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Residential Foreclosures

Montgomery County, Maryland

The Research & Technology Center is Montgomery County's central resource for foreclosure-related data. The center obtains quarterly foreclosure data from the Maryland Department of Housing & Community Development (DHCD) and combines this data with its own property-level information to create detailed databases and digital maps to track foreclosures in Montgomery County. This detailed, property-level data is provided to the Department of Housing & Community Affairs (DHCA), the Housing Opportunities Commission (HOC) and other Montgomery County Government agencies.

The following information is available for general release on this site:

Foreclosure Maps

The following maps show the general location of properties that have gone into foreclosure in Montgomery County since 2007:

  • Foreclosure Auctions*
    2007     / 2008 (first two quarters)
  • Real Estate Owned (REO) Properties*
    2007     / 2008 (first two quarters)

* For a list of foreclosure-related terms, see below.

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The Foreclosure Process

IMPORTANT CHANGES IN MARYLAND'S FORECLOSURE PROCESS: In the spring of 2008, the State of Maryland's foreclosure law was changed to add protections for the homeowner. One of the most important changes is that the pre-foreclosure period (the time from default to foreclosure sale) has been extended from 15 days to 135 days. The longer pre-foreclosure period gives the homeowner more time to catch up on payments and potentially to avoid foreclosure altogether. The new law requires the lender to accept such payments if they are made at least one business day before the foreclosure sale.

Foreclosure Timeline

  • Click here for a detailed timeline of Maryland's current 3-stage foreclosure process (including pre-foreclosure, foreclosure, and post-foreclosure events) prepared by the Research & Technology Center in consultation with the Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing & Regulation (DLLR).
  • For a comparison of the old and new foreclosure processes (prepared by DLLR before the new law was adopted), click here.

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Foreclosure Definitions

  • Cure the Default:The homeowner has the right to pay the amount due and “cure the default” up to one business day before the actual foreclosure action. This will stop the foreclosure process. 
  • Default: If the homeowner does not make the mortgage payment in the amount and on the day agreed to in the mortgage, the homeowner is in default. If the mortgage payment is due, for example, on the first day of the month, but the lender does not receive the payment on that day, then, technically, the homeowner has defaulted. 
  • Foreclosure: As defined in Complete Dictionary of Real Estate Terms Explained Simply (Hayden, 2007), foreclosure is “A legal procedure whereby property used as security for a debt is sold to satisfy the debt in the event of default in payment of the mortgage note or default of other terms in the mortgage document. The foreclosure procedure brings the rights of all parties to a conclusion and passes the title in the mortgaged property to either the holder of the mortgage or a third party who may purchase the realty at the foreclosure sale, free of all encumbrances affecting the property subsequent to the mortgage.”
  • Foreclosure Action: Foreclosure action is the sale of the property by the lender in order to recoup the money owned. In Maryland, foreclosure actions are filed by the lender in the appropriate court. The lender must wait 45 days after the notice of intent to foreclose (90 days from default) to file a foreclosure action. See http://www.dllr.state.md.us/finance/foreclosurelaw.htm for more about the Foreclosure Action.
  • Notice of Intent to Foreclose: According to the Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing, and Regulation (DLLR, 2008), the lender must give the homeowner at least 90 days notice of the intent to foreclose (also referred to as notice to docket or complaint to foreclose). A notice of intent to foreclose must include specific information, as described in detail at http://www.dllr.state.md.us/finance/foreclosurelaw.htm.
  • Real Estate Owned (REO): REO refers to real estate “properties that did not sell at foreclosure auction and have reverted to ownership by the lender.” (Hayden, 2007).

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More Information

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