FAQs

No.  Local Court Rules were changed when Sheriff’s Sales went Online, and we no longer charge interest.

Conveyance Fees, Lot Fees and Recording Fees will be added to the balance due, as the fees to transfer the Sheriff’s Deed to the buyer.  Also, the buyer will be responsible for those costs, allowances and taxes that the proceeds of the sale are insufficient to cover.

Our Sheriff Sales are held online.  If you’ve registered and submitted your deposit to Realauction by the required deadlines, you can participate in our online sales from anywhere, provided you have a device with internet access.

Yes, you can submit more than the amount of deposit required to Realauction.  But, no, Realauction will only deduct the required amount of deposit for each sale from the registered successful buyer.  They will not apply more than the required listed deposit amount.

No. Properties purchased at Sheriff Sale are not available for inspection.  There is no formal process to view the property prior to, or after, the sale.  These properties are sold sight unseen, AS IS, buyer beware.  The Sheriff’s Office does not have access to the inside of the properties, at any time.  Nor can the Sheriff’s Office get you access at any time.  This includes appraisals for bank loans also.

No. Deposits for any Sheriff Sale are to be submitted to the Sheriff’s Realauction Online Site prior to the sale date. 

A title company can pay off the balance of the purchase price for the buyer, as long as they present a title company check payable to the SUMMIT COUNTY SHERIFF.  However, once a deed is paid for and has been conveyed, transferred and recorded, Sheriff’s Office staff will contact the buyer to pick up the deed.  At that time, if the buyer wants his/her title company to pick up the deed, the buyer will need to provide authorization to the Sheriff’s Office of who will be picking up their deed.

No. It is a public auction held online.

Per Realauction, you will need a device (computer or mobile device) with Internet access.  The Realauction website functions best with the latest two versions of Chrome, Safari, Internet Explorer, or Firefox.  Functionality may be limited with other Web browsers or older browser versions.

Yes.  You will need to register on the Sheriff’s Realauction Online Site at https://summit.sheriffsaleauction.ohio.gov  prior to the Sale.  Once registered, you will automatically be assigned a Bidder Number.  This is your registration number.  Questions about registration can be directed to Realauction’s Customer Service at 1-877-361-7325 or customerservice@realauction.com .

The Sheriff does not guarantee clear title. A title search is recommended.  Sheriff Sale information is available on our website, or in the Akron Legal News newspaper. The Sheriff's office makes every effort to provide information to the public, but due to the current volume, limited information is available over the phone. For questions of a legal nature, contact a legal advisor.

Understand that the Sheriff's Office acts in the capacity as an agent for the sale of real estate (properties) in compliance with a court order. Properties are appraised by independent appraisers, advertised, and sold at public auction.

No. A standard Sheriff's Deed will be issued.

Sale results will be available on the Sheriff’s website by the end of the Sale day, https://sheriff.summitoh.net

Delinquent Tax Foreclosure sales, when set, are held on Tuesdays at 10:00 a.m. on the Sheriff’s Realauction Online Site at https://summit.sheriffsaleauction.ohio.gov.  You must register at the Realauction Online Site and submit your required deposit to Realauction prior to the date of sale by the required deposit deadline.  The highest bidder purchases the property. Once bidding is completed, the winning bidder’s deposit will automatically be applied to the sale by Realauction.  After the last property closes, Realauction will wire transfer all deposits collected to the Sheriff’s Office, along with sale results.  The remaining balance is to be paid within thirty days of the filing of the Confirmation Order.

Note:  If you should have any questions about registering online, or about the deposit requirements, you will need to contact Customer Service at Realauction.  They can be reached by telephone at 1-877-361-7325, or by email at customerservice@realauction.com

Mortgage Foreclosure sales, when set, are held on Fridays at 10:00 a.m. on the Sheriff’s Realauction Online Site at https://summit.sheriffsaleauction.ohio.gov .  You must register at the Realauction Online Site and submit your required deposit to Realauction prior to the date of sale by the required deposit deadline.  The highest bidder purchases the property. Once bidding is completed, the winning bidder’s deposit will automatically be applied to the sale by Realauction.  After the last property closes, Realauction will wire transfer all winning deposits collected to the Sheriff’s Office, along with sale results.  The remaining balance is to be paid within thirty days of the filing of the Confirmation Order.

Note:  If you should have any questions about registering online, or about the deposit requirements, you will need to contact Customer Service at Realauction.  They can be reached by telephone at 1-877-361-7325, or by email at customerservice@realauction.com

The answers you provide to the questions during registration on the Sheriff’s Realauction Online Site will automatically complete the Purchaser Information Form.

Then if you are the successful bidder at the online sale, Realauction will provide a downloadable pdf form for the Sheriff to access and print.  After printing, the Sheriff’s office will submit this form to the Clerk of Courts for filing on the court docket.

It is the buyer’s responsibility to make certain that the questions are answered correctly and completely, so that the correct information is included on the Purchaser Information Form.  The Sheriff’s Office staff will not make corrections to the Purchaser Information Form after the sale.

Making sure how you want the property deeded before the sale is very important.   Any changes to the Purchaser Information Form can be done under “My Account” on Realauction PRIOR to the sale.  Any questions about this can be directed to Realauction Customer Service.

Changes needed after a sale has already occurred can only be done through court order. The delivery of the deed may be delayed for failure to provide accurate information before the sale.

After sale results are received from Realauction and processed, the Sheriff’s Office will email each buyer with the Pay-Off Amount due to the Sheriff.  This amount will also be listed on the Sheriff’s website. If for some reason you have not received this email by the next business day following the sale date, you can send an email request for the Pay-Off amount to civilbureau@sheriff.summitoh.net .

There are 3 ways to pay the balance due:

• In Person*:  Monday-Friday 7:30am-3:00pm
• By Mail*:  Send to
  • Summit County Sheriff’s Office
  • Civil Division
  • 209 S. High Street
  • Akron, Ohio 44308

*Make Cashier’s Check Payable to the SUMMIT COUNTY SHERIFF

*Case Number or Purchased Property Address MUST be included on your check

*No personal or business checks will be accepted

• Online:
  • You now have the option to pay the remaining balance due to the Sheriff via the Sheriff’s ACI Official Payment Site found on the Sheriff’s Website at https://sheriff.summitoh.net
    • This is payment by E-Check only, and has a $2.95 non-refundable Service Transaction Fee
    • If you pay this balance online, you will need a Transaction ID # from the Sheriff’s Office
      • This Transaction ID # will be provided in the same email with the Pay-Off Amount due
    • Your Pay-Off Amount and Transaction ID # can also be found on the Sheriff’s website docket

All paperwork and confirmations take a MINIMUM of 6-8 weeks to receive, review and process.  Once that is completed, all is found to be correct and the balance of funds paid, the deed will be conveyed, transferred and recorded to the buyer.

• MORTGAGE SALE Deposits are pre-set based on the APPRAISED VALUE AMOUNT.
  • $2,000, If Appraised Value is $10,000 or less
  • $5,000, If Appraised Value is more than $10,000, but less than or equal to $200,000
  • $10,000, If Appraised Value is more than $200,000
• DELINQUENT TAX SALE: 
  • $1,000.00, for each Delinquent Tax Sale case

If there is no distribution in your name in the confirmation filed, check the confirmation for excess funds to be held by the Clerk. In order to have the excess funds paid, you must obtain an order from the court, called a “Supplemental Order of Distribution”.  This is to be granted and signed by the judge assigned to your case, that will direct the Clerk to disburse the excess funds to you.

The purchaser may allow you to continue to live in the property or may file for the Sheriff to give you notice to vacate. Legal questions arising from your relationship as a renter/lessee with the defendant in the case, must be addressed by your legal advisor.

Failure to follow through with the purchase of a Sheriff Sale property may result in all or part of your deposit being forfeited.  You may also be held in Contempt of Court for failure to complete the sale.

No.  You have purchased the property but are not yet the legal owner and you haven’t taken possession.  The Confirmation awards the purchaser what is called a Writ of Possession; which is the process that is to be followed to give the buyer possession of the property after the deed transfers. Until the Confirmation is filed, any investment in the property is risky for three reasons:

• you do not own the property (deed not transferred yet)
• you have not been awarded the right to possession (Writ of Possession not awarded, nor filed yet)
• the defendant can still redeem the property (right of redemption valid until Confirmation is filed)

It takes a minimum of 6 to 8 weeks from sale date to the filing of buyer’s Sheriff’s Deed for the paperwork to be completed.  As defendant, you have redemption rights up until the confirmation is filed. The time for a confirmation to be filed is 30 days from the sale date. This means, if you can pay off your mortgage or acquire new financing before confirmation, you can keep your home.

Once the confirmation is filed, you no longer have a right to redeem and the purchaser is awarded a writ of possession. The confirmation order gives the purchaser the right to file paperwork to have the Sheriff notify you to vacate. The Sheriff will notify you, and when you need to vacate. 

Advertising will run 3 consecutive weeks, once a week on the same day of each week.  The 3 ads either ran completely; or, the property was canceled or a bankruptcy was filed; which will put an immediate hold on sale proceedings. You can verify this by checking the Clerk's website or the Sheriff’s website.

DEPOSIT DEADLINES:

• ACH Debit Transfer - All ACH Debit Deposits must be initiated by 4 p.m. ET five (5) business days before the auction (7 calendar days). If you wish to participate in auctions that will take place before your ACH funds become available, please select an alternate deposit method. 
• Bank Wire Transfer - All Wire Deposits must be received by 5 p.m. ET two (2) business days before the auction. All wire transfers must reference the bidder number, or they will be refused/rejected.

Please take into account bank holidays with the above deadlines. It is the responsibility of the bidder to plan ahead and allow enough time for their bidding deposits to be received and processed within the timeframes described above.  A bidder will not be able to win properties in an auction until funds have been verified and added to the bidder’s available balance.

A Foreclosure action that results in the actual sale of the property by the Sheriff is a lengthy process. Key steps in the Process are as follows:

• Complaint Filed: The matter is brought before the court
• Judgment Entry Filed: Judgment is granted, and the property may be sold to recover judgment amount(s) due. (Typically filed 3-9 months after the complaint)
• Praecipe Filed/Order of Sale Issued: This order directs the Sheriff to advertise and sell the property. The terms of the sale are specified in this paperwork. The terms of sale are established at the discretion of the Plaintiff's Attorney and the Court. The Sheriff cannot authorize an extension of these terms. The property is auctioned at Sheriff Sale.
• Confirmation Filed: This order names the purchaser, orders the deed, orders the distribution of proceeds, orders lien cancellations, etc. and awards the purchaser the right to file for a writ of possession should anyone be occupying the property.

The Common Pleas Clerk of Courts Civil Division is located at 205 S. High Street, Akron, Ohio. They are the keeper of records and have the entire case file for each foreclosure case. Their phone number is (330) 643-2205. Responses to questions posed to the Clerk of Courts office will be limited to the type of paperwork filed. You can access the same information through their website https://clerkweb.summitoh.net that they can provide over the telephone. To learn the specific content of any case document, you would have to review the actual case file.

The CIVIL DIVISION of the Summit County Sheriff’s Office is located at 209 S. High Street, Akron, OH 44308, on the Ground/Basement Level, next to the Café “Street Treats”. 

OFFICE HOURS:

OPEN:  Monday thru Friday, 7:30am – 4:00pm (Eastern Time)

For In-person PAYMENTS: Monday thru Friday 7:30am-3:00pm

CLOSED:  Saturday, Sunday and ALL LEGAL HOLIDAYS

The only forms of payment accepted for the deposit requirement are ACH Debit Transfer or Bank Wire Transfer directly to the Sheriff’s Realauction Online site.  Cash deposits are not accepted.

If the balance is not received within 30 days of the filing of the Confirmation Order, the purchaser may be charged with Contempt of Court for failing to pay the balance on time.

If you are not out of the property by the scheduled day and time, then you will be evicted.  Your items will be put into storage; which you would then be responsible to pay before you can get them out of storage.

 If you’ve been served with a Writ of Possession, the deputy will check the property after 10 days and if you are still living in the property or still have belongings in the property, then an eviction will be set.  

Mortgage Sales:  If a property that was offered at the first sale results in No Bid/No Sale, then it will be rescheduled for the subsequent second sale date listed in the advertisement.  It will not have an opening bid amount at this second sale.

If a property that was offered at the second sale results in No Bid/No Sale, the Order of Sale will be returned to the court with a Sheriff’s Return showing a result of No Bid/No Sale.  The plaintiff or bank will then have to have their attorney file another (pluries) Order of Sale to be scheduled at a later date, if they so choose.

Delinquent Tax Sales:  If a property that was offered at the first sale results in No Bid/No Sale, then it will be rescheduled for the subsequent second sale date listed in the advertisement.  All terms, including minimum bid, will remain the same as at the first sale.

If a property that was offered at the second sale results in No Bid/No Sale, then this property is automatically deemed as “Forfeited” to the tax certificate lienholder or electing subdivision that brought this property to tax foreclosure sale.  An Order of Forfeiture will be filed by the plaintiff’s attorney and a Sheriff’s Deed will be prepared and filed to convey, transfer and record the property to the forfeited entity.

Since search options with the Clerk of Courts is by defendant name or case number, you will have to get the name of the current owner of that property. Using the property address or parcel number, you can access the Summit County Fiscal Office website for this information at https://fiscaloffice.summitoh.net .  Once the current owner name is found, then you can search the Clerk of Courts records.  Keep in mind until a praecipe is filed and an order of sale is issued, the property will not proceed to sale. Properties are set for Sheriff Sale after the date of praecipe and order of sale issue date.

The Confirmation of Sale (Confirmation) is the court order that is filed after the Sheriff Sale by the plaintiff’s attorney.  This is the order that tells the Sheriff’s Office how the title/name is to be listed on the Sheriff’s Deed and how the purchase price monies are to be disbursed.  It also awards a Writ of Possession to the buyer so the buyer can later take possession of the property.  The Confirmation will also list the liens on the property that get released.

The plaintiff’s attorney is responsible to file this Confirmation of Sale with the court and judge within 30 days following the sale date.

A Writ of Possession is the Eviction Process as the result of the Judicial Court Foreclosure process and Sheriff Sale. It is granted to the buyer in the Confirmation.  The buyer is to file for the Writ of Possession in order to take possession of the property.

Sheriff Sale Ads are advertised in the Akron Legal News.  They can be reached by telephone at 1-330-376-0917, or online at akronlegalnews.com .

Mortgage Sale properties are advertised in the Tuesday or Wednesday editions of the Akron Legal News.  Delinquent Tax Sale properties are advertising in the Thursday editions of the Akron Legal News. 

Public libraries with a newspaper file may also carry this publication for your review. 

For your bids to be considered, a qualifying deposit must be made to Realauction that is equal to the total deposit requirement for all properties on which you wish to bid by the predefined deadlines.  It is recommended that all bidders make their deposits early.  If additional transactions are required to correct mistakes or miskeyed information, they also must be completed prior to the due date/time/deadline.

The Sheriff has nothing to do with closing. Financing and closing must be arranged by the purchaser. Since the Sheriff is not involved in the closing, the Sheriff's Office will not sign any settlement statements or closing documents. 

You can get a copy of the Sheriff’s appraisers’ appraisal from the court docket on the Clerk of Courts website, approximately two weeks after the Sheriff Sale Date has been set. 

There are no keys for these properties.

The Auditor's appraisal is done by law and is completed by a contract mass appraiser who appraises all property in Summit County for tax purposes. Appraisers appointed by the court only appraise the specific property being sold.  Sheriff Appraisers only appraise the exterior of the specific property being sold. Since an appraisal is an opinion of value, it may vary.

Yes.  If a homeowner redeems his property before Confirmation is filed with the court, the plaintiff’s attorney will file an Order to Vacate the Sheriff Sale.  This Order to Vacate is to include language instructing the Sheriff to return the deposit to the purchaser. Once a filed copy of this Order to Vacate is received at the Sheriff’s Office, please allow 10 days for processing. When the refund check is ready, you will be notified by the Sheriff Office.