Surplus money proceedings
The sale paid the debt. The remainder is still yours.
Every year, foreclosure auctions leave millions of dollars sitting in county registries — unclaimed, quietly aging toward escheatment. Solterra Consultants identifies those balances, proves entitlement, and litigates the surplus money proceeding until the court orders the funds released to you.
No fee unless funds are recovered. Written disclosure before anything is filed.
Owed upfront — we are paid only from recovered funds
Typical claim window before funds escheat to the state
Counties where we regularly file surplus petitions
The mechanics
Where the money goes after the gavel falls
A foreclosure sale is a forced conversion of real property into cash. The referee applies the proceeds in strict statutory order: costs of sale, the judgment of foreclosure, then recorded junior liens by priority. Whatever remains after that waterfall is surplus.
The surplus is deposited with the court, not paid out automatically. It is released only on an order of distribution entered in a surplus money proceeding — an adversarial motion in which every claimant must prove standing, priority, and amount. Miss the window and the balance escheats to the state.
The proceeding
Three stages, start to disbursement
Record search
We pull the judgment, referee's report of sale, and county surplus ledger to confirm a balance exists and who has standing to claim it.
Petition & notice
We prepare the surplus money proceeding, serve every lienholder and interested party, and answer competing claims on your behalf.
Order & disbursement
Once the court signs the order of distribution, the county or referee releases the funds. You are paid directly.
Questions
What claimants ask us first
Free record check
Tell us the property. We'll tell you if there's a balance.
Send the address and county of the foreclosed property. We search the surplus ledger and respond within two business days with what we find — whether or not there is a case for us to take.