Judicial foreclosure sales appear to be so rare in Riverside County that the judicial sale that I recently attended was also used as a training vehicle for several uniformed deputies in the sheriff’s office. While I was the only bidder in attendance, the auction room was filled with uniformed deputy sheriffs with guns!
Before the sale date, I had called the Court Services Office to ask what I needed to bring to the bidding. Since I was credit bidding our client’s judgment, I did not have to worry about the form of payment. I was told that no pre-sale bid forms were necessary that I just needed to appear with identification as my client’s counsel.
When I arrived for the sale at the Sheriff’s Court Services Division in the Western Regional Justice Center in Murrieta, a uniformed deputy took my information and told me to wait 5 minutes for any late bidders.
Then I was escorted to the auction/conference room and was surprised when they asked me to be seated, as I thought that the sale would only take 15 seconds. Instead, a uniformed deputy read aloud the entire notice of sale, including parties’ addresses, phone numbers, zip codes and the legal description of the property.
The same deputy then opened the auction bidding. I made a partial credit bid. The deputy called “going once, twice, three times, and sold.” After waiting for the personnel to be sure they had all the necessary information to prepare the certificate (which is issued in lieu of the final deed, because of the redemption period), I was on my way – finally.
