Sheriff Auctions: Liens and Title Searches

[Bryan Ignaszewski]

Good evening! I am getting started in real estate investing and looking at sheriff auctions. Would anyone be able to recommend a method or title company that can do title and lien search for potential properties in and around the COLUMBUS Ohio area? I know I need title company that is used to working with real estate investors. Also any other recommendations for sheriff sales would be greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance.

[Account Closed]

Originally posted by @Bryan Ignaszewski:

@Jeff Tyndall thanks for the reply. I have used Northwest in the past for a primary residence. So I will check with them. I’m looking at an auction in Licking co and the website claims it’s in person at the courthouse. So we’ll see, lots of unknown risks too. Thanks

Go online to the court website that does foreclosures ( I know in Franklin County its the "FC Clerk of Courts" but I dont know what it would be in Licking...

If they have scanned in the foreclosure documents, there should be commitments for title insurance, which is nice to eyeball. There will also be a court order for the foreclosure where they talk about serving anyone with an interest in the property and what their response was. I don't want to give advice on how to interpret them, but they are good start for knowing what liens the court claims will be extinguished, or what issues with the title may remain.  You should also get an independent title search if you are seriously interested. There could be missed or new liens. 

Another thing, I have noticed websites claiming that some specific foreclosure (in Franklin County) auction will be downtown on Friday at 9am, but they are really online on another website and not in person. Many foreclosure auctions are now done by Private Selling Officers (PSO's)  such as xome, auction.com, and a bunch of miscellaneous PSO websites. 

There will be a document filed in the foreclosure case ordering the sale and will also specify which PSO/website (or the sheriff) has the auction. That will clue you in on where the auction really is.