How Florida foreclosure auctions work

Florida forecloses through the courts. When a judge enters a final judgment of foreclosure, the judgment sets a sale date and the county Clerk of Court sells the property at public auction. Most counties hold these sales online, and the property goes to the highest bidder.

Florida clerks may run foreclosure sales online with advance deposits and proxy bids, and most counties do so on RealForeclose (county.realforeclose.com). (§45.031, Fla. Stat.)

As of November 8, 2026, 2,892 foreclosure auctions are scheduled in Florida in the next 90 days; the next is on November 8, 2026. See them all on Florida foreclosure auctions.

Properties sell as-is, usually without an inspection or a look inside. Research each one before the sale: the judgment amount, the recorded liens (especially anything senior to the mortgage being foreclosed, like property taxes), unpaid HOA or condo assessments, and whether the sale might be postponed or cancelled. To bid online, register on the county's auction site and fund your deposit ahead of the sale.

A foreclosure sale wipes out liens junior to the mortgage being foreclosed when their holders were named in the case. Liens senior to it, such as property taxes, stay with the property. A third-party buyer is liable for unpaid HOA or condo assessments without the cap that protects the foreclosing first-mortgage lender. (§720.3085, Fla. Stat.)

Foreclosure sales are public auctions to the highest bidder for cash. The foreclosing lender (the plaintiff) can bid up to its judgment amount without paying cash, so an outside bidder generally has to bid more than the lender's credit bid to win. (§45.031, Fla. Stat.)

The winning bidder at a Florida foreclosure sale posts a deposit of 5% of the final bid. When the balance is due is set by the county clerk and the judgment, often by 4:00 p.m. on the sale day or by the next business day. (§45.031, Fla. Stat.)

After the sale the clerk files a certificate of sale. Any party can object within 10 days; if no one does, the clerk issues a certificate of title to the buyer. (§45.031, Fla. Stat.)

The owner can stop a foreclosure sale by paying the judgment until the clerk files the certificate of sale (or a later time set in the judgment). After that, there is no right of redemption. (§45.0315, Fla. Stat.)

Since October 1, 2026, 1,404 foreclosure auctions sold in Florida; 31% went to third-party bidders rather than back to the lender. The median winning third-party bid was 100% of the judgment and 58% of the estimated property value. Those sales drew 32 bids on average.

The numbers differ a lot by county. Compare them on the Florida county rankings, which score each county on deal flow, competition, discount to value, sell-through and equity.

If the sale brings more than the judgment and costs, the extra is surplus. It goes to subordinate lienholders who claim it and then to the owner of record. Claims other than the owner's must be filed within one year of the sale, after which the clerk sends unclaimed surplus to the state's unclaimed property program. (§45.032, Fla. Stat.)

More in Florida surplus funds.