For online legal advertisements and Sales Listing please visit our website at https://www.camdencounty.com/service/sheriffs-office

This is a public service information bulletin.  We hope this information is beneficial to those who would like to bid on properties but are unfamiliar with the conditions and manner of sale.  Purchasing properties at a Sheriff’s Sale is an involved legal matter that brings with it certain risks. We recommend you consult with an attorney who specializes in these matters, as we cannot provide legal advice. Foreclosure sales are for real property only; the Sheriff’s Office does not know if any structures are on the property. Further, we cannot give permission for prospective bidders to enter and inspect any structure that may be located on the property to be sold.

After reading over the following information thoroughly, please feel free to contact the Sheriff’s Sales Division of the Office of the Sheriff at (856) 225-5531 or (856) 225-5551 if we can be of further assistance.

When and Where

Sheriff’s sales are held on the First and Third Wednesday of each month, excluding holidays, at 12:00 pm (noon). Sales will be conducted at:

CAMDEN CITY COUNCIL CHAMBERS
520 MARKET STREET
2ND FLOOR – CITY HALL
CAMDEN, NJ 08102

Notice of Sale/Advertisement 

Online – A list of foreclosure sales is also available on our website. Keep in mind the actual sales scheduled will change drastically as the date of sale draws closer.  These changes will not necessarily be reflected on the website.

Sheriff’s Office – In addition to the newspaper / online advertisement, notices of sale are posted for public viewing at the Sheriff’s Office on the second floor, Rm. 200 of City Hall, 520 Market Street, Camden, New Jersey. This posting cannot be removed from the Sheriff’s Office.

Conditions of Sale

Any person bidding on the property shall, by the act of bidding, be deemed to have accepted these Conditions of Sale.

The highest bidder shall be the purchaser. Immediately upon the property being struck off to the purchaser, the purchaser shall sign these conditions.

Twenty percent (20%) of the bid must be paid by the purchaser immediately when the property is struck off, payable by:

• Cash
• Certified check
• Treasurer’s check

There is a $500 cash limit toward the 20% deposit and a $500 cash limit when paying the balance of the purchase price.

The opening bid is $100, with additional bids made in verbal increments of at least $1,000.

The remaining balance is due within 30 days. Failure to pay the balance within 30 days will result in forfeiture of the deposit.

Where no confirmation is required by law, the deed shall be delivered to the purchaser within 30 days from the date of sale.

Once the deed becomes available for pickup, the purchaser shall be responsible for lawful interest on the unpaid balance beginning on the eleventh (11th) day after the date on which the deed becomes available for pickup. Interest shall continue to accrue until the remaining balance is paid in full.

The Sheriff is not required to send any notice to the purchaser. The purchaser is liable for the full payment of the purchase price.

Bidding will remain open after the property is struck off. If the purchaser fails to comply with any of these Conditions of Sale, the Sheriff may immediately re-offer the property for sale under the same conditions.

If, after a property is struck off and the deposit has been received, the purchaser fails to comply with any of the Conditions of Sale, the original purchaser may be held liable for any resulting deficiency and will not receive the benefit of any increased bid. The deposit is to be retained by the Sheriff to be disbursed by court order.

Sheriff’s fees and commissions shall be deducted directly from the struck-off purchase price.

Sheriff’s conditions concerning the Community Wealth Preservation Program (CWPP):

If the purchaser invokes the Community Wealth Preservation Program (CWPP) as set forth in N.J.S.A. 2A:50-64, the purchaser must provide all relevant documentation and 3.5% of the deposit in cash, certified check, or treasurer’s check as soon as the property is struck off to the purchaser.

Notwithstanding, eligible participants in the CWPP may secure return of their forfeited deposit and shall not be liable for accrued interest if their failure to close on the sale of a property within the applicable 90 day period is due to the participant’s inability to close on a mortgage through no fault of  their own, as defined under the CWPP, in which case the participant shall be refunded the deposit on the property and the participant shall be responsible only for the payment of accrued interest. The Sheriff will not determine a participant’s right to receive a refund of the deposit under the CWPP. The Sheriff will retain the deposit unless and until it receives written consent from the foreclosing plaintiff or a court order authorizing release of the deposit.

The CWPP applies to residential properties and excludes those purchasing property for investment purposes.

Any CWPP provisions not expressly set forth herein shall nonetheless be binding. Information regarding the CWPP is available online.

Rights of Defendants

Prior to the sale, the Sheriff has the discretionary right to make two adjournments of the sale for the defendant (at the defendant’s request), and no more, not exceeding four weeks for each adjournment. The fee for each adjournment is $28.  This payment must be in the form of a certified check, treasurer’s check, money order, or cash.  This request for adjournment must be made in writing, prepared, and notarized by the defendant or certified letter from his/her attorney.

Thereafter, the defendant may petition the court or the plaintiff to ask for further adjournments.

After the sale, the owner can redeem the property for a period of 10 consecutive days from the date of the sale.  The owner can call for information, however a letter, in writing, is required to get the final payoff/redemption amount.

Surplus Funds

Surplus funds are defined as the amount of funds collected from a sale over the judgment amount, fees, costs, and commissions that are due to the plaintiff and Sheriff. Surplus funds are generated when a third-party purchaser buys the property for more than the upset amount.  The main 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 defendant.

The amount of the surplus funds can be ascertained by checking if the amount the property was sold for is more than the amount of the judgment. For example, if a property is sold for $150,000, but the total sum of the judgment amount, fees, costs, and commissions due is only $120,000, there would be a possibility that there is a surplus.

The Sheriff’s Office sends any surplus funds to the Superior Court of New Jersey, c/o the Trust Fund Unit, after the purchaser has paid the balance of the purchase price, fees are deducted, and all financial transactions are finalized. This means that the surplus funds may not be readily available immediately following the sale, as there are instances when the Trust Fund Unit may not receive these funds for up to two months after sale.

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

To speed your inquiry on a specific piece of property, it is helpful if you refer to the property by its file number (ex., FR 000000) or plaintiff and defendant’s last names, all of which appear in the legal advertisement.

All fees and commissions that are collected by the Sheriff’s Office are turned over to the General Treasury of the County of Camden.