Philadelphia Sheriff Sale Playbook: How to Find, Bid & Win Properties at Auction
Philadelphia Sheriff Sales are one of the most misunderstood — and potentially most rewarding — ways to acquire investment property in the city. In this episode of The Philly Landlord Guy, we cover everything from how to find properties and register to bid, to what actually happens after you win, and the things nobody tells you before your first auction.
This guide is based on direct investing experience plus the official rules published by the Philadelphia Sheriff's Office.
Two Types of Sheriff Sales — Most People Do Not Know the Difference
When people say "sheriff sale" in Philadelphia, they are actually referring to two completely different types of auctions.
Type 1 — Tax Sale
This happens when a property owner has fallen so far behind on their Philadelphia property taxes that the city forces a sale to recover what is owed. Opening bids on tax delinquent properties typically start at just $1,600 — but it is a live auction and you pay whatever the winning bid is.
Type 2 — Mortgage Foreclosure Sale
This is the more traditional sheriff sale. A homeowner defaults on their mortgage, the lender sues, obtains a court judgment, and the property is sold to recover the debt.
Both types are run entirely online through Bids4Assets (bid4assets.com). You are not showing up at courthouse steps like in the movies — everything happens on your computer. This is a major improvement from the in-person auctions that ran before COVID and makes the process accessible to any investor with capital and a computer.
Where to Find Philadelphia Sheriff Sale Properties
1. Philadelphia Sheriff's Office Website (https://phillysheriff.com/property-listing/)
Lists current auctions and the official Conditions of Sale — the legal rules of the process. Always read these before you bid.
2. Bids4Assets (https://www.bid4assets.com/)
This is where you will spend most of your time as an investor. You can browse upcoming Philadelphia auction listings, filter by property type, see opening bids, view photos when available, download property lists as spreadsheets, and track specific properties you are interested in.
A Practical Research Workflow
A smart approach for working through auction listings:
- Filter Bids4Assets for multifamily properties — duplexes, triplexes, quads — in zip codes you already know
- Download the property list and plot them on Google Maps so you can see locations visually
- Research each property online — Google Maps street view, zoning, rental license history, any variances
- Drive by properties that look promising
- For properties that pass your initial screening, ask a title company to pull the title and identify any existing liens
This process takes time but protects you from making an expensive mistake.
How to Register and What Deposits Are Required
You cannot show up on auction day and start bidding. You must pre-register on Bids4Assets and submit a deposit before the auction opens.
Tax Sale Deposit:
- $1,500 plus a processing fee
- One deposit covers you for the entire auction date — you can bid on as many properties as you want that day with a single deposit
Mortgage Foreclosure Sale Deposit:
- Approximately $10,000 plus a processing fee
- Same structure — one deposit, bid on everything listed that day
If you win, the deposit is applied toward your 10% down payment. If you do not win anything, the deposit is refunded. You will typically be asked whether you want it refunded or applied to the next auction — if you plan to keep bidding, rolling it forward saves you the processing fee.
Critical rule: If you win and do not follow through on the purchase, you forfeit your deposit. The Sheriff's Office is clear — no exceptions, no extensions. Only register when your financing is lined up and you are genuinely ready to close.
How the Bidding Works
Once registered and funded, the auction runs online. Here is how it works:
- Bids increase by at least $100 increments
- The highest bid wins, subject to a reserve price being met on foreclosure sales
- On foreclosure sales, there is an upset price — the minimum the bank will accept. You will not see this number as a bidder, but the platform will show you when the reserve has been met
- If nobody bids high enough to hit the reserve, the bank takes the property back — this is called a credit bid or bank walkback
- On tax sales, it is simpler — highest bid wins
Important on timing: The auction timer extends when a bid is placed in the final moments — typically adding several minutes. Do not assume a last-second low bid will slip through. Know your maximum number before the auction starts and do not go over it.
Second Bid Option: If you were the runner-up — directly outbid by the winner — you can register as a second bidder at the same price. If the winner defaults and does not complete their purchase, you step in and get the property. If you really wanted a specific property and got outbid at the last moment, this is absolutely worth taking.
Payment Deadlines After Winning — Do Not Miss These
This is where investors get into serious trouble. The deadlines are strict.
| Deadline | What Is Due |
|---|---|
| Day after auction | 10% down payment of purchase price |
| 10–15 days after auction | Remaining 90% of purchase price |
| At closing | Buyer's premium — approximately 1.5% on foreclosure sales, approximately 10% on tax sales |
Example: If you win a property at $200,000, you need $20,000 wired by the next day, and the remaining $180,000 plus buyer's premium within approximately 10 days.
Payment goes to Bids4Assets — not directly to the Sheriff's Office. Bids4Assets then forwards it to the Sheriff.
Miss either deadline and you are in default. Your deposit is forfeited. The second bidder gets your property at the price you won it for.
Also critical: When you register, make sure the name you provide is exactly the name you want on your deed. If purchasing through an LLC, have that LLC formed and ready before you bid. You will have limited time to provide this information after winning.
What Nobody Tells You Before Your First Sheriff Sale
These are the things that do not appear in the official rulebook.
Everything is sold completely as-is.
No inspection contingency. No warranty. No representations from the Sheriff's Office or Bids4Assets about the property condition. You may be buying sight unseen — there is no agent, no key, no showing. A collapsed ceiling, failed foundation, open code violations, or someone living inside the property are now your problem.
Do your lien research before you bid — not after.
Tax sales can clear certain liens, but not all of them. Mortgage foreclosure sales have their own rules about what survives the sale. Municipal liens — water, gas, certain city charges — can survive and transfer to the new owner. Always have a title company run the title history and check for open permits and utility liens before you bid on a property.
The property may be occupied.
If someone is living in the property when you take title — the prior owner, a tenant, a family member — and they do not leave voluntarily, you cannot use a standard eviction. You will need a Writ of Possession through the Philadelphia Sheriff's Office. This process takes additional time and money and has different rules than a standard landlord-tenant eviction. Factor this into your budget and timeline when underwriting.
The post-sale timeline is much longer than you expect.
According to the Philadelphia Sheriff Sale website, title should be recorded within 10 days of sale confirmation. In practice, it frequently takes significantly longer — sometimes months. Do not commit to a contractor start date the week after you win. Plan for a realistic gap between winning the auction and having a deed in hand.
Once you receive your deed, make sure you have property insurance in place immediately. You may want to start coverage before the deed is officially recorded so there is no gap.
Is Sheriff Sale Investing Worth It?
Honestly — it depends. The deals are real. The equity you can capture is significant and rarely available through a traditional MLS transaction. But the risks are equally real.
Sheriff sale investing is not passive, it is not fast, and it is not for someone who has not done their homework on a specific property. You need to know what the property is worth, what it will cost to rehab, what liens may survive, and whether you have the capital to carry it through a timeline that may stretch several months before you can do anything with it.
If you are just getting started: Spend a few months monitoring Bids4Assets before you ever register or put up a deposit. Get familiar with what types of properties come up, which neighborhoods appear repeatedly, what opening bids look like, and what properties actually sell for versus where bidding opens. Build your instincts before you put money down.
Key Takeaways
- There are two types — tax sales and mortgage foreclosure sales — both run online through Bids4Assets
- Pre-register and deposit before the auction — you cannot bid without doing this first
- Tax sale deposit is $1,500 — foreclosure sale deposit is approximately $10,000
- 10% down payment is due the day after you win — the remaining 90% within approximately 10 days
- Everything is sold as-is — do your lien and title research before you bid, not after
- The property may be occupied — budget time and money for a potential Writ of Possession
- Post-sale title recording takes much longer than the official timeline suggests — plan accordingly
Need Help With a Property You Won at Sheriff Sale?
If you pick up a property at a Philadelphia Sheriff Sale and need help getting it rent-ready or placed with a qualified tenant, that is exactly the kind of work TrustArt Realty specializes in.
