Alabama sells fast, then lets you buy it back.
A power of sale with no judge: a certified letter at least thirty days before the sale on a homestead, three weeks in the newspaper, and an auction at the courthouse door. What Alabama adds is a right to redeem afterwards, 180 days on a homestead, and a written demand for possession that can destroy that right in ten days.
Not sure what date to put in? Tell us which paper you were sent and we will work the timeline out backwards from it.
Each is a different statute.
When you first fell behind.
Local pace is the variable.
Past steps fade out.
FHA and VA add steps.
A tenant gets 90 days under federal law.
Three dates decide an Alabama case. The certified notice on a homestead, because the sale can come thirty days later and, if the notice is never given, your redemption period does not start. The sale itself. And ten days after any written demand for possession, when the right to redeem can be lost.
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Make the call.
Call your mortgage servicer (the number is on your statement) before the next payment is due, or today if you are already behind. Servicers have programs for people who lose a job, get sick or hit a rough patch, but they only start when you ask. A foreclosure costs them money too.
“I’ve had a hardship and I want to keep my home. Please send me a loss mitigation application and tell me every option for my loan.” If your loan is FHA, VA or USDA, ask about that program’s options by name.
Your latest mortgage statement, recent pay stubs or unemployment letter, two months of bank statements, last year’s tax return, and a short hardship letter. Expect a lot of paperwork. Send all of it, because a complete application is what protects you.
Date, time, who you spoke to and what they said. Keep copies and proof of when you sent your papers. A complete application more than 37 days before a sale stops that sale while they decide.
Don’t want to call alone? A free HUD-approved counselor will help: 1-800-569-4287. And if the home is ever sold at auction, ask about surplus funds: money left over after the debt is paid can belong to you, but you usually have to claim it.
What Alabama gives you
Rights that exist because the property is in Alabama, whatever a servicer tells you on the phone.
Where to get real help, free
Regional legal aid programs take foreclosure cases at no cost if you qualify by income. Start at LawHelp.org, which lists free legal aid programs state by state.
HUD-approved housing counselors are free in every state — 1-800-569-4287. Some states, courts and counties run foreclosure mediation or counseling programs; ask your servicer or a HUD-approved counselor whether yours does.
Anyone who contacts you first, guarantees they can stop the sale for a fee paid up front, or asks you to sign the deed over is running a scam. Never sign a deed to someone promising to save your home.
Checked against the statutes cited beside each step. Every legal claim on this page is registered with its citation and was checked against official sources and then reviewed again by an independent checker. Dates marked as estimates are estimates. Appellate case law was not independently verified, and laws change, so have a Alabama foreclosure attorney confirm anything that matters before you act.
Questions people ask about Alabama foreclosure
Short answers, each one sourced to the statute cited on this page.
How long does foreclosure take in Alabama?
With no delays or disputes, an Alabama foreclosure runs roughly 169 days from the first missed payment to the sale. Since a 2015 amendment, if a homestead exemption was claimed on the residential property in the tax year of the sale, the lender must send a certified letter at least 30 days before the sale. Every sale is advertised once a week for three successive weeks. Ala. Code 6-5-248(h) and 35-10-13.
How long do I have to redeem after an Alabama foreclosure?
One hundred and eighty days where you claimed a homestead exemption on the property in the tax year of the sale, and one year for other property. Ala. Code 6-5-248.
Can I lose my Alabama redemption right?
Yes. If the buyer makes a written demand for possession and you do not deliver possession within 10 days, the right to redeem is forfeited. Ala. Code 6-5-251.
What does it cost to redeem in Alabama?
The purchase price with interest, plus taxes, insurance, liens the buyer paid and the value of permanent improvements. You can demand an itemised statement, and the buyer has 10 days to provide it. Ala. Code 6-5-252 and 6-5-253.
Where and when are Alabama foreclosure sales held?
At the front door of the county courthouse, between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. on the advertised day. Ala. Code 35-10-14.
How long do I have to redeem after an Alabama tax sale?
Three years from the date of a tax sale, plus an extra year from written notice by the purchaser for a mortgage or lien holder whose instrument was recorded at the time of the sale. At a tax lien auction instead, the certificate holder cannot sue to foreclose your right to redeem until four years after the auction. Ala. Code 40-10-120 and 40-10-197.
Last verified: October 18, 2026. Every deadline and citation on this page was checked against Alabama law and the federal rules it cites. Laws change during the year, so if something here looks out of date or wrong, tell us and we will check it against the law.