Most people aren't aware that Hennepin County foreclosure information is available through the Hennepin County Sheriff's webpage.  The site is a great resource for researching potential foreclosure purchases and short sale opportunities.  The site allows you to search for foreclosures in Minneapolis or any of the suburbs in Hennepin County using three search options.

1) Search Hennepin County Foreclosures By Address

2) Search Hennepin County Foreclosures by Mortgagor

3) Search Hennepin County Foreclosures by Sale Date and Lien Type

After you've entered your search criteria, you'll get the results of your Hennepin County foreclosure search.  The resulting information is displayed as a list, sorted by sale date which includes the following information:

1) Sale Record Number

2) Property Address

3) Date of Sale

4) Mortgagor

5) Type of Sale

From the resulting list of foreclosures you can view additional details about the property and the sale.  If you find a property you're interested in trying to purchase, be sure to make a note of the sale date.  In Minnesota, the owner of the property has six months from the date of the foreclosure sale to redeem or sell the house.  If you can't negotiate a deal with the owner before the end of the redemption period, the property will go back to the bank.  Once the bank takes the property back, it could be many months before the property is available for purchase.  Often times these homes get lost in the "black hole" at the bank and take months before they resurface for sale. 

You can get some additional information about the property and the foreclosure sale by clicking on the "sale record number" including:

1) Mortgage Document Number

2) Date of Sale

3) Type of Sale

4) Mortgagor

5) Mortgagee

6) To Whom Sold

7) Final Bid Amount

8) Redemption Expiration Date

9) Deputy Sold By

10) Law Firm/Attorney Handling the Foreclosure

11) Property Address

Keep in mind if you're considering buying a foreclosure or short sale, that the process can be complicated and successfully purchasing a property without the help of a Minnesota REALTOR® who is licensed and has experience dealing with short sales and foreclosures will be very difficult.  Using a real estate agent to help you with the purchase won't cost you anything, the real estate agents fee will be covered by the bank, so it just makes sense to utilize their services.  If you would like a recommendation for a real estate agent in Hennepin County or anywhere in Minnesota that can help you with a short sale or foreclosure purchase, let us know.  We're well connected with the best agents in the state an