Somerset County sheriff’s sale at a glance
When
Every Tuesday at 2:00 PM; the sign-in sheet opens at 9:00 AM in the Sheriff Sales Office and bidders may pre-register by phone up to 24 hours ahead
Where
Commissioners Meeting Room, 3rd Floor, Somerset County Administration Building, 20 Grove Street, Somerville
Bidder deposit
At least 20% of the bid in certified funds (cashier's check, certified check, treasurer's check, or money order); no cash accepted; balance within 30 days in certified funds, with interest from the 11th day
Adjournments
New Jersey law (N.J.S.A. 2A:17-36) entitles the homeowner to two adjournments of the sheriff's sale, and the court may grant additional adjournments for cause. Somerset does not publish its adjournment procedure online; call the Sheriff Sales Office at (908) 231-7144 to confirm the current fee and deadline.
Somerset County Sheriff's Office, Sheriff Sales Office
20 Grove Street (lower level), Somerville, NJ 08876 · (908) 231-7144
- Bidding opens at $1,000 and rises in increments of at least $1,000. No additional time is granted for a buyer to obtain a mortgage.
- The former owner may redeem within 10 days after the sale.
- Sales are advertised on the sheriff's own website for four consecutive weeks, with each sale's status (sold, settled, bankruptcy, canceled, redeemed, reinstated) posted there. Somerset does not use salesweb.civilview.com.
Verified against the Somerset 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 Somerset County Sheriff, who has 150 days to schedule the sale and must advertise it for four weeks. Contested cases are heard at Somerset County Courthouse in Somerville. 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 Somerset 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 Somerset 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.