Where does the excess money go after an auction?

[Eian Siddiqui]

Hello, I am a starting my journey in real estate and learning whatever I can about the business. 

I went to a couple of auctions around my neighborhood and was curious about one thing. 

Where does the excess money go after an auction? I asked the people working at the auction site and they said it goes to the family that previously lived in the home. I asked a couple of investors as to how does the money get delivered to the family or previous owner(s), they said a lawyer tries to call them.

So my real question is how to find this lawyer or the person responsible to give the money to the previous owner.

Any answers to the topic is greatly appreciated, thank you.