Mercer County sheriff’s sale at a glance
When
Every other Wednesday at 2:00 PM
Where
Mercer County Civil Courthouse, 175 South Broad Street, Trenton
Bidder deposit
20% of the bid in certified check, treasurer's check, cashier's check, or cash immediately after the sale; balance due on the 30th day, with interest from the 11th day
Adjournments
The sheriff may grant a defendant two adjournments of up to 28 days each and no more. The homeowner must be named on the writ, show identification, and submit a letter requesting the adjournment with a $28 fee for each, paid in cash, money order, or certified check. An attorney's letter and check are accepted.
Mercer County Sheriff's Office, Sales Office
175 South Broad Street, Trenton, NJ 08650 (administrative office at 640 South Broad Street) · (609) 989-6102
- Bidding opens at $100; after the plaintiff's upset figure, bids rise in $1,000 increments.
- The owner may redeem within 10 calendar days after the sale.
- Sales are advertised on Tuesdays in the Trenton Times and Trentonian for four consecutive weeks and posted outside the Sheriff's Office on the first floor of 175 South Broad Street. Mercer does not use salesweb.civilview.com.
Verified against the Mercer County Sheriff’s website. Schedules change; David confirms every client’s sale date directly with the sheriff.
How a home gets to sheriff’s sale
A New Jersey sheriff’s sale is the last step of a court case, not the first. The lender must send a Notice of Intention to Foreclose, file a complaint, obtain a final judgment, and then deliver a writ of execution to the Mercer County Sheriff, who has 150 days to schedule the sale and must advertise it for four weeks. Contested cases are heard at Mercer County Civil Courthouse in Trenton. If you are reading this with a sale date already set, the judgment has been entered, but several tools remain.
Six ways to stop or postpone the sale
- Statutory adjournments. The homeowner is entitled to two by law, and the court can order more for cause. In Mercer County, follow the sheriff’s procedure exactly; a request made the wrong way or too late is refused.
- A complete loan modification application. Federal rules restrict a servicer from holding the sale while a complete application received more than 37 days before the sale is under review. Loan modification.
- Reinstatement or payoff. Paying the arrears or the full judgment cancels the sale. Get the figure in writing.
- A short sale with a lender postponement. Lenders often postpone when a real offer is on the table. Short sales.
- A motion to stay the sale or vacate the judgment. Where service, notice, or standing were defective, the court can stop the sale. Foreclosure litigation.
- Bankruptcy, by referral. A filing imposes an automatic stay. David does not handle bankruptcy cases. When a bankruptcy filing is the right tool, he refers you to a bankruptcy attorney.
After the sale
The sale is not final the moment the gavel falls. The former owner has a short period to redeem or object, and the deed is delivered only afterward. If the home sold for more than the judgment, the difference is held by the court as surplus funds that you can claim. Tenants have separate rights and generally cannot be removed without a court process.
Have a Mercer County sale date?
Bring the notice of sale and your latest mortgage statement. In one free conversation you will know whether the date can be moved and how.