Stop a Sheriff Sale in Monroe County, Pennsylvania

A sheriff sale in Monroe County is the last step of a judicial foreclosure, not the first. The lender sued you in the Monroe County Court of Common Pleas, obtained a judgment, and asked the sheriff to sell the property. Everything before that step had an option attached to it, and so does this one: a Chapter 13 filed before the sale takes place stops it by operation of law.

This page covers how foreclosure actually runs in Monroe County — where the sale happens, what the court offers, and what filing looks like from here. It is general information about Pennsylvania and federal law, not advice about your loan.

Monroe County sheriff sales are conducted on a published monthly list at the county courthouse complex in Stroudsburg, maintained by the Monroe County Sheriff. Confirm your property's status directly — Monroe lists are long and postponements are common.

Monroe County handles residential mortgage foreclosure through Civil Division practice; there is no long-running diversion program of the Philadelphia kind. Loss mitigation with the servicer and a Chapter 13 cure are the reliable options here.

Poconos foreclosures come with two creditors you rarely see elsewhere on the same schedule: homeowners' association assessments and development-level sewer/water authority balances. Pre-filing HOA dues are dischargeable in Chapter 7; dues accruing after filing are not, so whether you intend to keep the property has to be decided before we pick a chapter. Middle District.

The automatic stay under 11 U.S.C. § 362 takes effect the moment the petition is docketed in the Middle District. That stops a scheduled Monroe County sheriff sale — I have filed cases the morning of a sale.

From there, 11 U.S.C. § 1322(b)(5) lets you cure the arrears over the three-to-five-year plan while resuming the regular monthly payment. The lender cannot demand a lump sum and cannot refuse the cure. If your first mortgage exceeds the home's value, a wholly unsecured second mortgage or HELOC can also be stripped and discharged with the unsecured debt — relief that does not exist in Chapter 7.

To file quickly we need your mortgage statement, the foreclosure complaint or sale notice, the last six months of income, and a credit-counseling certificate. When a sale is imminent, a case can be filed within hours.

• Confirm your sale status with the Monroe County Sheriff's office rather than the last letter you received.
• Open a written loss-mitigation file with your servicer through their portal and keep every submission dated.
• If an Act 91 notice arrived within the last 30 days, meet with a HUD-approved counselor and ask about HEMAP through PHFA — that window does not reopen.
• Get a straight read on whether the ongoing payment is affordable. If it is not, surrendering through Chapter 7 and discharging the deficiency is often the cleaner exit, and saying so early is worth more than a plan that fails in month eight.