Updated October 2026 with AuctionScout data through September 2026.
Pennsylvania has seven counties running sheriff sales that we track: Butler, Fayette, Lancaster, Lebanon, Pike, Washington, and York. All seven run their sales online through RealAuction, so every lot comes back with a result. What none of them give you is a published appraisal.
That's the Pennsylvania sheriff sale data problem in one paragraph. If you're an investor researching PA sheriff sales from out of state (or even across the state), you're probably discovering what we already know: you get results, but very little to value a property with before the sale. What does exist is worth paying attention to, because the numbers tell a story most investors are missing.
The Seven Counties Side by Side
Here's what AuctionScout's PA data shows for all sales since tracking began (October to November 2024; Pike from September 2025) through September 30, 2026, as of October 2026.
| County | Lots listed | Sold | Sale rate | Median sold price | Median below est. market value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Butler | 348 | 106 | 30.5% | $93,000 | 54.4% (n=32) |
| Fayette | 439 | 135 | 30.8% | $66,000 | — (too few estimates) |
| Lancaster | 631 | 93 | 14.7% | $201,000 | 35.9% (n=66) |
| Lebanon | 296 | 49 | 16.6% | $165,000 | 45.7% (n=24) |
| Pike | 294 | 53 | 18.0% | $50,500 | 56.3% (n=22) |
| Washington | 818 | 227 | 27.8% | $76,741 | 51.6% (n=31) |
| York | 1,373 | 263 | 19.2% | $176,000 | 38.2% (n=141) |
| All 7 | 4,199 | 926 | 22.1% | $122,250 | 40.7% (n=321) |
Sale rate is sold over lots with a reported result (every PA lot in this window has one). Of the 926 sales, 532 were at exactly the opening bid (126 of Fayette's 135 and 180 of Washington's 227), most likely the foreclosing plaintiff buying the property back. The discount column is the median gap between the sale price and our estimated market value, shown only where at least 20 sales have an eligible estimate.
Two patterns stand out. Prices split by region: Pike and the three southwestern counties (Fayette, Washington, Butler) sell at medians under $100,000, while Lancaster, York and Lebanon sit between $165,000 and $201,000. And the discounts look large, at 36% to 56% below est. market value. Est. market value is the value of a comparable home in normal condition. Sheriff-sale properties sell as-is, often without an interior inspection, and the buyer may take on surviving liens, repairs and possession costs, so the gap is not a profit margin.
Lancaster County: 84% Didn't Sell, and Most Never Reached Bidding
Lancaster County tells a different story. On July 29, 2026, 57 properties were listed for sheriff sale. Nine sold. That's a 15.8% sale rate, which means 48 properties didn't sell: 33 were postponed and 15 were cancelled.
The median sale price on the ones that did sell was $167,000. Decent numbers, but the real signal is in those 48 unsold properties.
Most of those 48 weren't passed over by bidders. They never reached bidding at all. Postponed properties usually come back on a later list, so many of them will be offered again. If you're tracking Lancaster sheriff sales, the smart move isn't showing up to one auction and swinging for the fences. It's tracking properties across multiple sale cycles.
This multi-cycle approach works particularly well in PA because the sheriff sale process allows for continued adjournments and re-listings. A property that draws no bids at $200K in July might show up at $160K in October. The bank wants it off the books. The court wants it resolved. Patience, combined with consistent tracking, is the strategy here.
PA's Blind Bidding Problem: No Published Appraisals
Here's something that catches Ohio investors off guard when they cross into PA: Pennsylvania publishes no sheriff's appraisal value.
In Ohio, you get a court-ordered appraisal for every sheriff sale property. It's not always accurate, but it gives you a public reference point. The two-thirds rule on first offerings (ORC 2329.20) means you know the floor. You can work backward from the appraisal to calculate your maximum bid.
PA doesn't do this. You show up to a sheriff sale and the bidding starts. Your valuation is entirely on you. That means your comps need to be tighter, your renovation estimates need to be more conservative, and your walkaway discipline needs to be ironclad. There's no published number to anchor against, which is both a risk and an advantage if you've done better homework than the next bidder.
That matters most on the lots that do reach bidding. Without a public valuation reference, there's no appraisal to benchmark the minimum against, so investors who do their own comps and inspections are better placed to judge it.
Every County Has a Recap Page
All seven PA counties we track have a live recap page with sale results, prices and outcomes: Butler, Fayette, Lancaster, Lebanon, Pike, Washington, and York. What the results can't give you is a pre-sale value. That part of the due diligence is still on you: your own comps, a drive-by, and a title search.
What This Means for PA Sheriff Sale Investors
Pennsylvania is a two-speed market right now. Pike and the southwestern counties give you cheaper entry points, with medians under $100,000. Lancaster, York and Lebanon are pricier markets where most of each list is postponed or cancelled, so patience and multi-cycle tracking can work in your favor.
The investors who do well here are the ones who accept that PA sheriff sale data is incomplete and build their process around that reality. Don't wait for perfect information. Work with what the results show you, learn the patterns, and be ready to move when the right property comes up.
Right now, you can see full results for all seven counties on the Pennsylvania recap page. Start a free trial on AuctionScout to track these markets.