Foreclosure auctions on Long Island are court-supervised referee sales scheduled case by case — there is no single master list you can subscribe to. Here is exactly where each county publishes its calendar, how often sales run, and what you must have ready before you raise a paddle.
New York is a judicial foreclosure state. After a judgment of foreclosure and sale is signed, the court appoints a referee who sets a sale date, publishes a Notice of Sale in a designated newspaper for four consecutive weeks, and conducts the auction in a public location — typically the county courthouse or, for many Suffolk cases, the town hall of the property's township.
Because dates are set per case, the practical 'calendar' is the running list of published Notices of Sale plus each county's posted auction parts. Sales are frequently adjourned at the last minute — for loss-mitigation review, bankruptcy filings, or settlement conferences — so every date must be re-confirmed within 24 hours of the sale.
Referee sales are conducted at the Nassau County Supreme Court in Mineola, on the calendar part designated for foreclosure auctions. Notices of Sale are published in the county's designated legal newspapers and filed on NYSCEF under each case index number.
Suffolk sales are held at the Supreme Court in Riverhead and, for many cases, at the town hall of the property's township — Brookhaven, Islip, Southampton, Riverhead and others. Always read the Notice of Sale for the exact building and time.
The most reliable calendar is the docket itself. Search the index number on NYSCEF, open the Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale and the Notice of Sale, and confirm the date, time, location and terms directly from the filed documents.
Expect a 10% deposit due immediately by certified or bank check, with the balance typically due within 30 days of the sale. Terms vary by referee — the Notice of Sale controls. There is no financing contingency and no inspection.
The foreclosing lender bids its judgment amount (the upset price). You are bidding against that credit bid, so a property only sells to a third party when bidding exceeds what the bank is owed plus costs.
Sales are postponed routinely. Re-check NYSCEF the morning of the auction, and never travel to a courthouse without confirming the case is still on the calendar.
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