The Real Estate Division is responsible for processing court-ordered tax delinquency and mortgage foreclosure sales, most commonly known as Sheriff's Sales. Properties listed for tax and foreclosure sale are not attached by the Sheriff's Office, but rather placed there by order of the court. By law, the Sheriff's Office is mandated to enforce the court-ordered sales. 

Nearly every property exposed to Sheriff's Sale is sold, with the exception of those that are stayed or postponed.  If the property's legal owner makes arrangements to settle the outstanding debt, the property is stayed-- or withheld from sale. If the owner remains in default, the property is scheduled for Sheriff's Sale. Properties that are postponed are done so by a legal motion from the attorney representing the lien holder, namely the City Solicitor's Office in the case of Sheriff's Sales, a tax delinquent lien is presented to the Sheriff's Office by the Law Department.  On average, a third of the properties at Sheriff's Sales are sold, a third are stayed, and a third are postponed.  Sheriff Green places radio ads to advertise the properties available at the Sheriff's Sales in his effort to open up the Sheriff's Sale process to first-time home buyers who may not have the financial resources required for traditional real estate transactions.  These ads are an extension of Sheriff Green's HOPE program.

John D. Green, Sheriff
100 South Broad Street, 5th Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19110
Phone: 215-686-3530, Fax: 215-686-3971