What are Sheriff Sales?

Sheriff Sales are the sale of properties that have been foreclosed upon. After a judgment of foreclosure is granted by the court, a Sheriff’s Deed will be given to the court for safekeeping. The Sheriff will hold a Sheriff’s Sale in the Sheriff's Office.

Foreclosure cases can be found on WCCA by performing an “Advanced Case Search” and entering the case classification code of: 30404 along with the other required information.

Available Properties

In accordance with Wisconsin Statute 815.31, the sale shall be advertised by posting at least three weeks prior to the date of sale. In addition to the upcoming Sheriff Sales calendar maintained on this website, sales may be advertised at the County Offices at 212 River Drive Wausau WI 54403, the municipality in which the property exists, and/or in the "Legal Notices" section of local news outlets. 

How to Sell

If you are a plaintiff or a personal representative and wish to schedule a sale, please contact the Marathon County Sheriff's Office Civil Process Unit by emailing civil.process@co.marathon.wi.us or calling 715-261-1200, option 4, between 8:00am and 4:00pm weekdays.

How to Bid

Sheriff Mortgage Foreclosure Sales are conducted on Tuesdays of each week beginning at 9 a.m. in Room A136, Marathon County Courthouse, 500 Forest Street Wausau, WI 54403. During cases of extreme inclement weather, deputies will usher attendees into the vestibule or main foyer of the courthouse. All third-party bidders or their representatives must meet these Bidder Qualifications.

The Plaintiff determines the opening bid. The mathematical equation to determine this is not known by the Sheriff's Office. The opening bid may be at, below, or above the amount specified in the judgment. Once the opening bid is received, the bidding process is open to other bidders who must also personally appear. Any qualified bidder may bid on the property. The property is sold to the highest bidder. There will be no bids accepted by fax, text message, email, or phone.

The highest bidder will be required to deposit 10% of that bid in the Clerk of Courts office by cash, money order, or cashier’s check payable to "Marathon County Clerk of Courts".  This is required at the time of a winning bid and the bidder will not have time to go to the bank to obtain funds. A personal check will not be accepted as indicated in the Notice of Sheriff’s Sale.

The court will then schedule a hearing for the Confirmation of Sale. At that hearing the court will typically sign the order confirming sale requiring the winning bidder to pay the balance owed from the sale by money order, cashier’s check, or cash. Upon the balance being paid, the Clerk will handle the processing of the payment and the Sheriff's deed as directed in the order confirming sale. It is the responsibility of the buyer to pay any transfer fees.

If the winning bid exceeds the amount owed on the property, there may be a surplus of funds. When that happens, any creditor in that court case may petition the court for their portion of the surplus funds. A signed order of the court is required in order to pay out any surplus funds.

If the winning bidder paid less than the amount owed on the property, a deficiency judgment may be filed against the defendant(s).

Property Details

Most properties cannot be inspected prior to the sale. The Sheriff's Office does not have keys to the properties that are scheduled for sale. The prospective purchaser buys the property, more or less, "as is, where is", therefore the Sheriff's Office does not have any of the following information:

• Number of bedrooms and/or bathrooms
• Average real estate taxes
• Condition of well and/or septic or if the property has plumbing issues
• Age of the furnace or roof
• Existence of property liens, back taxes, or easements
• Whether or not the property meets code
• Whether or not the house has been winterized, if vacant

The buyer assumes all liens and legal encumbrances on the property. The Sheriff's Office cannot provide legal advice on how to properly investigate what financial obligations may be outstanding. Other defendants listed on the Notice of Foreclosure Sale may have a financial interest in the property. The Sheriff's Office cannot provide legal advice as to how to determine what financial interest is outstanding. Resources available may be a title search, record search, the Clerk of Courts and the Register of Deeds.