Frequently Asked Questions
Registration and Bidding
You must register at www.waynecountytreasurermi.com, pay a
deposit based on the number of properties you are planning
on purchasing, (One Property, $1,000.00 or Multiple
Properties, $10,000.00) and a $50 non-refundable
registration fee.
Be sure you have entered your name exactly as it is on
your driver's license and that you have not entered your
driver's license number here. You must also upload an
image of your driver's license (front and back) or your
passport to verify that the bidder who has registered is
same as the individual E-signing the acceptance of Auction
Affidavit and Bidding rules.
Deposits and Payments
To bid on one property a deposit of $1,000.00 and a non
refundable registration fee of $50.00 is required. To bid
on more than one property a deposit of $10,000.00 and a
non refundable registration fee of $50.00 is required. A
property identified as a premium property will require a
deposit of $25,000.00 and a $50.00 non refundable
registration fee. Deposits of non winners from the
September auction are carried forward and credited toward
the October auction unless a specific request is made to
have the deposit returned.
Once you register you will be requested to make a deposit.
Upon choosing the deposit amount you will be transferred
to JPMorgan Chase. The JPMorgan Chase site accepts
payments via ACH, credit card, and debit card. An ACH
payment is equivalent to writing a check which debits your
bank account. There is no fee to make an ACH payment.
However, there is a fee of 2.49% for a credit card or
debit card payment. The 2.49% fee is paid to the bank and
not to the Treasurer. MasterCard, Visa, Discover, and
American Express are accepted. Prepaid debit/credit cards
are not accepted. For bidders that do not have a U.S.A.
bank account a wire payment will be accepted. Contact the
Treasurer's office at WCTAuction@waynecounty.com for
details.
Go to 'My Account' and then click on the 'My Deposits' box
located on the left side of the screen.
Yes, but only until the registration closes., Go to 'My
Account' and then click on the 'My Deposits' box located
on the left side of the screen. Please make sure that the
system has verified that your first deposit has been
verified before adding funds, otherwise the system will
not acknowledge the first deposit and require another full
deposit. It may take up to two business days to verify
your deposit after submitting payment.
No, You will be refunded any non-used funds within 15
business days after the close of the auction. If you did
not purchase a property at the September auction, your
entire deposit will be transferred as your deposit for the
October auction unless a specific request is made by you
to have the deposit returned.
Bidding Process
The minimum bid amount for the September auction is the
total taxes, interest and fees due plus expenses incurred
by the Treasurer for the foreclosure/auction process. The
minimum bid for the October auction will be posted prior
to the October auction. The Treasurer may change a minimum
bid any time prior to the opening of the auction to
reflect new costs and expenses that may have been
incurred.
At the sole discretion of the Treasurer properties may be
grouped together into a bundle requiring an entry of only
one bid on the entire group of properties as opposed to
bidding on each property individually. Bundled properties
will be identified on the bidding screens. If you do not
see a reference to a bundle, then the parcel is not
included in any bundle.
Bidding on this site is conducted utilizing an Open
Competitive Bidding Process –The bidder is informed of the
highest bid made for that property. This permits a bidder
to offer a higher bid up to the close of the sale for that
property. Optionally, the bidder may offer a Proxy Bid. A
Proxy Bid authorizes the system to automatically bid on
behalf of the bidder up to the bidder's Proxy Bid. If a
bid is made anytime in the last five minutes of the item
expiring, an additional five minutes will be added to the
time the item closes. This can happen repeatedly if
bidders continue to outbid the previous high bid. Be aware
that properties have been grouped together in 'batches' of
25 parcels. Each batch will close at a specific time. See
our "Bidding Rules"
A Proxy Bid authorizes the system to automatically bid on
behalf of the bidder up to the bidder's Proxy Bid. If you
place a proxy bid, your bid will only increase if another
bidder places a higher bid.
Yes, the bidding screen will clearly indicate in large
lettering whether your bid is the current winning bid or
not.
Yes, for properties having a minimum bid of less than
$10,000.00, the bid increment is at least $100.00. For
properties having a minimum bid of $10,000.00 and higher,
the bid increment is at least $1,000.00. For premium
properties or bundled properties, the bid increment is
$1,000.00. If bidding began on a property having a minimum
bid of less than $10,000.00 and subsequently a winning bid
exceeds $9,999.00 the system will then require at least a
$1,000.00 bid increment for any following bids.
Yes, if a bid is made anytime in the last five minutes of
the item expiring, an additional five minutes will be
added to the time the item closes. This can happen over
and over again if bidders continue to out bid the previous
high bid.
No, a bidder cannot cancel a bid. A bid is an irrevocable
offer to purchase a property.
After Winning a Bid
Yes
Deposits of non winners from the September auction are
carried forward and credited toward the October auction
deposit, unless a specific request is made to have the
deposit returned. If that request is made, the bank
account or credit card/debit card that was used to make
the deposit will be credited the deposit. Refunds will be
processed within fifteen business days after the close of
the auction.
You can make your final payment within 48 hours of the
auction closing. You can make the payment in the same
manner that your original deposit was made. Go to 'My
Account' and then click on the "My Wins/Deed Information"
box located on the left side of the screen. Also see "How
is the deposit payment made?" on page 1 of this FAQ
regarding the details of submitting payment via JPMorgan
Chase and what type of payment is accepted. Optionally,
you may make final payment in person at the Office of the
Wayne County Treasurer, 400 Monroe, 5th Floor, Detroit, MI
48226 via cash, credit card or certified check made
payable to the Wayne County Treasurer. If making your
payment in the office, you must make an appointment on our
website www.treasurer.waynecounty.com for a cashier
appointment. For bidders that do not have a bank account
in the U.S.A. a wire payment will be accepted. You will be
informed, via email, the details of how to make a wire
payment upon winning a bid.
A Winning Bidder must make payment in full to the
Treasurer within 72 hours of the auction closing. For any
sale of properties over $100,000, 25% of the purchase
price is due as a non-refundable down payment within 72
hours of the auction closing (unless the original deposit
made satisfies the 25% due) and the balance of the
purchase price is due within 7 days.
Your deposit will be forfeited and you may be banned from
future auctions. Additionally, all available legal
remedies may be pursued. The property(s) will be offered
to the next highest bidder.
The Treasurer's office will record the deed within 30 days
of the close of the auction.
Once you have won a bid you will be informed to log on
again and enter deed information. Go to 'My Account' and
then click on the 'My Wins/Deed Information' box located
on the left side of the screen.
Additional Information
If you go to "My Account" and click on the "Downloads"
button, you can download an excel spreadsheet or pdf of
all parcels. Reports can also be requested by community
only or by zip code.
Current contractors of the Treasurer, their employees, and
current employees of the Treasurer, members of the
immediate family of such contractors, or Treasurer
employees including children, parents, grandparents,
siblings are strictly prohibited from participating
directly or indirectly, in the bidding and purchasing by
any means, including and not limited to, joint ventures,
or assignments of any foreclosed property to be sold at an
auction conducted by the Treasurer.
Yes
Contact Information
Our email address is: support@waynecountytreasurermi.com
Office Hours: Weekdays 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM ET.
Address: 400 Monroe St, Suite 500 Detroit, MI 48226
Auction Email address is: wctauction@waynecounty.com