Other's experiences with sheriff auctions?

[Jessica Hood]

I am extremely interested in getting into buying properties at sheriff auctions.  I have been doing a lot of research and am left with some questions.  I would like to hear about other people's experiences as well.

My first hurdle is paying for them.  My cash is limited right now.  I have enough for the deposit/down payment.  So I am trying explore possible financing options.

I have traditional banks ready to lend, if I can get over the difficulties of obtaining an appraisal.  I have heard of people managing to get their appraisals due to a lockbox being left from a previous attempt to sell the home, or due to the property not being secured in the first place.  I have heard of some people gaining entry via "other means".  And some have actually managed to get the current tenant to let the appraiser in.  Have any of you had any luck with this?

The local auction process allows for about 60 days to pay in full, which falls within the bank's closing/payout time frame. 

The other thing I am wondering about is alternative financing.  Some sort of private lender, perhaps?  Are there private lenders out there that understand the difficulties of getting an appraisal, but the advantages of flipping auction properties?  I would like to consider this, but am also paranoid about who I finance with.  Have you had any good experiences with this?

I am in the central Ohio area and would love to hear from other investors who deal with sheriff auctions.