In Maine the redemption comes first: 90 days to pay, then a sale.
A lender must sue. After the judgment you have 90 days to pay the full amount and end the case, and only when those 90 days run out does the lender advertise a public sale. If you live in the home you also get a 35-day right-to-cure notice first, and free foreclosure mediation once you are sued.
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.
Five dates decide a Maine case. Thirty-five days from the right-to-cure notice, the chance to catch up. Twenty days after you are served, the deadline to answer. The day of judgment, which starts a 90-day redemption period. The last day of that period, your deadline to pay. And the public sale, which cannot come until that period ends.
What Maine gives you
Rights that exist because the property is in Maine, 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 Maine foreclosure attorney confirm anything that matters before you act.
Questions people ask about Maine foreclosure
Short answers, each one sourced to the statute cited on this page.
How long does foreclosure take in Maine?
A typical Maine foreclosure runs roughly 346 days from the first missed payment to the end of the 90 day redemption period, with a public sale about a month later. The lender must first give a 35 day notice of right to cure. 14 M.R.S. 6111 and 6322.
How long is the Maine redemption period?
90 days from the date of the judgment, or 45 days if the court finds the home abandoned. The public sale can only be advertised after the redemption period ends. 14 M.R.S. 6322 and 6323.
What is the Maine foreclosure diversion program?
An owner-occupant of a home with up to four units can enter mediation by returning the form served with the complaint, asking for mediation or appearing in the case. A final judgment cannot issue until the mediator report is complete. 14 M.R.S. 6321-A.
How long do I have to answer a Maine foreclosure lawsuit?
You have 20 days after service to answer, and an appearance or mediation request can extend that deadline. M.R. Civ. P. 12(a) and 93.
How long before Maine forecloses for unpaid property taxes?
A tax lien mortgage forecloses automatically 18 months after the lien certificate is filed if the taxes, interest and costs are not paid. 36 M.R.S. 942 and 943.