A foreclosure, tax or HOA sale only has to cover what was owed. When bidding goes higher, the difference is surplus, and by law it belongs to the former owner. We find it in the records, file the claim and see it through.
Nothing up front · No recovery, no fee
At the auction, whoever forced the sale is entitled only to what it's owed: the loan or tax debt, plus the costs the law allows. Everything the bidding brought in above that line is surplus, and it's held for the former owner by a court clerk, tax collector or sale trustee.
Homes and land carry the most equity of anything we recover, built up over years of payments and rising values. That's why home surpluses are often the largest, and why so many owners never hear that money was left over.
Liens and other claims may be paid from the surplus first, so the amount you receive can be lower.
In court-run (judicial) states, the surplus usually sits with the court clerk. In trustee-sale states, the trustee or a county office holds it. Depending on the state, it's claimed with a sworn claim form or a motion before a judge.
In 2023 the U.S. Supreme Court (Tyler v. Hennepin County) confirmed that owners keep their equity above the tax debt. Deadlines are the risk: in some states, unclaimed tax-sale surplus is lost within a year or two.
An association can force a sale over a few thousand dollars in unpaid dues. Because the debt is small next to the home's value, these sales can leave large surpluses behind.
Send us the property address or county and roughly when it sold. We check the sale results and the office holding any funds, then tell you what we found, even if it's nothing. It's free.
Not always. Deadlines vary by state, from about a year to much longer, and some funds move to the state's unclaimed property office, where they can often still be claimed. We'll check where yours stands.
Nothing up front. Our fee is a percentage of what's recovered, agreed in writing before we start and within any limit your state sets. If nothing is recovered, you owe nothing.
Tell us what was sold and we'll check the records for you. It's free and there's no obligation.
Start my claim