustee's Sale lists the date, time and place and the trustee's address and phone number, and the trustee must keep a staffed Washington street address with a phone. Sales are held on Fridays. If the sale is continued, the trustee announces it at the sale and mails you notice of the new date.

    RCW 61.24.030(6), 61.24.040(9), (10)

  • Reinstate the loan

    Before the 11th day before the sale

    Ask the trustee in writing for the exact reinstatement amount and pay it in cash, certified or cashier's check, money order or verified electronic transfer. The trustee must then record a notice of discontinuance of the sale.

    RCW 61.24.090

  • Get referred to mediation if there is still time

    No later than 90 days before the sale date

    If you are still inside the window, a housing counselor or attorney can refer you, and the sale cannot happen until the mediator's certification arrives. After the deadline, the lender can agree in writing to mediate but does not have to.

    RCW 61.24.163(2), (19)

  • Ask your servicer to postpone

    Before the sale

    Ask about a modification or other loss mitigation and ask the servicer to have the trustee continue the sale. The trustee can continue it up to 120 days in total but does not have to. Get any agreement in writing.

    RCW 61.24.040(10)

  • Pay off the whole loan

    Until the sale

    After the reinstatement cutoff, you can still stop the sale by paying the full principal, interest, costs and advances. Send the trustee a written payoff request as early as you can.

    RCW 61.24.040(2), (4)

  • Court order or bankruptcy stay

    Before the sale; a court needs 5 days' notice to the trustee

    A restraining order requires serving the trustee 5 days ahead and paying your monthly payment to the court clerk. A bankruptcy filing also stops the sale. Both need a licensed attorney or legal aid, and neither is a sure thing.

    RCW 61.24.130

Call today, not tomorrow

With a sale on the calendar, every option above has a cutoff. A free HUD-approved housing counselor can call your servicer with you today: (800) 569-4287. For legal aid and court help, see free foreclosure help in Washington.

Common questions in Washington

When and where are Washington trustee sales held?

On a Friday, or the following Monday if that Friday is a legal holiday, at a public place in the county where the home is (RCW 61.24.040(9)). The trustee cannot bid. A buyer other than the lender must pay the full bid in cash, certified or cashier's check, money order or verified electronic transfer (RCW 61.24.070).

I missed Washington's 11-day reinstatement deadline. Is there anything left?

You can still stop the sale by paying off the whole loan before the sale (RCW 61.24.040). If the trustee continues the sale, the reinstatement deadline moves to the 11th day before the actual sale date (RCW 61.24.090). You can also ask the servicer to postpone, though it does not have to.

My Washington sale is less than 90 days away. Can I still get mediation?

Usually only if the lender agrees in writing. The one exception: if a court restrained the sale and the trustee then records an amended Notice of Trustee's Sale, a counselor or attorney can refer you up to 25 days before the new sale date (RCW 61.24.163(2)).

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)