Pending judicial evaluation any sheriff's sale where the Community Wealth Preservation Program is being used will be adjourned up until the last result of court case (MER-C-94-24).

BEGINNING JANUARY 10, 2024, SHERIFF'S SALES IN MERCER COUNTY WILL BE HELD

EVERY TWO WEEKS

NOTICE Regarding the Community Wealth Preservation Program

On January 12, 2024, Governor Phil Murphy signed legislation into State law developing a Neighborhood Wealth Preservation Program to promote equity and fairness in foreclosure sales by supplying new and higher chances for foreclosed-upon residents and their near relative, tenants, and other potential owner-occupants - along with not-for-profit neighborhood advancement corporations - to acquire and finance a foreclosed-upon home.

NOTE: THIS PROGRAM EXCLUDES THOSE PURCHASING PROPERTIES FOR INVESTMENT PURPOSES.

For further info, see P.L. 2023, c. 255, https://pub.njleg.state.nj.us/Bills/2022/A6000/5664_R3.PDF

Sheriff Sales will be held at the Mercer County Civil Courthouse, 175 South Broad Street, Trenton, every other Wednesday.

Sheriff Sales will begin without delay at 2:00 pm.

( Please note that the Sheriff's Sale List is updated on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays)

Among the functions of the Sheriff's Office is to perform the sale of genuine residential or commercial property after foreclosure proceedings have been finished.

Foreclosure sales are genuine residential or commercial property only; the Sheriff's Office does not understand if any structures are on the residential or commercial property. Further, we can not allow for potential bidders to enter and examine any structure that might be found on the residential or commercial property to be sold.

All residential or commercial properties sold at auction at the Sheriff's Office are marketed Tuesday in the Trenton Times and the Trentonian. Advertisements appear when a week for 4 successive weeks prior to the initial date of sale.

In addition to paper ads, notifications of sale are posted for public viewing here on the WEB website (click here) or outside the Sheriff's Office, on the first floor, 175 South Broad Street, Trenton, New Jersey.

The Sheriff's Office does not have a list, for general circulation, of the residential or commercial properties to be sold. Persons interested in residential or commercial properties can make their own lists from paper legal advertisements.

Sales of residential or commercial property are "open-type" auction sales (no sealed quotes). An opening bid of $100 is bid on the first round by the plaintiff. All subsequent quotes need to begin at $100 over the upset and continue at $1,000.00 increments. The residential or commercial property is sold to the highest bidder.

The successful bidder, upon full payment of the bid, will receive a Sheriff's Deed. This deed does not provide clear title to the residential or commercial property. In order to acquire clear title, one need to satisfy all outstanding liens and encumbrances. If a buyer does not finish the sale he can be held accountable for his deposit.

If you are interested in a particular piece of residential or commercial property, we recommend a title search before you actually bid. Title searches are conducted by private firms. Their phone number may be discovered in the yellow pages of the phone book. A fee is charged. You might also do your own title search.

If you are the successful bidder on a piece of residential or commercial property, you are required to post a deposit of 20% on the overall bid price. It must be paid by accredited check, treasurer's check, or money. It should be paid immediately following the signing of the Conditions of Sale.

The balance of the quote is payable and due on the 30th day from the date of sale. Lawful interest is charged on the balance due from the 11th to the 30th day.

If the residential or commercial property you purchased is inhabited, it is your duty to have the occupants eliminated.

Deed recording charges need to be paid by the purchaser to the County Clerk's workplace when the deed is taped.

Rights of Defendants

For the most part, the residential or commercial property, even after the sale, can be redeemed by the owner for a duration of 10 calendar days from the date of sale.

The Sheriff has the discretionary right to make two adjournments of the sale, and no more, not going beyond twenty-eight days for each adjournment. In order to ask for an adjournment an offender need to: be called on the Writ of Execution, show ID confirming identity and submit a letter requesting the adjournment with a fee of $28 in money, money order or accredited look for EACH of his two adjournments. When it comes to an offender's lawyer we need your letter to state that you represent the accused's in addition to the reason for adjournment. We will also accept an attorney check.

All fees and commissions that are gathered by the Sheriff's Office are committed the General Treasury of the County of Mercer.

To speed your inquiry on a specific piece of residential or commercial property, it is useful if you refer to the residential or commercial property by its address or docket number, which appears in the legal ad. Please do not hesitate to contact the Sheriff's Sales Office at (609) 989-6102, 847-3965, or 281-7212.

Sales are carried out Wednesday at 2 p.m.

Sheriff Sale Procedures

- All foreclosures are subject to special conditions. The Sheriff's conditions are as follows:
- The greatest bidder to be the buyer.
- The buyer must pay 20% of the purchase rate in money, licensed check, cashier's check, or treasurer's check, at time of purchase with balance due in thirty days.
- If the buyer stops working to comply with any of the conditions of sale, the residential or commercial property will be offered a second time, the previous purchaser being delegated all losses and expenses, and deposit to be kept by the Sheriff to be disbursed by court order.
- Sold based on restrictions of record which are unidentified to me and unsettled taxes or assessments and such state of realities as a precise study would divulge.
- A deed to be provided to the purchaser within 2 week from date of sale, with legal interest calculated on the balance due, from the 11th day after sale, up until balance is paid.
- Immediately upon the conclusion of sale, needs to the effective bidder stop working to sign the conditions of sale and pay the 20% deposit as required herein, the Sheriff will instantly resell the residential or commercial property without more public advertisement.
- Sheriff's cost and commissions are drawn from the struck off purchase price. All Sheriff's Sales are sold subject to a first and 2nd mortgage, if any, and any Municipal, State or Federal liens, if any.

The lawyer representing the Plaintiff will have his own conditions of sale.

We highly prompt anyone who is not acquainted with Sheriff's Sale Procedures to seek legal recommendations and to have a Title Search worked on the residential or commercial property before bidding on any residential or commercial property. The search will expose if there are impressive liens, which the bidder would assume if he is the greatest bidder.

Sheriff's Sales are held as an open auction. The Attorney for the Plaintiff will begin the bidding at $100.00. The bidding will continue up until the highest quote is reached, and the highest bidder will be the buyer. The Plaintiff's attorney usually does not enable the bid to opt for less than the Judgment quantity due his client. He will bid till he has reached his Upset Price. An Upset Price is the total of the Judgment due, interest, lawyer's expenses, Sheriff's charges, marketing costs and commissions. Once the lawyer has reached his Upset Price he might stop bidding and the highest bidder, thereafter, will be the effective bidder.

The Sheriff's Sales are hung on Wednesdays at 2 p.m. at:

Mercer County Sheriff's Office,
175 South Broad Street,
Trenton, New Jersey

Download the Sheriff's Real Estate Sales Information Bulletin

The Sheriff's Sales are marketed for four weeks every Tuesday in the Trenton Times and the Trentonian previous to sale. On the 4th and final week of marketing, the residential or commercial property is offered on that Wednesday if the sale has not been adjourned. The Plaintiff's lawyer might adjourn as often times as is necessary for any reason.

If you are preparing to participate in a Sheriff's Sale, you need to examine the Sales Notices posted online website (click here) before or on sale date, to be sure the sale has actually not been adjourned, placed in Bankruptcy stay or cancelled.

This office will publish a notification of sale on the residential or commercial property throughout the week of the first advertising. Our workplace does not get in the premises being offered for any other reason. Until the sale is final, the offender (owner) has all rights and opportunities of personal privacy to his residential or commercial property. A bidder wanting to approach the owner to see the residential or commercial property before the sale, is recommended that he is on his own.

The owner of the residential or commercial property might at anytime, prior to sale, try to save his home or residential or commercial property in several ways. He might attempt to renew his delinquent quantity owed, pay the judgment in full, obtain another loan, etc. He may likewise attempt to sell the residential or commercial property in order to pay the Judgment and at the exact same time revenue from the earnings. The accused has a 10 day Redemption Period after the sale during which time he might object to the sale through the courts or redeem the residential or commercial property. The bidder, in this case, would get his 20 percent deposit back.

The Sheriff's sale deed will be prepared and all set in approximately 14 days after the sale. The balance due on the sale must be paid no behind 1 month after sale, in accordance with the conditions of sale. It's the responsibility of the purchaser to record the deed in the Registrar of Deeds office. It is the sole responsibility of the buyer to notify the owner he has purchased the residential or commercial property and now holds the deed to the residential or commercial property. If the accused does not voluntarily leave the residential or commercial property, the purchaser should apply to the court for a Writ of Possession. Our workplace will serve the Writ upon the accused which will encourage him to vacate the facilities within a particular time period. If the accused has not vacated by the specified tentative date, the Sheriff's Office will set a final date to have a moving van sent out to the residential or commercial property and have the defendant's individual valuables gotten rid of and kept in a location of safe keeping. The costs of the moving and storage is the responsibility of the purchaser. A Writ of Possession is not necessary if the residential or commercial property is vacant before, throughout or after the sale.

Surplus Funds

Surplus Funds are specified as the amount of funds gathered over the judgment quantity, fees, expenses and commissions that are due to the complainant and Sheriff. Surplus funds are created when a 3rd celebration purchaser buys the residential or commercial property for more than the upset amount. The primary function of surplus funds is to pay any junior lien holders. Any funds left over after these lien holders are paid would be available to the offender.

This can be established by inspecting if the amount the residential or commercial property was cost is more than the amount of the judgment. An example of this would be - Cost is $150,000 & judgment is $120,000, there would be a possibility that there is a surplus.

The Sheriff's Office sends out any surplus funds to the New Jersey State Superior Court, c/o Trust Fund Unit, after the purchaser has paid the balance of the purchase cost, charges are subtracted, and all monetary deals are finalized. This indicates that the funds are not easily offered immediately following the sale, as there are instances when the Trust Fund Unit may not receive these funds for up to 2 months after the sale.

If you are the property owner with a foreclosure case in our workplace and you think there was a surplus from the sale of your home, you can call our office or you can contact the Trust Fund Unit directly at 609-292-4012.

More Information

- Foreclosure Sale Courtroom Conduct
- Sheriff's Realty Sales Information Bulletin [PDF 58k]- Sheriff's Foreclosure List

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