Sale scheduled for 1/26 - how long before we have to vacate?

We are in Maryland and I called the local sheriff to ask him, but he said he only knows how long people have to vacate after he serves the eviction papers. He doesn't know what the timeline is from sale date to when he gets the order to evict.

Anyone know that timeline? We have a place to move into -- it's just that the landlords are finishing the basement and won't be quite finished yet. We were hoping to move Feb. 21st.

Do you think a sale date of Jan. 26th and a move date of Feb. 21st is unrealisic to hope for?

Not unrealistic, but you could be pushing it though. Once the sale is finalized, the buyer from the sale (usually the bank) still has to have the deed placed in their name. The buyer must be the legal owner before they can evict. It can take a month at the very least to transfer the deed, but I see that being more like 2 or 3 months, so you should be okay.

Plus, you might get a cash for keys offer...

If you don't mind me asking....how long has it been since you paid your mortgage? I'm really thinking about letting my house go, but wanted an idea of how long I could stay before the sale. I appreciate any input you may have.

With the astounding number of foreclosures in the country to day, the timeline is really hard to pinpoint. It could be 90 days to a year, or even longer depending on how many foreclosures there are.

Hi Tazzy - we made our last payment in March of '08, then filed for Chapter 7 on May 23rd. As we've watched all the home values plummet in our neighborhood, we really feel we did the best thing. We've been able to save some money and we found a great single family house to rent - for $1100 a month LESS than the mortgage on our townhouse.

Understanding landlords are out there. We found a wonderful family of a father and 2 sons who were more than happy to rent to us. We were totally honest about our situation and I think they saw our sincerity in wanting to just start fresh and get back on our feet. They have painted, finished the basement, added a bath all to make the house a home for us.

We actually found the house in November and told them that we wouldn't be moving until Feb (I wanted to take advantage of life without a house payment for as long as possible) and they were totally fine with it. They didn't even make us sign a lease or give them any good faith money! They just took that time to finish the work they wanted to do on the house. Oh yeah - they even put on a beautiful deck!

We are looking forward to moving forward instead of looking back. Good luck to you!!

Thanks..It sounds like you'll definitely get your fresh start. I was still holding out and wishing the market would get back to where it was in 2005, when I bought this house. The value has dropped $100,000 and I get mad everytime I make a mortgage payment. Reality has sunk in and it's probably time that I move on. I just hope and pray that I can find a good landlord as you have done. Good luck to you.

SJR1,

What happened with your house -- did the auction happened as scheduled? How long after the auction did you have before you had to move out? I was hoping you wouldn't mind sharing an update with us...I know it has been a year so you might not be around any longer...

sjr1 - Although I did not file in Maryland, take a look at my post titled "My Actual Ch7/Foreclosure Process in CO". I could have drug it out for about 90 days after the actual auction from what friends told me, but I didn't, Because dragging it out decreases the possibility for "cash for keys". - BKFOURAB