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Sheriff's Office - Administration
543 2nd Street • Columbus, IN 47201
Phone 812-379-1650 • Fax 812-379-1651
Sheriff's Sale: Frequently Asked Questions
Sheriff Sales
Sheriff Sales are held on the second Tuesday of each month at the Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Office located at 543 Second Street in Columbus, Indiana. All sales will be conducted “orally” (oral bid only) and bidding starts at 10:00 a.m. or as soon thereafter as possible.
Upcoming Sheriff Sales can be viewed on the internet at bartholomewco.com. Sales may be canceled between posting date and sale time, but will not be updated on this site. For cancellations or other questions call the Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Office at 812-379-1646 for Deputy Randy Clark or email him at rclark@bartholomewco.com. Please leave a detailed message if out of the office.
Reference SB 492 Recording Sheriff Deeds: This statute requires the Sheriff to record these documents immediately after the sale. Any delay in receiving these documents will result in the deed and sales disclosure not being recorded pursuant to the statute, and the sale may be Voided.
Our Sheriff Sale Fee is $200 payable to the Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Office and is due with the deed, clerk return and sales disclosure no later than sale time, along with a check to the Recorder’s Office and a check to the Auditor's Office for their fees. These may be hand carried to the sale or mailed prior to the sale. Payment must be made by three separate checks.
The Bartholomew County Auditor’s Office, 812-379-1510, charges $5 for their services and their check should be made out to The Bartholomew County Auditor’s Office. They do not accept deeds with “et al” on the deed. Deed examples can be seen on our web site at bartholomewco.com
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The Bartholomew County Recorder’s Office, 812-379-1520, charges can vary, $16 for the first deed page not exceeding 8 1/2 inches X 14 inches and $2 for each additional page.Most deeds are $18. Documents must be no larger than 8 1/2 inches X 14 inches, 10 point type, on white paper of at least 20 lb. weight, no permanently bound or continuous forms; 2 inch margins at the top and bottom of first and last page with 1/2 inch margins elsewhere. Their check should be made out to The Bartholomew County Recorder’s Office.
The Bartholomew County Assessor Office, 812-379-1505, if you have Sales Disclosure questions. Please check Sales Disclosures closely. A high number are rejected for various reasons. If there are two or more buyers then all must sign the form authority the Assessor’s Office.
All U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Deeds should be noted in large bold letters as they are an exception to the new legislation and do not have to be recorded.
Reference House Bill 1183 effective July 1, 2010: All property taxes on sale properties, tax sale redemption, certified liens must be current at the time of sale. It is the responsibility of the plaintiff to provide a receipt copy of paid Delinquent Taxes / Tax Sale Redemption / Certified Liens, NOT the Sheriff's Office. If the payments required are not made in full by the date and time of the sale, the Sheriff's Office will cancel the sale. If you are paying these taxes immediately prior to the sale, you must provide a receipt showing payment or the sale will be cancelled. The Bartholomew County Treasurer’s Office can be contacted at 812-379-1530.
Sheriff's Sale Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Do we (Sheriff’s Office) have the key to the house?
A: Our office does not have a key to the house and do not handle any showings of the house. We do not take custody of the residence prior to the sale
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Q: How many rooms are in the house and what does it look like?
A: We do not inspect the residence prior to the sale, nor do we look inside and find out about the condition of the house. The County Assessor’s Office (812-379-1505) may be able to assist you with the number of rooms.
Q: How much do they owe on it? Is there a second mortgage on it?
A: Our office does not have this information. The lending institution, or financier should assist you with this information, however our experience is that the banks are difficult to contact. The County Recorder’s Office (812-379-1520) may be able to advise if there is a second mortgage and the original amount of the loan.
Q: When do I have to pay for it, and can I just put down a third of it or one half of it now and pay the rest later?
A: Full payment is due by 3 p.m. the day of the sale.
Q: How do I pay for it?
A: We accept cash in United States currency (large bills only), certified bank and or other official bank payments approved by the County Treasurer’s Office (812-379-1530). We do not accept personal checks at any time.
Q: Am I responsible for any back taxes or pre-existing debts owed to the financial lien holders?
A: The purchaser may be held responsible for all of these debts. The Sheriff’s Office attempts to retrieve these prior to the sale. Buyer Beware. This is not possible 100 percent of the time. The County Treasurer’s Office will have these fees on hand and the deed will not be approved until the debts are paid in full. Delinquent Tax must be made in full by date of sale or Sheriff shall cancel the Sheriff Sale. A title check by a private company is recommended.
Q: How is the deed made out and how long does it take?
A: The deed information is attached to this web site that is directed from the County Auditor’s Office. To keep the process moving in a swift manner, we suggest you follow this informative set of instructions. After clearing The Treasurer’s Office of any taxes or liens, the deed is then passed to the Auditor’s Office, where the deed is titled as instructed on the paper work provided by the purchaser(s).
In the event of a 3rd party purchase the Sheriff’s Office will do a Sales Disclosure with the new buyer before leaving the room immediately after the sales. We will need the “new” 3rd party Deed and Clerk Return as soon as possible from the attorney’s office representing the mortgage company. Questions concerning Deeds and Clerk Returns contact Dalene with the Sheriff’s Office at 812-418-6210 or dnoell@bartholomewco.com.
A self-addressed, postage paid, envelope should be provided for the return of the Recorded Deed to your office.
Sheriff Sale Information for 3rd Party Bidders
3rd Party Bidders must pay all proceeds by 3 p.m. the day of the sale. Payment must be by certified bank check or cash. Large U.S. bills only. No personal checks.
If the purchaser should fail or refuses to pay the purchase money, judgment may be rendered against him/her for the sum and execution issued without stay of execution being allowed. The Sheriff could instead, sell the property on the same or subsequent day if the amount bid at the second sale does not equal the first bid plus the cost of the second sale, the first purchaser may be liable for the difference, plus up to 10% damages to be recovered in a court action.
All sales will be conducted “orally”. Oral bid only! Bidding starts at 10 a.m. or as soon thereafter as possible.
The Sheriff’s Office does not warrant location or legal description on any real estate sold at the sale. Any prospective bidder should obtain their own title evidence before making any bid on any properties in the sale. Buyer Beware.
Deeds and Clerk Returns will be prepared by the attorney representing the mortgage company, signed by The Sheriff, hand carried to The Recorders Office, Auditor’s Office, Assessor’s Office, Clerk's. When all paperwork is accepted at the various offices the Deed will be mailed to the buyer.
Sheriff Sale Information For Attorneys
Attorneys are to include three (3) Notice of Sale, one (1) self-addressed / postage paid envelope and addressed / postage paid envelopes for each of the defendants needing to be served, (this is to include certified mailings also). Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Office requires this statement on all Notice of Sales, The Sheriff’s Office Does Not Warrant The Accuracy Of The Street Address Published Herein.
Please include on the Notice what the Judgment amount is.
All Sales to be held will be posted at the Sheriff’s Office, the Clerk’s Office, and online at www.bartholomewco.com. All publications will be made in The Republic a local paper printed in Bartholomew County. The Sheriff’s Office will hand carry a Notice of Sale with the date of the sale on it to the publisher, and the publisher will bill you direct. Their costs for 3 publications are $200. In the event a sale is canceled the Sheriff’s Office does not cancel publication. Publication questions should be directed to Sukie at The Republic, 812-379-5661 or sdecker@therepublic.com.
Notices, Deeds, Clerk Returns, Sales Disclosures must be on 8 1/2 X 11 size paper. We do not accept Bid Forms. All sales are done “orally”. You are required to send one (1) completed Sheriff’s Deed, one (2) Clerk’s Return, one (3) Sales Disclosure, with one (4) check for Sheriff’s Fee ($200), one (5) check for Auditor’s Fee ($5), one (6) check for Recorder’s Fee (see Recorder information on page 1, usually $18), one (7) self-addressed / postage paid envelope, this must be received by our office prior to 10 a.m. the day of the sale or it may be hand carried to the sale. In the event a Third Party Bidder purchases the property a new Sheriff’s Deed is required as soon as possible after the sale to the purchaser’s specifications. Cost check, Recorder’s check, and Auditor’s check will be returned if plaintiff is not the successful bidder. NOTE: The Sheriff’s Office is required to send Deeds directly to Recorder’s Office. Please be sure to include all of the listed above so we can get Deed(s) recorded in a timely manner according to statute.
All sale costs must be paid prior to or hand carried to the sale.
Sales will be held every second Tuesday of the month at 10 a.m. at the Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Office. All sales will be conducted “orally”. All Third Party Bidders proceeds are due by 3 p.m. the day of the sale with cash, or a certified bank check. *NO EXCEPTIONS*
(A) If the purchaser is the plaintiff; they will be responsible to pay Sheriff Costs, Recorder’s Fee, and Auditor’s Fee. Deed(s) will not be executed until proper proof/receipt of payment is shown. It will be the responsibility of the Plaintiff to provide a receipt copy of paid Delinquent Taxes/Certified Sewer Lien(s), NOT the Sheriff’s Office. If the purchaser is a Third Party Buyer; they will be responsible for the following amounts which will be taken out of the sale proceeds (bid money paid by Third Party Purchaser and Sheriff Costs). Third Party purchaser will be responsible for their own Recorder and Auditor fees. *NOTE: These will be the ONLY amounts taken out of sale proceeds. If there are other lien(s) such as mechanics lien(s), etc., attached to a property it may become the purchaser’s responsibility. Buyer Beware.
After the sale if plaintiff is the purchaser; the Sheriff’s Office will hand carry the completed Sheriff’s Deed, Clerk Return, Sales Disclosure, Recorder’s fee, and Auditor’s fee directly to the Recorder’s Office. When they have been accepted and completed at the various offices the Sheriff’s Deed will be mailed to your office from the Sheriff’s Office.
After the sale if a Third Party Bidder is the purchaser; the Sheriff’s Office after receiving the “new” completed Deed and Clerk Return prepared by the attorney representing the mortgage company will hand carry the forms to the various offices. When they have been accepted and completed at the various offices the Sheriff’s Deed will be mailed to the buyer from the Sheriff’s Office.
Questions should be directed to Deputy Randy Clark at 812-379-1646 and please leave a detailed message if not in the office, or email at rclark@bartholomewco.com.
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