Final judgment of foreclosure

The court order in a judicial foreclosure that sets the amount owed and orders the property sold.

In a judicial foreclosure, the final judgment is the order where the judge decides the case for the lender. In Florida it sets the amount owed, including interest, fees and costs, and directs the clerk to sell the property at a public sale on a specific day.

Florida law puts that day at least 20 and no more than 35 days after the judgment. The lender can agree to a later date, and the court can move the sale with a new order.

The judgment also has to include a notice, in capital letters, about surplus funds: if the sale brings in more than what's owed, anyone claiming the extra has to file a claim with the clerk.

Even after the judgment, the owner can stop the sale by paying the full amount it sets, up until the clerk files the certificate of sale (or a later time if the judgment says so). See redemption.

For anyone following Florida foreclosures, the judgment is the moment a case gets a sale date. Before it, a case can sit for a long time. After it, things move quickly: the sale 20 to 35 days later, a certificate of sale right after, and a certificate of title 10 days after that if nobody objects. How Florida foreclosure works

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General information, not legal advice. For your own situation, talk to a lawyer.