how long does foreclosure take 
properties foreclosed in the second quarter of 2021 had spent an average of 922 days in the foreclosure process according to the u s foreclosure market report from attom data solutions a property data provider this is down slightly from the previous quarter s average of 930 days and up 34 5 from 685 days in the second quarter of 2020 15the average number of days varies by state because of differing laws and foreclosure timelines the states with the longest average number of days for properties foreclosed in the second quarter of 2021 were 5states with the shortest average times to foreclose during the same period were the graph below shows the quarterly average days to foreclosure since the first quarter of 2007 6can you avoid foreclosure even if a borrower has missed a payment or two there still may be ways to avoid foreclosure some alternatives include mortgage lending discrimination is illegal if you think you ve been discriminated against based on race religion sex marital status use of public assistance national origin disability or age there are steps you can take one such step is to file a report with the consumer financial protection bureau cfpb or the u s department of housing and urban development hud 78consequences of foreclosureif a property fails to sell at a foreclosure auction or if it otherwise never went through one then lenders often banks typically take ownership of the property and may add it to an accumulated portfolio of foreclosed properties also called real estate owned reo foreclosed properties are typically easily accessible on banks websites such properties can be attractive to real estate investors because in some cases banks sell them at a discount to their market value which in turn negatively affects the lender for the borrower a foreclosure appears on a credit report within a month or two and it stays there for seven years from the date of the first missed payment after seven years the foreclosure is deleted from the borrower s credit report 9