A sheriff's sale is essentially the final step in the mortgage foreclosure process, in that the property that is subject to the foreclosure action is set for sale at public auction by the local sheriff's office. As a sheriff's sale is still part of the foreclosure process, if you file bankruptcy before a sheriff's sale, the sale is automatically stayed under federal law, just as is any other step of the foreclosure process would be. The sale is stayed for an indefinite period of time while the bankruptcy proceedings are pending. Therefore, it is not uncommon for debtors to file Chapter 13 bankruptcy proceedings in order to halt a foreclosure at the last moment, in an attempt to reorganize their debts and save their property.