Foreclosure in Hillsborough County? Know the Online Sale Timeline
In Tampa, foreclosures end in an online auction run by the Hillsborough County Clerk — but only after a court case you can respond to. Here’s the timeline, how to track your case, and what you can still do.
The short answer: Florida forecloses through the courts, so a Tampa foreclosure starts with a lawsuit and you generally get 20 days to respond once you’re served. After a final judgment, the Hillsborough County Clerk sells the house online at hillsborough.realforeclose.com, weekdays at 10:00 a.m., usually 20 to 35 days later. You keep the right to pay off the debt and keep the house until the clerk files the certificate of sale.
Tampa homeowners usually find out about a foreclosure from a process server, not a sale notice on the door. That’s the Florida difference: the lender has to win a court case first. The case is your window. Here’s how it typically unfolds in Hillsborough County, start to finish.
The Hillsborough timeline, start to finish
The 120-day line. For most home loans, federal rules generally keep a servicer from filing until you’re more than 120 days behind (12 CFR §1024.41(f)). Use that time to apply for help.
The lawsuit. The lender files in circuit court and records a notice of lis pendens (Fla. Stat. §702.01, §48.23). Mortgages in Florida can only be foreclosed this way, in front of a judge.
Your 20 days. After you’re served, you generally have 20 days to file an answer (Fla. R. Civ. P. 1.140). Missing it can mean a default and a quicker judgment.
Final judgment and sale date. If the lender wins, the judge sets a sale 20 to 35 days later, or later if the lender agrees. Notice runs on a public website for two straight weeks or in a newspaper once a week for two weeks (Fla. Stat. §45.031).
The online auction. The Clerk sells the house at hillsborough.realforeclose.com, weekdays at 10:00 a.m. Bidders put down a 5% deposit.
Certificate of sale. Your right to redeem ends when the clerk files it, unless the judgment sets a later time (Fla. Stat. §45.0315). Objections are due within 10 days; then the Clerk issues the certificate of title.
Track each step on HOVER, the Clerk’s online records system, where the public can search case indexes and view dockets and filed documents. The Clerk’s foreclosure sales page explains the auction rules.
After the sale: your money and your exposure
Surplus funds. If the house sells for more than the judgment, the extra goes to the Clerk, and the owner of record is presumed entitled to it after any junior liens that filed claims on time. You can claim it yourself until the Clerk reports it as unclaimed, one year after the sale (Fla. Stat. §45.032). You don’t need a recovery company; if you use one, Florida caps its fee at 12% (§45.033).
Deficiency. If the sale doesn’t cover the debt, a lender may ask for a deficiency judgment. It’s up to the court, and for an owner-occupied home it’s limited to the judgment amount minus the home’s fair market value (Fla. Stat. §702.06). On a one- to four-family home, a separate deficiency action must be brought within one year (§95.11(6)(g)).
Help in Tampa before it gets that far
Your servicer: request a reinstatement quote and ask about a repayment plan, forbearance or a loan modification. Send a complete application as early in the case as you can.
A HUD-approved housing counselor: free mortgage-default counseling. The CFPB counselor finder lists Tampa agencies such as the Housing and Education Alliance (813-932-4663). HUD’s line is 800-569-4287.
Legal aid:Bay Area Legal Services serves Hillsborough County and has foreclosure help for homeowners. Helpline (813) 232-1343; intake (800) 625-2257, weekdays 9 a.m.–4:30 p.m.
If selling makes more sense
When the payment can’t be fixed, selling before the auction lets you choose the terms, pay off the loan and walk away with your equity instead of leaving it to auction bidders. We buy Tampa houses as-is, with no repairs, showings, fees or commissions, and when the timeline allows we can close in as little as two weeks through a Florida title company. If a modification or repayment plan looks like the better path for you, we’ll say so.
What happens when you reach out
You talk to an owner. Call or text (678) 926-9776 and you’ll reach William or Peter, the owners of MarKey Home Buyers. We’ve been in business for more than 10 years.
We ask a few questions. The address, roughly what you owe, the condition of the house, and your sale date if you have one. Your latest mortgage statement and any notice you’ve received help.
You get an honest read. We tell you whether there’s realistically time for a sale to close before your sale date, and whether selling makes sense for you at all.
If it fits, you get a written offer after a quick walkthrough, in person or by video. No fees, no obligation.
You decide. Compare it with your other options and talk it over with family, your servicer, a housing counselor or an attorney first.
How we figure an offer: we start from what the house would sell for after repairs, then subtract the repairs it needs, our costs to buy, hold and resell it, and a margin for our risk. That’s why a cash offer is lower than a full retail price. In return you skip repairs, showings and commissions, and you pick the closing date. We’ll walk you through the numbers on your house.
What we’ll never do
Promise we can stop your foreclosure. No honest buyer can promise that.
Charge you a fee, ask for money up front, or ask you to make payments to us.
Ask you to sign over your deed before closing. The house stays yours until a closing attorney or title company closes the sale.
Tell you to stop talking to your lender, a housing counselor or an attorney.
Rush you. Every term is in writing before you agree to anything.
Hide how we buy. We may buy your house ourselves or assign our purchase contract to another buyer, and we tell you which in writing before you sign.
MarKey Home Buyers is a real estate investment company that buys houses. We are not a lender, law firm, government agency or housing counselor, and we’re not affiliated with your lender or servicer. A sale to us is a sale: at closing, ownership transfers and you move out on the date we agree.
When a cash sale probably isn’t your best move
You can afford the payment again and your servicer offers a reinstatement, repayment plan or modification that works.
The house is in good shape, you have real equity, and there’s enough time before the sale to list it with an agent. That will usually net you more.
You qualify for an assistance program that can catch you up.
If any of those fit, we’ll tell you, even if it means we don’t buy your house.
Got a notice or a sale date?
Send us the address and the sale date. We’ll tell you honestly whether there’s time for a sale to close, and what you’d walk away with.
When are Hillsborough County foreclosure sales held?
Every weekday, Monday through Friday, at 10:00 a.m., online at hillsborough.realforeclose.com. The date for your house is set in the final judgment, usually 20 to 35 days after it’s entered.
How do I check the status of my Tampa foreclosure case?
Use HOVER, the Hillsborough Clerk’s online records system, to search case indexes and view the docket and filed documents. The final judgment shows the sale date, and upcoming sales are listed on the Clerk’s auction site.
Can I stop the sale by paying what I owe?
Florida law lets you redeem by paying off the debt before the clerk files the certificate of sale, or before a later time set in the judgment. After that, there’s no right of redemption. Talk to your servicer early about reinstatement or a payoff figure.
Do I need a company to recover my surplus funds?
No. Your final judgment includes a notice that you can claim surplus funds yourself without a lawyer, and it tells you to check with the Clerk within 10 days after the sale. Surplus-recovery companies are allowed, but Florida caps their fee at 12% (§45.033), and you can file a claim directly until the Clerk reports the money as unclaimed one year after the sale.
Can I sell my Tampa house while the foreclosure is pending?
Yes. You still own it until the sale. A sale that closes before the clerk’s auction pays off the loan at closing, and you keep whatever equity is left after liens and costs.
Last reviewed . General information, not legal advice. Laws and county procedures change; confirm dates with your notice, your servicer, or an attorney.
Facing Foreclosure? See Your Options
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Facing a Hillsborough County foreclosure?
Tell us the address and your sale date. We’ll give you a no-obligation cash offer and an honest read on your timeline.
