Ohio just closed its biggest sheriff sale quarter on record. Cuyahoga County alone posted 1,073 listings in Q1 2026. Statewide, ATTOM's February 2026 data puts Ohio 4th nationally for foreclosure activity, with 1,842 properties and a 43% year-over-year increase.
That's the macro picture. The county-level data tells a more interesting story.
We track seven Ohio counties on AuctionScout, and Q1 revealed sharp divergences in pricing, sale rates, and investor behavior. Some markets are liquid and fairly priced. Others are showing signs of overheating.
Here's what the data says.
Q1 2026 by the numbers
AuctionScout data shows 1,597 sheriff sale listings across our seven tracked counties in Q1 — a 67% increase from the 954 listings recorded in Q1 2025. Cuyahoga drove 67% of that volume at 1,073 listings, nearly double its Q1 2025 total of 539. Franklin County nearly doubled its weekly pace by late March. Montgomery posted a 90% weekly sale rate. Mahoning continued delivering the deepest discounts in the state at 35% below appraised value.
The volume surge wasn't evenly distributed, and neither were the buying conditions. The county-by-county breakdown tells you where the opportunities actually are.
County-by-county performance rankings
| County | Q1 volume | All-time sale rate | All-time avg discount | All-time avg price | Investor verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cuyahoga | 1,073 | 75% | 0% | $76,127 | Volume king. Highest liquidity in Ohio. |
| Franklin | 133 | 54% | -58% | $220,519 | Extreme overbidding. Proceed with caution. |
| Summit | 120 | 60% | 13% | $93,488 | Volatile but fair value when dips hit. |
| Lucas | 108 | 56% | -8% | $94,585 | Mid-tier market. Negative premium. |
| Montgomery | 72 | 60% | -32% | $100,754 | Spring surge leader. Watch for overheating. |
| Hamilton | 59 | 55% | 3% | $167,175 | Mid-tier market. Near-appraised pricing. |
| Mahoning | 32 | 72% | 35% | $122,543 | Ohio's deep-discount champion. Cash flow play. |
A few things stand out. Cuyahoga's 0% average discount means properties sell near appraised value, but the sheer volume (75% sale rate on 1,073 listings) means there's consistent deal flow. Lucas surged to 108 listings in Q1, more than doubling its Q1 2025 volume of 50, though investors there still paid an average 8% above appraised value.
Mahoning is the standout for discount investors: lower volume, but a 35% average discount and 72% sale rate make it the best market in Ohio for investors who need margin. In Q1 2026 specifically, Mahoning buyers paid just 0.60x appraised value on average — while Franklin buyers paid 1.55x.
Franklin is the outlier. A negative 58% all-time average discount means investors are routinely paying well above appraisal. We'll dig into why below.
Spring surge confirmed: the data across four counties
Every Q1, we watch for the spring acceleration. This year, the data confirmed it across four counties simultaneously.
Franklin County saw weekly volume jump from 11 listings to 21 — a near-doubling — between the first week of March and the week of March 20. More notable: the week of March 13 averaged a negative 270% discount, meaning investors paid nearly four times appraised value. The week of March 20 came in at negative 218%. Columbus-area investors are bidding aggressively, likely driven by rental yield expectations that look past the appraisal entirely.
Montgomery County posted a 90% sale rate the week of March 16. Nine of 10 properties sold. That's the highest single-week clearance rate we've observed for any county in our dataset.
Cuyahoga County delivered a batch week on March 23: 79 listings, 73 sold, a 92% sale rate, and an $83,308 average price at an 8% discount. That followed a strong week where 140 properties listed at a 75% sale rate. The quarter closed with a demand spike, not a wind-down.
Summit County recovered sharply. March 2 was an anomaly at just a 20% sale rate. By March 16, it climbed back to 64%. For Summit investors, the lesson is clear: bad weeks create buying windows if you're watching the data.
The pattern across all four counties is consistent. Volume increased, sale rates tightened, and prices firmed. Investors who waited for spring conditions to confirm before deploying capital now have the data.
What Q2 looks like: counties to watch
Based on Q1 trends and all-time performance data, here's how we're reading each county heading into Q2.
Cuyahoga: BUY. The volume is unmatched. Over 1,073 listings in Q1 — nearly double its 539 from Q1 2025 — with a 75% all-time sale rate means consistent deal flow every week. The batch week pattern (large listing dumps followed by slim weeks) rewards investors who track the calendar. If you're active in Cuyahoga, the strategy is simple: show up for batch weeks with capital ready.
Mahoning: BUY. A 35% average discount and 72% all-time sale rate on a smaller market is the best risk-adjusted profile in Ohio. Volume is lower (32 in Q1), so you're competing for fewer properties, but the margins are real. Q1 buyers paid just 0.60x appraised value on average. This is a cash flow play for buy-and-hold investors.
Montgomery: WATCH. That 90% sale rate is impressive, but it also means nearly everything sells. When clearance rates push that high, prices usually follow. Montgomery's negative 32% all-time discount already shows overbidding, and Q1 buyers averaged 1.48x appraised value. If sale rates stay above 80% into Q2, expect pricing pressure to intensify. Good market, but monitor closely.
Franklin: CAUTION. Negative 218% to negative 270% discounts in March are not typos. Investors in Columbus are paying two to three times appraised value — Q1 buyers averaged 1.55x appraised, the highest in our dataset. If your underwriting depends on appraisal-based margins, this market doesn't work. If you're underwriting on rental yields or neighborhood comps, there may be a thesis, but the risk is elevated.
Summit: OPPORTUNISTIC. Summit swings. A 20% sale rate one week, 64% two weeks later. The volatility creates windows. If you're patient and tracking week-to-week data, Summit's 13% average discount and $93,488 average price offer fair value during the dips.
Hamilton and Lucas: HOLD. Both are mid-tier markets with modest all-time profiles: Hamilton averages 3% below appraised at a 55% sale rate; Lucas runs 8% above appraised at 56%. Neither offers Mahoning's discount depth nor Cuyahoga's volume. In Q2, better opportunities exist elsewhere unless you have specific neighborhood conviction.
Track it in real time
Every county above has a live recap page on AuctionScout with weekly updates, sale rates, pricing trends, and property-level data:
- Cuyahoga County
- Franklin County
- Montgomery County
- Summit County
- Mahoning County
- Hamilton County
- Lucas County
Set up alerts on AuctionScout for any county you're watching. Takes 30 seconds.
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