When a creditor tries to sell property that is under  foreclosure  in the United States, the common practice is to sell if only for the value of the property minus the mortgage payments already forwarded to the creditor. This is the usual practice, but this many vary depending on the jurisdiction or the current situation. In some situations, it might be illegal to sell the property for any more than the appraised value minus the mortgage already forwarded. On occasion, auctions are sometimes held with the amount of the appraised value of the property subtracted by what is already paid.