South Florida Owners Lost 52 Properties to Foreclosure Last Week

South Florida owners lost 52 properties to completed foreclosure auctions last week, and lenders ended up holding more of that inventory than outside buyers did. Of the 52 sales recorded between Sept. 21 and Sept. 27 across Broward, Miami-Dade and Palm Beach counties, 28 went back to the lender on a credit bid and 24 sold to third-party buyers, according to county circuit court auction records tracked on The American Developer’s South Florida distress wire.

Why it matters

When lenders take back more properties than investors buy, it means bid interest at the courthouse steps is thin relative to what’s owed. Investors are the ones who set a market price by outbidding the plaintiff’s opening number; when they sit out, the bank ends up owning the asset instead of cashing out at auction. Last week’s 28-to-24 split favoring lender take-backs points to softer investor appetite at current judgment levels, not a shortage of distressed inventory. That inventory becomes REO the lender will eventually have to list, adding a second round of supply later rather than clearing in one step at the courthouse.

The numbers

The 52 completed sales broke out by county as 22 in Broward, 19 in Miami-Dade and 11 in Palm Beach. Combined judgment amounts across the 52 properties totaled roughly $14.5 million. The three largest by judgment were 1760 Bel-Air Ave in Broward (case CACE-25-016095, $1.12 million, lender take-back), 9260 SW 164th St in Miami-Dade (case 2025-023462-CA-01, $1.06 million, lender take-back) and a Brickell condo at 801 S Miami Ave #5205 in Miami-Dade (case 2026-007818-CA-01, $1.01 million, lender take-back). All three of the week’s largest judgments ended up with the lender rather than a third-party bidder.

What’s next

The American Developer tracks completed sales across all three South Florida counties daily. If the lender-take-back share keeps running ahead of third-party sales in the coming weeks, expect a wave of bank-owned relistings to follow, typically 60 to 90 days behind the auction date. A reversal toward more third-party buyers would instead signal investors are back in at these judgment levels.