Missouri gives twenty days notice, and a year you have to claim.
No lawsuit, no judge, and only twenty days of certified mail notice before a trustee sale. Missouri does give a one-year right to buy the home back when the lender buys at the sale, but only if you give written notice at or just before the sale and post a bond within twenty days after it.
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 a Missouri case. Ten days before the sale, when written notice of intent to redeem must be given. The sale itself. And twenty days after it, when the redemption bond is due.
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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 Missouri gives you
Rights that exist because the property is in Missouri, 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 Missouri foreclosure attorney confirm anything that matters before you act.
Questions people ask about Missouri foreclosure
Short answers, each one sourced to the statute cited on this page.
How long does foreclosure take in Missouri?
With no delays or disputes, a Missouri foreclosure runs roughly 163 days from the first missed payment to the trustee sale. Federal rules bar the first filing until the loan is more than 120 days delinquent, and the trustee must then mail notice of the sale at least 20 days ahead. RSMo 443.310 and 443.325.
Can I get my house back after a Missouri foreclosure?
Sometimes. Where the lender buys the property at the sale, you may redeem within one year, but only if you gave the trustee written notice of intent to redeem at the sale or within 10 days before it, and posted a court-approved bond within 20 days after the sale. RSMo 443.410 and 443.420.
Does Missouri give a right to reinstate the loan?
Not by statute. Most Missouri deeds of trust allow reinstatement shortly before the sale, so read the reinstatement paragraph of your own deed of trust.
How much notice do I get before a Missouri trustee sale?
At least 20 days by certified or registered mail, plus newspaper publication. In a county with a city of 50,000 or more the notice usually runs in a daily paper at least 20 times; elsewhere it runs once a week for four weeks. RSMo 443.320 and 443.325.
How long do I have to redeem after a Missouri tax sale?
One year after a first or second offering sale, and only 90 days after a third offering. A buyer must also mail you notice at least 90 days before taking a deed, and a buyer who fails to give that notice loses all interest in the property. RSMo 140.250, 140.340 and 140.405.
How soon can I be evicted after a Missouri foreclosure?
The buyer must give a former owner written notice of the foreclosure and a written demand for possession, and then win an unlawful detainer case in court. A tenant gets more time: no possession case can be filed until 10 business days after the new owner mails and posts notice that the sale occurred, and the federal Protecting Tenants at Foreclosure Act usually gives a bona fide tenant at least 90 days. RSMo 534.030.
Last verified: October 18, 2026. Every deadline and citation on this page was checked against Missouri 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.