Auctions are held on properties that have a foreclosure judgment. The judgment will specify the date and time of the sale, as well as whether the auction will be online or held in the office. The online auctions are conducted via the Internet in accordance with Florida Statutes. For each case, this site provides the judgment amount, the property’s Parcel ID, and a link to certain party information. The property will be auctioned in case number order and sold to the highest bidder. The property or interest being auctioned may be worth less than the assessed value.

Online bidders are required to register on this site. Prior to participating in a sale, the bidder must make a deposit equal to 5% of the anticipated final bid. All deposits must first be initiated on this site and the applicable funds must settle in the Clerk’s bank account by 4:00 PM on the business day prior to the scheduled auction date. Deposits can be remitted by cash or cashier’s check, payable to the Lee County Clerk of Court, or via wire transfer. Registry fees and costs are non-refundable.

Online sales are conducted via the Internet on this website. It is not necessary to appear in person.

No. Though the majority of foreclosure sales are auctioned online, there are still some sales that are held in the Courthouse. The date, location, and time of the sale are specified in the judgment.

There is no special software or hardware needed for the sale. In order to participate, bidders must have a computer with access to the Internet. In order to have full functionality of the web site, the internet browsers that are supported are the latest two versions of Internet Explorer/Microsoft Edge, Google Chrome, Firefox, or Safari.

To create an account, click this link to launch the registration wizard.

Note: Registration is global. Once registered, you can use the same username and password to sign into any RealForeclose or RealTaxDeed website. You do not need to create multiple accounts. HOWEVER, each county handles its own funds. In order to participate in any Foreclosure or Tax Deed auction, you will be required to initiate separate deposits for each sale in which you intend to bid.

The auction begins at the date and time specified in the Judgment. All auctions open with the first property which is displayed at the top of the page. A 1-minute auction clock will begin counting down. During this final bidding time, the highest proxy bid is displayed. The clock extends if the bid entered in the last 30 seconds exceeds the Plaintiff’s Max Bid, if displayed. If hidden, the clock will always extend if a bid that exceeds the current high bid is entered in the last 30 seconds. When the clock reaches 0, the highest bidder is awarded the property, pending final payment.

Prior to the actual start (day) of the auction, bidders may enter their highest acceptable bid for the property. The auction system then checks all other bids and enters a bid on your behalf at $100 more than the next highest bidder (proxy bidding). The system stops entering bids for you when your highest bid is reached. You may increase your bid limit at any time throughout the sale.

No.

If identical bids are placed prior to the auction start date and time, the first participant to place the bid will be deemed the official high bidder.

Tie bids are not allowed once the auction begins, however if a bidder enters a bid that equals a proxy bid placed by another bidder, the bid entered in first would be deemed the current high bid. If this occurs, you will receive a message indicating that you “Do Not Have the Current High Bid” and will then have the opportunity to raise your bid if desired.

Bids may be cancelled or modified (raised or lowered) at any time before the auction officially begins for that case. Once an auction begins, however, bids may be increased only. Cancelling or lowering a bid during a live auction is NOT permitted.

A deposit of 5% of your anticipated final bid is required to be on deposit, settled, and cleared in the Clerk’s account for each property on which you intend to bid.

All deposits must first be initiated on this site and the applicable funds must settle in the Clerk’s account by 4:00 PM on the business day prior to the scheduled auction date. Deposits can be remitted by cash or cashier’s check, payable to the Lee County Clerk of Court, or via wire transfer.

In order to have access to the cases you will be managing you must first register an account. Be advised that registration is global so once you have obtained a User Name and Password you will be able to log in to any RealForeclose site in which you will be managing cases. Once the registration is created, an email requesting Plaintiff Access should be sent to Customer Service at customerservice@realauction.com, with the following information:

• Name of County
• User Name
• Name of Firm
• Sale Date
• Case Number

An email confirming access to the Manage Cases module will be sent upon completion.

Once an account has been granted Plaintiff Access it CANNOT be used for participation as a 3^rd party bidder. 3^rd party bidding would necessitate creating a separate funded account in order to place a bid on an auction as a 3^rd party which means the 5% deposit requirement must be met as well.

Below is a summary of what you need to give to the Clerk in regards to the sale process.

Before the Sale:

• $70 service charge assessed as costs and paid when filing for an electronic sale date, pursuant to Florida Statute 45.035(3).
• $70 service charge pursuant to FS 45.035(1)

Each subsequent $ 70.00 electronic sale fee will be paid through Realauction.

Funds on deposit are only refunded upon request. To request a refund, click “Request Refund” on this site. The requested refund will be returned via check and can take up to four (4) weeks.

The successful bidder must pay the balance of the final bid plus all fees by 4:00 PM on the next business day following the day of sale. Fees include: Doc Stamps ($0.70 per each $100); and Registry fee (3% of the first $500 and 1½% of the balance of the successful bid amount). Payment may be made by cash, cashier’s check, or wire transfer. Payment using the funds on deposit is also available assuming there is enough to cover all that is owed.

Failure to pay the balance of the final bid plus all fees by 4:00 PM the following business day will result in forfeiture of the deposit and nullification of the sale. The deposit will be reduced by the registry fee and may be reduced further by any incurred costs. Registry fees and costs are non-refundable. An order is required before the Clerk may release any remaining balance of the deposit.

The Certificate of Title is issued on the eleventh business day following the sale.

Any person claiming an interest in the surplus of the sale, if any, other than the property owner as of the date of the Lis Pendens must file a claim with the clerk's office.

No! There may still be other encumbrances (judgments, priority mortgages, taxes, or liens) that survive the sale. The winning bidder takes title to the property subject to all defects, liens, encumbrances, and matters of which he/she has or could obtain knowledge. It is the bidder's responsibility to perform all research regarding the property, including the value, title defects, liens, mortgages, or other encumbrances. The Clerk's Office does not guarantee a clear title and is not responsible for any encumbrances on the property purchased at auction.

The laws regarding foreclosures are extremely complicated. It is recommended that all bidders perform a title search and consult an attorney prior to placing a bid.

If a presale/proxy bid is placed on a case that is subsequently canceled, all bids will be removed. If that same case is reactivated for the same date or rescheduled for another sale date, bids previously placed will NOT be restored so it is the sole responsibility of participants to check the status of the cases for which they intend to participate.

If any information needs to be updated in your bidder account, i.e. contact name, address, email address, etc. Realauction will execute those changes. There is an Account Update Form that must be completed in order for any changes to be made to your account. This form can be accessed through the My Account link located on the left menu. The required form along with a Photo ID and any other supporting documentation can be faxed or emailed to the Realauction Customer Service Center.

Note: Updating any information in your bidder account DOES NOT automatically update the information associated with any of your aliases (Names on Title). Those changes are done by the bidder through the My Account option. After clicking on that link select Manage Aliases (Names on Title) to manually make any changes needed.

Click here for contact information for technical support or questions regarding auction procedures including registration, training, bidding or deposits and payments.