WASHINGTON STATUTES AND CODES

61.30.120 - Sale of property in lieu of forfeiture.

Sale of property in lieu of forfeiture.

(1) Except for a sale ordered incident to foreclosure of the contract as a mortgage, a public sale of the property in lieu of the forfeiture may be ordered by the court only as provided in this section. Any person entitled to cure the default may bring or join in an action seeking an order of public sale in lieu of forfeiture. No other person may bring such an action without leave of court first given for good cause shown.

     (2) An action under this section shall be commenced by filing and serving the summons and complaint before the declaration of forfeiture is recorded. Service shall be made upon the seller or the seller's agent or attorney, if any, who gave the notice of intent to forfeit. Concurrently with commencement of the action, the person bringing the action shall record a lis pendens in each county in which any part of the property is located. After the commencement of an action under this section and before its dismissal, the denial of a request for a public sale, or the vacation or expiration of an order for a public sale, the declaration of forfeiture shall not be given or recorded. However, commencement of the action shall not of itself extend the time for cure.

     (3) If the court finds the then fair market value of the property substantially exceeds the unpaid and unperformed obligations secured by the contract and any other liens having priority over the seller's interest in the property, the court may require the property to be sold after the expiration of the time for cure in whole or in parcels to pay the costs of the sale and satisfy the amount the seller is entitled to be paid from the sale proceeds. Such sale shall be for cash to the highest bidder at a public sale by the sheriff at a courthouse of the county in which the property or any contiguous or noncontiguous portion thereof is located. The order requiring a public sale of the property shall specify the amount which the seller is entitled to be paid from the sale proceeds, which shall include all sums unpaid under the contract, irrespective of the due dates thereof, and such other costs and expenses to which the seller is entitled as a result of the purchaser's default under the contract, subject to any offsets or damages to which the purchaser is entitled. The order shall require any person requesting the sale to deposit with the clerk of the court, or such other person as the court may direct, the amount the court finds will be necessary to pay all of the costs and expenses of advertising and conducting the sale, including the notices to be given under subsections (4) and (5) of this section. The court shall require such deposit to be made within seven days, and if not so made the court shall vacate its order of sale. Except as provided in subsections (6) and (8) of this section, the sale shall eliminate the interests of the persons given the notice of intent to forfeit to the same extent that such interests would have been eliminated had the seller's forfeiture been effected pursuant to such notice.

     (4) The sheriff shall endorse upon the order the time and date when the sheriff receives it and shall forthwith post and publish the notice of sale specified in this subsection and sell the property, or so much thereof as may be necessary to discharge the amount the seller is entitled to be paid as specified in the court's order of sale. The notice of sale shall be printed or typed and contain the following information:

     (a) A statement that the court has directed the sheriff to sell the property described in the notice of sale and the amount the seller is entitled to be paid from the sale proceeds as specified in the court's order;

     (b) The caption, cause number, and court in which the order was entered;

     (c) A legal description of the property to be sold, including the street address if any;

     (d) The date and recording number of the contract;

     (e) The scheduled date, time, and place of the sale;

     (f) If the time for cure has not expired, the date it will expire and that the purchaser and other persons authorized to cure have the right to avoid the sale ordered by the court by curing the defaults specified in the notice of intent to forfeit before the time for cure expires;

     (g) The right of the purchaser to avoid the sale ordered by the court by paying to the sheriff, at any time before the sale, in cash, the amount which the seller would be entitled to be paid from the proceeds of the sale, as specified in the court's order; and

     (h) A statement that unless otherwise provided in the contract between seller and purchaser or other agreement with the seller, no person shall have any right to redeem the property sold at the sale.

     The notice of sale shall be given by posting a copy thereof for a period of not less than four weeks prior to the date of sale in three public places in each county in which the property or any portion thereof is located, one of which shall be at the front door of the courthouse for the superior court of each such county, and one of which shall be placed in a conspicuous place on the property. Additionally, the notice of sale shall be published once a week for two consecutive weeks in the newspaper or newspapers prescribed for published notices in RCW 61.30.050(2)(b). The sale shall be scheduled to be held not more than seven days after the expiration of (i) the periods during which the notice of sale is required to be posted and published or (ii) the time for cure, whichever is later; however, the seller may, but shall not be required to, permit the sale to be scheduled for a later date. Upon the completion of the sale, the sheriff shall deliver a sheriff's deed to the property sold to the successful bidder.

     (5) Within seven days following the date the notice of sale is posted on the property, the seller shall, by the means described in RCW 61.30.050(2), give a copy of the notice of sale to all persons who were given the notice of intent to forfeit, except the seller need not post or publish the notice of sale.

     (6) Any person may bid at the sale. If the purchaser is the successful bidder, the sale shall not affect any interest in the property which is subordinate to the contract. If the seller is the successful bidder, the seller may offset against the price bid the amount the seller is entitled to be paid as specified in the court's order. Proceeds of such sale shall be first applied to any costs and expenses of sale incurred by the sheriff and the seller in excess of the deposit referred to in subsection (3) of this section, and next to the amount the seller is entitled to be paid as specified in the court's order. Any proceeds in excess of the amount necessary to pay such costs, expenses and amount, less the clerk's filing fee, shall be deposited with the clerk of the superior court of the county in which the sale took place, unless such surplus is less than the clerk's filing fee, in which event such excess shall be paid to the purchaser. The clerk shall index such funds under the name of the purchaser. Interests in or liens or claims of liens against the property eliminated by the sale shall attach to such surplus in the order of priority that they had attached to the property. The clerk shall not disburse the surplus except upon order of the superior court of such county, which order shall not be entered less than ten days following the deposit of the funds with the clerk.

     (7) In addition to the right to cure the default within the time for cure, the purchaser shall have the right to satisfy its obligations under the contract and avoid any public sale ordered by the court by paying to the sheriff, at any time before the sale, in cash, the amount which the seller would be entitled to be paid from the proceeds of the sale as specified in the court's order plus the amount of any costs and expenses of the sale incurred by the sheriff and the seller in excess of the deposit referred to in subsection (3) of this section. If the purchaser satisfies its obligations as provided in this subsection, the seller shall deliver its fulfillment deed to the purchaser.

     (8) Unless otherwise provided in the contract or other agreement with the seller, after the public sale provided in this section no person shall have any right, by statute or otherwise, to redeem the property and, subject to the rights of persons unaffected by the sale, the purchaser at the public sale shall be entitled to possession of the property ten days after the date of the sale and may proceed under chapter 59.12 RCW to obtain such possession.

     (9) A public sale effected under this section shall satisfy the obligations secured by the contract, regardless of the sale price or fair value, and no deficiency decree or other judgment may thereafter be obtained on such obligations.