# Distressed Property Leads Scraper (`4l3c/foreclosure-auction-scraper`) Actor

Distressed-property leads from official sources: sheriff foreclosure sale listings across 60+ county portals (NJ, OH, PA, DE, IA & more) with auction dates, plaintiffs and judgment data, plus nationwide HUD Home Store listings. Legal public records for real estate investors and wholesalers.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/4l3c/foreclosure-auction-scraper.md
- **Developed by:** [Alec](https://apify.com/4l3c) (community)
- **Categories:** Real estate, Lead generation
- **Stats:** 10 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $30.00 / 1,000 result items

This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events.

Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/actors/running/actors-in-store.md#pay-per-event

## What's an Apify Actor?

Actors are web data automations that power AI and operations. They run on the Apify platform to scrape websites, process data, connect APIs, and automate workflows.
In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours,
and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store.
In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server.
Actors are written with capital "A".

## How to integrate an Actor?

If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects.
You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready.
The best way to integrate Actors is as follows.

- **AI agents and MCP clients** — the [Apify MCP server](https://docs.apify.com/integrations/mcp.md) at `https://mcp.apify.com` (remote, streamable HTTP, OAuth on first use).
- **Agentic workflows and local Actor development** — [Agent Skills](https://apify.com/.well-known/agent-skills/index.json) with the [Apify CLI](https://docs.apify.com/cli/docs.md): `npm install -g apify-cli`, then `apify login`.
- **JavaScript/TypeScript projects** — the official [JS/TS client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md): `npm install apify-client`.
- **Python projects** — the official [Python client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md): `pip install apify-client`.
- **Any other language** — the [REST API](https://docs.apify.com/api/v2.md).

For usage examples, see the [API](#api) section below.

For more details, see Apify documentation as [Markdown index](https://docs.apify.com/llms.txt) and [Markdown full-text](https://docs.apify.com/llms-full.txt).

# README

**Get foreclosure and sheriff sale listings straight from official county records — auction dates, judgment amounts, plaintiffs, and case numbers included.** Foreclosure & Sheriff Sale Listings Scraper collects distressed-property leads for **real estate investors, wholesalers, and agents** from two legally clean sources: 60+ official county sheriff-sale portals and the nationwide HUD Home Store.

No Zillow scraping, no RealtyTrac paywalls, no terms-of-service roulette — these are public court and government records published for exactly this purpose.

### What does Foreclosure & Sheriff Sale Listings Scraper do?

It pulls upcoming foreclosure auctions and HUD-owned homes — address, auction/bid date, plaintiff (lender), defendant, approximate judgment amount, court case number, attorney contact, parcel number, and status — filtered by county, state, and auction-date window. Run on demand, on a schedule, or via the [Apify API](https://docs.apify.com/api/v2). Export JSON, CSV, or Excel, or pipe to Google Sheets and your CRM.

### Why sheriff sale data beats foreclosure aggregators

- **It's the primary source.** Aggregators charging $40–99/month resell exactly these county records, often days late. Here you read them directly, the day the county posts them.
- **Judgment amount = instant equity math.** Judgment vs. market value tells you in seconds whether a deal is worth pursuing.
- **The defendant is the motivated seller.** Pre-auction owners are the classic wholesaling outreach list, with the auction date as a built-in deadline.
- **Attorney on record** (where published) gives a professional contact path for short-sale and payoff conversations.

### Coverage (honest, verified)

- **County sheriff sales (CivilView/Tyler Technologies):** 60+ county and precinct portals across roughly 16 states — deepest in **New Jersey (17 counties)**, plus portals in OH, PA, DE, IA, IL, OR, ID, CO, AZ, FL, AR, KS, WA, MN, LA, and TX constable precincts. The county list is read live at run time, so newly added portals appear automatically.
- **HUD Home Store:** government-owned (REO) homes nationwide by state. Note: HUD inventory in 2026 is modest — typically tens of listings per state — treat it as a complement, not the headline.

This Actor does **not** cover every US county. Counties outside these portals aren't included — coverage claims here are real ones.

### How to get new foreclosure leads every morning

1. Set **County filter** to your market (e.g. `"NJ"` or `"Camden"`), or leave empty for all portals.
2. Turn on **Fetch detail pages** to add judgment amount, case number, attorney, and current status to every listing.
3. Turn on **Only new results** and **schedule** the Actor daily — only listings you haven't seen before are returned.
4. Add a webhook / Google Sheets integration and new auctions land in your pipeline automatically.

### Input

| Field | Type | Default | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| `sources` | array | both | `civilview`, `hud` |
| `civilviewCounties` | array | `[]` (all) | Name match: "Camden", "NJ", "Cuyahoga" |
| `includeDetails` | boolean | false | Adds judgment, case #, attorney, status (1 extra request/listing) |
| `hudStates` | array | FL, TX, GA, OH, PA, NJ | Two-letter codes |
| `auctionDateFrom` / `auctionDateTo` | string | none | `YYYY-MM-DD` window on auction date |
| `onlyNewResults` | boolean | false | Only listings not returned before |
| `maxItems` | integer | 0 | Hard cap (cost control) |

```json
{
    "sources": ["civilview"],
    "civilviewCounties": ["NJ"],
    "includeDetails": true,
    "onlyNewResults": true
}
```

### Output

One JSON object per listing (real example, detail mode):

```json
{
    "source": "civilview",
    "state": "NJ",
    "county": "Camden County, NJ",
    "case_number": "F02233616",
    "sheriff_number": "FR-19004657",
    "auction_date": "2026-06-17",
    "address": "251 SOUTH 33RD STREET CAMDEN",
    "zip": "08105",
    "plaintiff": "NEW JERSEY HOUSING AND MORTGAGE FINANCE AGENCY",
    "defendant": "NOVEL RAMOS, ET AL.",
    "judgment_amount": 78048.83,
    "status": "Scheduled",
    "attorney": "PLUESE, BECKER & SALTZMAN",
    "attorney_phone": "1-856-813-1700",
    "parcel_number": "TAX LOT:107 TAX BLOCK: 1083",
    "detail_url": "https://salesweb.civilview.com/Sales/SaleDetails?PropertyId=2005772102"
}
```

Download as JSON, CSV, Excel, or HTML, or read via API.

### How much does foreclosure listing data cost?

**$0.03 per listing.** One county's full active sheriff-sale book (~200 listings) costs about $6 — versus $40–99/month for aggregator subscriptions that resell the same records. Use `maxItems` and county filters to cap spend.

### Tips

- **`includeDetails: true` is where the value is** — judgment amount + case number + attorney turn an address list into an underwriting sheet.
- Judgment amounts exclude interest and sheriff fees (county footnote) — treat as approximate.
- A listing's `status` history can flip to *Settled* or *Adjourned* before the sale date; re-run before driving to the courthouse.
- HUD bid deadlines (`auction_date`) move fast on new listings — schedule daily if you bid HUD homes.

### FAQ

**Is this legal?** Yes. Sheriff sale listings are public court records published by county sheriffs; HUD Home Store is a federal listing service. No login walls or ToS-restricted aggregators are touched.

**Why isn't my county covered?** Only counties on the CivilView platform (plus HUD) are included — that's what keeps this Actor reliable. Request a county in the Issues tab; new official sources get added as they're verified.

**Found a problem?** Open an issue in the Issues tab.

More docs and use cases: [apify.alecrodriguez.net/foreclosure-listings](https://apify.alecrodriguez.net/foreclosure-listings)

STATUS: VERIFIED — built green (tsc+10 tests+lint), local smoke both sources, cloud-verified 2x (CivilView w/ session-cookie details + HUD embedded JSON) on 2026-06-10.

# Actor input Schema

## `sources` (type: `array`):

CivilView = official county sheriff foreclosure sales (60+ portals). HUD = nationwide HUD Home Store listings.

## `civilviewCounties` (type: `array`):

Match county portals by name, e.g. "Camden", "NJ", "Cuyahoga". Empty = all 60+ portals.

## `includeDetails` (type: `boolean`):

Visit each listing's detail page for court case number, judgment amount, attorney, parcel and current status. One extra request per listing — slower, richer leads.

## `hudStates` (type: `array`):

Two-letter state codes for HUD Home Store listings.

## `auctionDateFrom` (type: `string`):

Only keep listings with auction/bid-open date on or after this. Empty = no lower bound.

## `auctionDateTo` (type: `string`):

Only keep listings with auction/bid-open date on or before this. Empty = no upper bound.

## `onlyNewResults` (type: `boolean`):

Remember listings already returned and only emit ones not seen before. Turn on + schedule daily for a new-listings feed.

## `maxItems` (type: `integer`):

Stop after this many listings (controls your cost). 0 = unlimited.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "sources": [
    "civilview",
    "hud"
  ],
  "civilviewCounties": [],
  "includeDetails": false,
  "hudStates": [
    "FL",
    "TX",
    "GA",
    "OH",
    "PA",
    "NJ"
  ],
  "auctionDateFrom": "",
  "auctionDateTo": "",
  "onlyNewResults": false,
  "maxItems": 0
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `results` (type: `string`):

No description

# API

You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup.

## JavaScript example

```javascript
import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';

// Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
// Replace the '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token
const client = new ApifyClient({
    token: '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>',
});

// Prepare Actor input
const input = {
    "sources": [
        "civilview",
        "hud"
    ]
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("4l3c/foreclosure-auction-scraper").call(input);

// Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any)
console.log('Results from dataset');
console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`);
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
items.forEach((item) => {
    console.dir(item);
});

// 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs

```

## Python example

```python
from apify_client import ApifyClient

# Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
# Replace '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token.
client = ApifyClient("<YOUR_API_TOKEN>")

# Prepare the Actor input
run_input = { "sources": [
        "civilview",
        "hud",
    ] }

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("4l3c/foreclosure-auction-scraper").call(run_input=run_input)

# Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any)
print(f"💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/{run.default_dataset_id}")
for item in client.dataset(run.default_dataset_id).iterate_items():
    print(item)

# 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start

```

## CLI example

```bash
echo '{
  "sources": [
    "civilview",
    "hud"
  ]
}' |
apify call 4l3c/foreclosure-auction-scraper --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,4l3c/foreclosure-auction-scraper"
        }
    }
}

```

The hosted server signs you in with OAuth on first connect, so no API token belongs in this config. Clients without OAuth support can send an `Authorization: Bearer <APIFY_API_TOKEN>` header instead, using a token from API & Integrations in Apify Console (https://console.apify.com/settings/integrations).

## OpenAPI specification

Download the OpenAPI definition: https://api.apify.com/v2/actors/67aOdG10yD1Q1Apo6/builds/B6AtX2utvfOTPBAiE/openapi.json