Sheriff Sales

The following information is an effort to avoid confusion for the general public when attending a Sheriff's Sale held in Pike County. Policies and requirements may vary from county to county. Sales are held in the Sheriffs' Office at the Pike County Jail located at 100 South 4th Street in Petersburg.

A Sheriff's Sale is when a bank has foreclosed against someone that has a loan with their bank. The bank must file an order of summary judgment and entry of decree of foreclosure with the court. The court then directs the Sheriff of that county to schedule a Sheriff's Sale on that property that is in foreclosure. Notice of Sheriffs' Sales are posted 30 days prior to the date of the sale. The notices are posted in three public places in the township in which the property is located. The attorney representing the mortgage holder also arranges for publication in the local newspaper. The newspaper notice is found in the legal section of the paper and appears for three consecutive weeks, the first publication date being at least 30 days before the date of the sale.

The Sheriff's Office has no access to the property and most times, has never seen the property. We don't have a key to the property and are not able to show the property to any interested buyer. When bidding on the property the bidder is agreeing to purchase the property as is without really knowing what the inside of the property looks like.

Normally the mortgage company will bid by fax. Their bid will usually be very high, included in their bid will be the foreclosure cost, the past due taxes, and the attorney fees. It is pretty hard to out bid the mortgage company and usually around 95 percent of Sheriff Sales will go back to the financial institution. Bidding from the public must be done in person at the Sheriffs' Office.

Successful bidders are to pay 100 percent of their bid at the time of the sale.

Successful bidders are to make certified checks payable to the Pike County Sheriffs' Office.

A bidder must be sure of funding prior to the time of the sale. Bidders are cautioned that in the event they cannot pay the amount of the winning bid, the property would be retained for resale.

The attorneys for the mortgage holder will prepare a Deed and a Clerk's Return. The successful bidder will gain possession of the property the same day of the sale.

Files pertaining to the sale are available for public inspection at the County Clerk's Office or at the Sheriffs' Office. Please refer to the Court cause number (e.g. 63C01-0304-001) When requesting to view files at the Sheriffs' Office, please refer to the last property owners full name.