A note from Sheriff Rochelle Bilal on the suspension of Sheriff Sales
If you’re a human being with at least one compassionate bone in your body, then you don’t like sheriff sales. These events, held to recoup unpaid mortgages for banks and unpaid taxes for the City of Philadelphia, signify nothing so much as the loss of a family’s home – the latest and most terrible tragedy in a long string of misfortunes ending in the bang of a gavel.
Virtual Sheriff Sale Resources
The Sheriff Sale Resource Page
Now that the Philadelphia Sheriff's Office has successfully made the transition to online Sheriff Sales, this page has been developed to provide bidders, homeowners and anyone interested in the Sheriff Sale process with all relevant information about the sales. For people who want to participate in the bidding process who don't have internet access, you can download the paper bidding documents here. If you still have questions that remain unanswered by the information contained in the links below, please email Greg Salisbury, the Public Information Officer for the Sheriff's Office, at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
The New Auction Site
This link will take you to the dedicated Philadelphia Sheriff Sales pages for both mortgage foreclosure sales and tax sales at Bid4Assets, the company chosen to hold the sales for the Sheriff's Office. These pages include sale properties, instructions on how to register to bid on properties, and much more.
The Sheriff Sale Town Halls
Sheriff Rochelle Bilal and her team held two virtual town halls on the switch to online sales. The first town hall explains how the transition occurred and features a lengthy question-and-answer session. The second town hall features a detailed mock sale that mimics how Sheriff Sales will now occur. You can view both of these town halls, as well as other meetings held by Sheriff Bilal, on the Sheriff's YouTube page.
Frequently Asked Questions
This page contains the answers to the dozens of questions asked during town halls and emailed in over the past few months about Sheriff Sales - how they work, what can and can't happen, resources for bidders and homeowners, and much, much more.
Off-Line Bidding
We make it easy for all to participate. Click here to download the Offline Bid Form. You may also request one by e-mail to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., calling the Real Estate team at 215-686-3565 or sending correspondence to Philadelphia Sheriff, ATTN: Real Estate, 100 South Broad Street, 5th Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19110. Please be sure that you request this information early so that you have enough time to receive the information and ask any questions before the auction.
Sales Calendar
Click here for the monthly calendar of all Sheriff Sales.
Conditions of Sale
It is essential that prospective bidders familiarize themselves with the conditions of sale for both the tax sales and the mortgage foreclosure sales.
A note from Sheriff Rochelle Bilal on the resumption of Sheriff Sales
Hello,
As sheriff sales resume in Philadelphia, it has become increasingly apparent that after a year without such sales – and with them resuming in an online-only capacity – that a number of questions and misconceptions about the Philadelphia Sheriff’s Office and its role in the foreclosure process have persisted. Most, if not all, of these questions can be answered by going to our FAQ page or watching the town halls we have conducted on our YouTube page.
Foreclosures
Since its founding in 1682, the Office of the Philadelphia Sheriff has been responsible for a wide range of duties – but it has never foreclosed on properties. The foreclosure process is a court process that can take years. The Sheriff’s Office is not involved in the foreclosure process. It executes the orders of the court to sell properties that have gone through the lengthy, multi-stage foreclosure process to arrive at the point of being put up for Sheriff Sale.
The Sheriff’s authority to conduct sales
The Sheriff’s Office Sheriff Sale process is controlled by and mandated by the Pennsylvania Rules of Civil Procedure for handling the properties pre-sale, in-sale and post-sale. The same rules that were in place for in-person sales will also be in place for online sales. The only thing that has changed about the sale process is that it will now be taking place online. Just as the other counties throughout the commonwealth have abided by these rules to restart their own Sheriff Sales without issue, the Philadelphia Sheriff’s Office is committed to doing the same.
