Buyer answers · Louisiana
Buying a foreclosure in Louisiana: the benefits and the risks
In Louisiana you can buy a foreclosure two ways: at the sheriff's sale, or later from the lender as a bank-owned home. The upside is price. The risks are buying without a seller disclosure and inheriting any lien that ranked ahead of the foreclosing lender.
Reviewed by Nicole Gaudet, REALTOR®
Updated October 5, 2026
Your options
Two ways to buy a Louisiana foreclosure
At the sheriff's sale
- A public auction run by the parish sheriff after the lender seizes the home, usually through executory process
- Sheriffs may hold it online instead of in person; East Baton Rouge moved its sales to Bid4Assets in 2025
- At a second offering the home sells for cash, for whatever it brings
- No seller disclosure, and you buy the home as it sits
Bank-owned, after the sale
- If no one outbids the lender, the lender takes the home and later lists it, often through an agent on the MLS
- You can usually finance it and make your offer subject to inspection
- The lender is exempt from Louisiana's property disclosure requirement
- Expect the lender's own addenda added to the purchase agreement
Sources: Nolo, Louisiana foreclosure laws; La. C.C.P. art. 2344 (online auctions, Acts 2023 No. 390); La. C.C.P. art. 2336; La. R.S. 9:3197; East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff announcement, March 2025.
Sheriff's sale
How a Louisiana sheriff's sale works
The Code of Civil Procedure sets the rules. Each sheriff's office sets its own registration and deposit terms, so read them before the sale date.
- Notice and advertisingThe sheriff serves notice of the seizure with the sale's time, date and place, and advertises the sale before it happens.
- First offering: the two-thirds ruleWhen the home was appraised, it cannot sell at the first offering for less than two-thirds of the appraised value.
- Second offeringIf no bid reaches two-thirds, the sheriff re-advertises. At the second offering the home sells for cash for whatever it will bring.
- Liens ahead of the lender stayIf a mortgage or lien ranks ahead of the foreclosing creditor, the buyer pays the sheriff only the part of the price above it, and that superior debt stays on the home.
- Liens behind the lender are releasedThe sheriff releases the foreclosing creditor's mortgage and every inferior one, and has their inscriptions cancelled in the parish records.
- No buy-back after the saleLouisiana has no post-sale redemption period. The owner can stop the sale only before it happens, by paying the judgment, interest and costs.
Sources: La. C.C.P. art. 2336; art. 2374; art. 2376; Nolo (arts. 2331, 2340, 2722, 2724).
Benefits and risks
What you gain, and what you take on
Benefits
- A chance to buy below what similar homes sell for
- Liens behind the foreclosing lender are cleared at a sheriff's sale
- No post-sale redemption, so the former owner cannot buy it back
- Bank-owned homes can be financed and inspected
Risks
- No property disclosure from a foreclosing lender or a court-ordered sale
- Superior mortgages and liens stay with the home
- Cash due at a second-offering sheriff's sale
- Repairs, flood history and occupancy are yours to find out
Source for the disclosure exemption: La. R.S. 9:3197. More on what a disclosure normally covers in our disclosure guide.
Before the sale
Types of foreclosures and distressed sales in Louisiana
In Louisiana, foreclosure goes through the court, and the parish sheriff sells the home. Before a home ever reaches a sheriff's sale, you may also see it as a pre-foreclosure or a short sale.
The foreclosure process
- Executory process: the faster court route and the most common type of foreclosure in Louisiana, used when the mortgage includes a confession of judgment
- Ordinary proceeding: a judicial foreclosure that starts with a civil lawsuit against the borrower
- Either way the court orders the home seized and sold at a sheriff's sale, not a private sale by the lender
- If the lender takes the home back, it becomes one of the bank-owned foreclosed properties listed later
Pre-foreclosures and short sales
- Pre-foreclosure: the owner is behind on payments but still owns the home and can sell it the normal way
- Short sale: the owner sells for less than the loan balance, and the lender must approve the sale price
- Because the owner is the seller, these are ordinary sales; the disclosure exemption for foreclosing lenders does not apply
- Short sales can take longer to close because the lender has to sign off
Finding foreclosures in Louisiana
- Sheriff's sale lists from each parish sheriff's office; East Baton Rouge posts its sales on Bid4Assets
- Bank-owned foreclosure homes listed by agents on the MLS
- Pre-foreclosures and short sales, which come to market like other homes for sale
Pros and cons, in one line each
- Sheriff's sale: the best chance at a low price, with the most risk and cash due
- Bank-owned: financing and an inspection are possible, but no seller disclosure
- Short sale: a normal purchase with a disclosure, but a slower, uncertain timeline
Sources: Nolo, Louisiana foreclosure laws and procedures; La. R.S. 9:3197. A Louisiana real estate attorney or title company should review any specific property.
Before you bid
Steps before you bid or offer
- Pull the titleA title search shows which mortgages and liens rank ahead of the foreclosing lender, so you know what stays with the home.
- Read the sheriff's termsRegistration, deposit and payment deadlines differ by parish and by sale.
- Price it from closed salesCompare the bid to recent sales nearby, then subtract repairs and any surviving liens.
- Check the flood zoneLook up the flood zone and elevation before you bid. Our flood zone tool shows where to find them.
- Line up cash or financingCash for a sheriff's sale; a pre-approval for a bank-owned home.
Questions
Louisiana foreclosures, answered
Is buying a foreclosure a good deal in Louisiana?
It can be. The price is often the draw, but you buy without a seller disclosure and may inherit liens that ranked ahead of the foreclosing lender. Price it from recent sales, minus repairs and surviving liens.
La. R.S. 9:3197; La. C.C.P. art. 2374
Does Louisiana have a right of redemption after a sheriff's sale?
No. Louisiana has no post-sale redemption period. The owner can stop the sale only before it happens by paying the judgment, interest and costs.
Nolo, citing La. C.C.P. arts. 2340 and 2724
What is the two-thirds rule at a Louisiana sheriff's sale?
When the property was appraised, it cannot sell at the first offering for less than two-thirds of the appraised value. If no bid reaches that, the sheriff re-advertises and the second offering sells for cash for whatever it brings.
La. C.C.P. art. 2336
Do I get a property disclosure when I buy a foreclosure in Louisiana?
No. Louisiana's disclosure requirement does not apply to transfers by a lender that acquired the home through foreclosure or a deed in lieu, or to court-ordered and foreclosure sales.
La. R.S. 9:3197
Are liens wiped out at a Louisiana sheriff's sale?
Liens behind the foreclosing creditor are released. Liens and mortgages ranked ahead of it stay with the property.
La. C.C.P. arts. 2374 and 2376
Can I buy a sheriff's sale home online in Louisiana?
Yes, where the sheriff chooses to. Since 2023, Louisiana sheriffs may hold judicial sales as online auctions. East Baton Rouge moved its sales to Bid4Assets in 2025.
La. C.C.P. art. 2344
What is the difference between a short sale and a foreclosure in Louisiana?
In a short sale, the owner still owns the home and sells it for less than the loan balance with the lender's approval, so it is an ordinary sale. In a foreclosure, the court orders the home seized and sold at a sheriff's sale, and if no one outbids the lender, the lender takes it back and lists it later as a bank-owned home.
Nolo, Louisiana foreclosure laws and procedures
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General information about Louisiana foreclosure sales, current as of October 5, 2026. Not legal advice. An attorney or title company should review the title and sale terms for a specific property.