Advise for purchasing at sheriff auctions needed.

[Jessica Hood]

I am highly interested in bidding on properties at live sheriff auctions.  I am attempting to figure out how to get financing for this.  I have an awesome mortgage broker who has done my last 3 flip loans for me.  But those properties were easier to obtain.  Sheriff auctions have more complications.

My lender feels confident that he can obtain financing quickly enough to meet the deadlines set forth by the sheriff.  I also have a backup funding plan through Patch of Land.  I've been told by the county that it is typically 30 days from bid to confirmation and then 30 more days remaining to pay the full balance.  Has anyone successfully gotten through this within the required time frames?  And has anyone exceeded the time frame and what happened?

The next hurdle is obtaining a lender ordered appraisal.  Most of these properties are inaccessible or have tenants in them.  I have heard of some having been previously listed by an agent and still having a lockbox on them, thus allowing people inside.  I imagine that is not often.  So the question is, how do people get over this hurdle to get the appraisal done?  

I had talked to sheriff staff about trying to access properties once you reach the "confirmation" point in the process.  To which, you are officially in contract and the previous owner can no longer redeem the property.  But technically, you are still not the owner yet because you have not paid in full.  She hesitated for a moment and recommended I speak with a real estate attorney about it.  She did not come right out and tell me I could not access the property. Her hesitation made me think there may be some angle to work there. Does anyone know anything about this?

Thanks in advance!