Foreclosure auctions in Mecklenburg County
If a foreclosure sale has been scheduled on your Charlotte home, here is how the auction works, how it is advertised, and why the day of the sale is still not the last day you can act.
How the sale is advertised
Notice of sale
After the Clerk allows the sale, the trustee issues a notice of sale with the date, time and place.
Posted and published
The notice is posted at the courthouse and published in a local newspaper for at least two weeks before the sale. The homeowner is also mailed a copy.
N.C.G.S. 45-21.17
Where to find it
On the notice mailed to you, in the court file, and in the newspaper legal notices. The Clerk’s office can confirm the scheduled date.
How the auction itself works
When and where
North Carolina foreclosure sales are held at the courthouse, at the location stated in the notice, between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. on a day the courthouse is open.
N.C.G.S. 45-21.23
Who conducts it
The trustee or substitute trustee named in the deed of trust, often an attorney for the lender.
Who bids
The lender often places an opening bid. Investors and members of the public can bid against it; the high bidder usually posts a deposit.
What the result means
The high bid is provisional. The ten-day upset bid period follows, and a higher bid restarts it.
What homeowners can still do
Before the auction
Close a sale or an approved short sale, pay the loan current, or complete a loss-mitigation application in time. What actually stops a foreclosure.
After the auction
During the upset bid period, paying off the loan or a bankruptcy filing can still stop the transfer, and a buyer working with you can file a higher bid.
If it sells for more than you owe
The surplus goes to the Clerk and can be claimed. How surplus funds work.
Frequently asked questions
Where are foreclosure auctions held in Mecklenburg County?
At the Mecklenburg County Courthouse in uptown Charlotte, at the location stated in the notice of sale. The Clerk of Superior Court’s office can confirm the details for a specific case.
How do I find out when my house is being auctioned?
The date is on the notice of sale mailed to you and posted at the courthouse, and it is in the court file. You can look up the case on the eCourts Portal or call the Clerk’s office on (704) 686-0400.
Is the foreclosure final after the auction?
No. There is a ten-day upset bid period after the sale, and each new upset bid restarts it. The sale is final only when a period ends with no new bid.
Can the auction be postponed?
Sometimes. The trustee can postpone a sale, and servicers sometimes agree to while a short sale or modification is under review. Get any postponement confirmed in writing.
General information for Charlotte and Mecklenburg County homeowners. It is not legal, tax or financial advice. Terri Lombardo is a licensed real estate broker, not an attorney or tax adviser.
Free HUD-approved housing counseling is available to North Carolina homeowners through the NC Housing Finance Agency on 1-888-442-8188.
Is your sale date already set?
Tell us the date. We will tell you what can still realistically close before it — and what is still possible after it.
Serving Charlotte and all of Mecklenburg County.