Terms Of Sale

All third party purchasers shall make deposit as follows: If the appraised value of the property is:

  • less than $10,000= Deposit of $2,000
  • $10,000 to $200,000 = Deposit of $5,000
  • greater than $200,000 = Deposit of $10,000

The balance of the amount bid is due and payable upon confirmation of sale. All payments are payable in certified check or bank money order only. NO PERSONAL CHECKS, COMPANY CHECKS, LETTERS OF CREDIT, CREDIT CARDS OR DEBIT CARDS ACCEPTED.

Any balance of proceeds not paid within 30 days of the confirmation of sale will cause the purchaser to be held in contempt of court and forfeit the deposit. Additional sanctions may be placed at the court’s discretion.

Responsibility of The Real Estate taxes, which shall be paid from the proceeds of the sale of the subject real property, are those which are due and payable as of date of sale. Taxes after sale date will become the new title holder. Notice is given that such taxes and special assessments, or installments of special assessments, and any other assessments, which are not legally due and payable according to the law at the date of sale shall remain a first and best lien on the parcels and the purchaser shall take such premises subject to all such taxes and assessments. Federal liens may not be extinguished by this sale. Any delinquent water and sewer bills may be the responsibility of the purchaser.

All property sold at Sheriff’s sale is sold on an “AS IS” basis and there is no warranty or guarantee. The Putnam County Sheriff’s Office is not responsible to determine and makes no representations regarding whether utility bills, such as water, gas, electric, sewer, etc. are paid or whether the property is free of liens.

The Putnam County Sheriff’s Office and the appraisers make no representations, assume no responsibility and are not liable, for any condition of the property including any environmental or hazardous conditions that may exist within, under, around or near the subject property. The appraisal may or may not have been an inside inspection of the property.

All Sales Are Classified as “CAVEAT EMPTOR” (buyer beware)

ENTERING THE PROPERTY WITHOUT THE PERMISSION OF THE OWNER OR OCCUPANTS IS A VIOLATION OF OHIO REVISED CODE §2911.21, CRIMINAL TRESPASSING, PUNISHABLE UP TO 30 DAYS IN JAIL AND $250.OO FINE.

Note: Property still belongs to the original owner even though the order of sale has been issued from the court. If you purchase a property at sheriff’s sale and have paid your deposit, it still belongs to the original owner until the Common Pleas Judge has signed the confirmation of sale. This process can take up to 30 days or more. This is hard for people to understand, and can be very risky in terms of money and other concerns. If you have any questions regarding this, you should consult your personal attorney before any real estate purchase from a sheriff sale. We cannot advise you of any legal questions you may have.

The successful bidder for the purchase of the real estate being sold will have approximately 30 days from the date of sale to obtain an examination of title to the real estate at their expense if they desire one. Should such examination disclose the title to be unmarketable by reason of any defect in the court proceedings or the existence of any outstanding interest rendering the title unmarketable, the purchaser may, within the 30 day period, file a written motion requesting that the sale be set aside. If the court finds that the title is unmarketable, the court will refuse to confirm the sale or fix a reasonable time, not to exceed 90 days, within which the defect of title may be corrected.

Any questions about the utilities should be directed to the company or the municipality that provides the service.

Real Estate Foreclosure & Tax Sales

The Sheriff Sale Section is charged with the responsibility of appraising, advertising, and selling foreclosure properties. This sale can be court ordered for either a bank foreclosure or a tax delinquency. After the sale, if necessary, this section will also enforce a Writ of Possession.

Tax Sales are normally held at the Putnam County Court House, 245 E. Main Street, Ottawa, Ohio on the first floor at the east door of the courthouse. Tax sales will be conducted as advertised in the Putnam County Sentinel.

How To Find Sales

Sales are advertised in the legal section of the classified ads in the Putnam County Sentinel. The ads run once per week for a minimum of three consecutive weeks prior to the date of sale.

The Sheriff’s Office does not mail a list of properties or information about purchasing foreclosed property.

Property Information

The property is NOT available for tour or inspection. The buyer gets the property “as is,” caveat emptor (let the buyer beware). The Sheriff’s Office does NOT have information on liens or taxes. It is up to the prospective purchaser to check what additional liens, taxes, assessments, and additional cost that would be the responsible of the purchaser.

Please contact the Putnam County Offices website.

Property description can be found on the Putnam County Auditors site

Real estate tax information can be found by calling the Putnam County Treasurer’s Office, 419.523.6588.

Notice - Online Sheriff's Sale

NOTICE ONLINE SHERIFF’S SALES

Beginning in August of 2021, the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office will conduct the sale of all real estate subject to foreclosure (with praecipes filed after July 1, 2021) on the “Official Public Sheriff’s Sale Website”, which is operated by Realauction, based on a contract with the Ohio Department of Administrative Services.  The process and procedures under which these sales will be completed are detailed at the Real Auction website https://putnam.sheriffsaleauction.ohio.gov .  All prospective bidders should familiarize themselves with this new process.

In general, the following key points are noted:

  1. All person(s) who want to bid on a property offered by the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office must register with Realauction. Registration will include the completion of the Purchaser Information Form.
  2. Properties will be open for bid at least seven days immediately prior to the date of sale. This is generally known as a proxy bid.
  3. Each Monday (providing there is an open sale), at 10:00 am, Eastern Time, the online auction will begin. An auction will be conducted for each individual property; however only one property will be sold at a time.  When there are multiple properties, after a property is sold, the next scheduled property sale will begin.
  4. Minimum deposits ($2,000 / $5,000 / $10,000 set by law) must be at Realauction for wire deposits must be received by 5 pm (Eastern Time) two (2) business days and ACH Debit deposits must be received by 4 pm (Eastern Time) seven days prior to the Monday auction. This means the deposited funds must be in the account of Realauction by wire transfer or ACH by that date.  Plaintiff’s and Judgment Creditors, as set forth in the Court order, are not required to meet the advertised deposit requirement.

NOTE: Tax sales may be sold on location at the Putnam County Ohio Courthouse at 245 E. Main Street – first floor, Ottawa, Ohio 45875.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION:  Realauction will conduct webinar training.  Registrants for webinar training must contact Realauction Customer Service at 1-877-361-7325 or email at .