How To Buy House At Sheriff S Sale
Sales typically take place in the sheriff s office or at the county courthouse.
How to buy house at sheriff s sale. At the sale the lender will typically place a credit bid for the property. Lenders sometimes attend or send a representative in an effort to bid to try to buy back their own property. Read the classified section of the local newspaper to find out where and when the sheriff s sales are in the area where you d like to purchase a home. Inspect the property in advance of the sale. To pay back a portion of all of that judgment the home is foreclosed and is auctioned off at a sheriff s sale.
For example if you win the house at 100 000 and the sheriff s office requires a 20 percent down payment you must have 20 000 either in cash or a certified check. Investors can bid against the foreclosing lender. On top of all of this you must have the cash available to bid at a sheriff s sale. Associate broker stephanie salanik explains the process of buying a property at sheriff sale. You must also either have the cash available or a certified check up to a certain percentage of the bid.
Instead of waiting for a property to hit a sheriff s sale you can take a few steps to purchase the home before it even ends up in foreclosure. The initial deposit must be made via certified check and the remainder is due within 30 days. In some areas of the country they re actually conducted on the front steps of the courthouse rather than inside. If you do not have access to the local newspaper try calling the town clerk s office or a real estate agent. Follow along for some good tips at how to recognize a good deal vs.
You must register as a bidder beforehand. Time to complete the sale varies from 24 hours to up to 10. A sheriff s sale is open to the public. Obtain a cashier s check in the amount of your bid less your deposit amount and complete the sale to obtain a deed to the property. If you re interested in properties in a specific area you can ask the sheriff for that area to put you on his or her mailing.
The simpler ways to find properties are. Then contact the owner to see if they are open to making a deal. In lehigh county pennsylvania 10 of the winning bid must be paid at the time of the sale prior to leaving the courthouse. You ll need to first locate a home that has been issued a notice of default.