Sheriff's Sales

Sheriff's sales are held at the Plymouth County Law Enforcement Center located at 451 14th Avenue NE, Le Mars, Iowa.

Sales are performed as public auctions. The mortgage company or their attorney's office will submit a written bid to the sheriff and that bid amount will be announced on the date and time of the scheduled sale. Individuals wishing to submit a bid will be allowed to do so after the sheriff announces the mortgage company's bid.

The properties on a sheriff's sale are published in the Le Mars Daily Sentinel twice before the sale date and are posted in three public places in Plymouth County, one of which is the Plymouth County Courthouse. The upcoming sales are also listed below.

Permission to enter the properties for sheriff's sale is not permitted by law. This includes buyers, inspectors, appraisers, etc. unless a court order is obtained.

The Plymouth County Auditor's Office has plat maps that provide the physical lot description of the property. The Plymouth County Assessor's Office has information on the land value, number of rooms and type of utilities. The Plymouth County Treasurer's Office can provide the tax information, including delinquencies on the property. The tax and lien information are not part of the sale and would become the responsibility of the purchaser of the property.

Liens and deeds can be researched at the Plymouth County Recorder's Office. You may find that the name on the deed differs from the name on the lien. The name on the deed will be the owner of the property. You may check the docket at the Plymouth County Clerk of Court's Office located on the third floor of the Plymouth County Courthouse or call 712-546-4215 for any other judgment liens. An independent title search company may be used.

Once you have submitted your bid and are announced the winning bidder of the property, the sheriff will require a cashier's check be paid in full for the total amount of the bid. The sheriff will allow the winning bidder sufficient time to obtain a cashier's check from their banking institution. The funds must be produced on the day of the sheriff's sale. If the highest bidder fails to produce funds at the time specified by the sheriff, the sale will be held the next business day.

If the property for sale has no redemption, the Sheriff's Deed will be issued to the highest bidder after the funds are produced to the sheriff. The purchaser is then responsible for transferring and recording the deed, which is done at the Plymouth County Recorder's Office.

If the property for sale has a redemption period, the highest bidder will be issued a Certificate of Purchase after the funds are produced to the sheriff. The Sheriff's Deed will be issued when the redemption period expires, upon producing the original Certificate of Purchase to the sheriff.