Someone found this blog searching for Sheriff Sale information. That told me one thing — people are genuinely looking for this, and most of what’s out there is either too complicated or too vague to actually be useful.
So here’s the real breakdown. Not the polished version. The actual process, including the part most people skip — which might be the most important tip of all.
Start at the County Courthouse — It’s Free
Most people think finding foreclosure properties requires expensive subscription services or insider connections.
It doesn’t.
County courthouses are legally required to publicly post mortgage foreclosures and tax foreclosures. This information is free. The posting includes the property address, the date of the upcoming auction, and basic case information.
In Philadelphia, foreclosure listings are publicly available through:
- Philadelphia Sheriff’s Office — sheriff sale listings posted monthly
- Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas — mortgage foreclosure filings
- Philadelphia OPA — ownership and tax information
You don’t need to pay anyone for this data. You just need to know where to look and how to read it.
Two Ways to Buy a Foreclosure Property
Once you find a property on the foreclosure list, you have two windows of opportunity:
Window 1: Contact the Owner Before the Auction
This is the one most beginners miss entirely.
When a property is listed for Sheriff Sale, the owner typically still has time to sell before the auction date. They’re in a tough spot — they know what’s coming — and some of them would rather sell to an investor than lose everything at auction.
You have the address. You can send a letter. You can knock on the door. You can reach out through a real estate attorney.
If the owner is willing to sell before the auction:
- You negotiate directly with them
- No auction competition
- Potentially better price than the auction would yield
- More time to do due diligence
This is creative deal-making at its most direct. And it works — because you’re solving a real problem for someone who desperately needs a solution.
Window 2: Bid at the Auction
If the owner doesn’t sell beforehand, the property goes to auction. In Philadelphia, Sheriff Sales happen monthly and are conducted at the courthouse.
To participate you need:
- A cashier’s check (personal checks not accepted)
- Pre-research on every property you’re considering
- A maximum bid set in advance — and the discipline to stick to it
The auction moves fast. Emotions run high. Without a pre-set maximum, it’s easy to overbid and destroy your margins.
The Phantom Bid Strategy — The Tip Nobody Talks About
This is the most underrated advice I’ve come across for Sheriff Sale beginners.
For your first two to three months — don’t bid at all.
Just show up. Watch. Learn the rhythm of the auction. See which properties get bid up past reasonable value. Notice who the serious investors are and how they behave. Track what properties sell for versus what you thought they’d go for.
While you’re watching, do phantom bids in your head. Pick a property from the list. Research it beforehand — ARV, estimated renovation, comparable sales. Set your maximum bid. Then sit in the auction and watch what actually happens.
Did it sell for less than your max? You would have won. Was it bid up past your number? You would have walked away.
Do this for two to three months. By month four, you’ll know:
- How the auction actually flows
- Which types of properties attract competition
- What realistic clearing prices look like
- Whether your ARV estimates are accurate
Then show up with your cashier’s check. You’re not guessing anymore — you’ve already done this dozens of times in your head.
What to Research Before You Bid
Never walk into a Sheriff Sale auction without doing this homework first:
1. Drive the property You usually can’t get inside before a Sheriff Sale. But you can drive by. Is the neighborhood improving or declining? What do surrounding properties look like? Is the exterior salvageable?
2. Pull comparable sales What are renovated properties selling for in that zip code? This is your ARV. Be conservative — use the lower end of comps, not the highest sale you can find.
3. Estimate renovation costs From the outside only, rough estimate. Budget generously. Assume you’ll find surprises once you’re inside.
4. Run the math (Your bid + estimated renovation) ÷ ARV should be 65-70% or below. If it’s higher, the deal doesn’t work — no matter how much you want the property.
5. Check for liens Sheriff Sales in Pennsylvania do NOT automatically wipe all liens. Some liens survive the sale. Tax liens, municipal liens, certain HOA liens — check with a real estate attorney before you bid. This is non-negotiable.
The Emotional Discipline Problem
Here’s what actually happens at auctions that nobody warns you about.
You’ve researched a property. You’ve set your maximum at $85,000. The bidding starts at $40,000 and quickly climbs. You’re at $82,000. Someone bids $83,000. You think — it’s only $2,000 more. I’ll just go to $87,000.
Stop. That’s how you overpay.
Your maximum wasn’t random. It was based on ARV and renovation estimates that you spent time calculating. The moment you go past it, you’re no longer investing — you’re gambling.
The phantom bid practice helps with this. When you’ve watched yourself “lose” properties in your head and then seen them sell for prices that would have destroyed the deal — you build the muscle to walk away.
Philadelphia Specifically
Philadelphia holds Sheriff Sales monthly. The list is published in advance and available through the Sheriff’s Office website.
A few Philadelphia-specific things to know:
- Upset price — the minimum bid set by the court, covering back taxes and mortgage balance. You won’t win below this.
- Act 91 Notice — Pennsylvania requires lenders to send this notice before filing foreclosure. If you’re contacting owners pre-auction, they’ve received this notice and know time is running out.
- Judicial vs. Non-Judicial — Pennsylvania is a judicial foreclosure state, meaning the process goes through the courts. This takes longer than non-judicial states — which means more time to find owners before auction.
- Right of redemption — Pennsylvania does not have a post-sale redemption period for most mortgage foreclosures. Once the gavel falls, it’s done.
The Honest Bottom Line
Sheriff Sales are real. The opportunities are real. But they require more preparation than most beginners expect.
Show up before you’re ready to bid. Learn the room. Do the math before you walk in the door. Set your number and don’t move it.
And if you find a property on the list — try to reach the owner first. The best Sheriff Sale deal might be the one that never makes it to auction.
Not financial advice — just someone doing a lot of research and asking a lot of questions.