Distressed properties in Columbus
Distressed Properties in Columbus, OH
Looking for motivated sellers in Columbus? DealSherpa tracks 25,861 flagged houses in Franklin County, from probate estates, unpaid property tax, foreclosures, evictions and code violations, and shows which houses sit on several lists.
Last updated November 10, 2026See sample list · DealSherpa Pro $99/month, 3 days free · All plans
What's on the list
Columbus Lead Types Available
Records per lead type in Franklin County as of November 10, 2026. One house can carry several, so these add up to more than the 25,861 houses.
Franklin County Probate Records: Probate Leads in Columbus
- 514 probate: The owner has died and an estate is open.
The decision-maker is an executor or heir, often with no plan for the house.
Franklin County Tax Delinquent Property List
- 19,807 tax delinquent: Property taxes have gone unpaid.
- 606 tax lien: A tax lien is recorded against the property.
Arrears grow every year and the owner knows it. Multi-year balances are the ones to look at first.
Pre-Foreclosure Leads in Columbus
- 30 foreclosure filed: A foreclosure has been filed.
- 61 sheriff sale: The property is scheduled for a sheriff sale.
The owner has months, not years, to sell on their own terms.
Columbus Eviction Filings
- 678 eviction filed: The landlord has filed to remove a tenant.
Two filings in a year is a tired landlord; one is a landlord having a bad month.
Code Violations and Vacant Houses in Columbus
- 4,885 code violation: An open case on the property: something the owner has been told to fix.
- 1,451 vacant structure: Nobody is living in the house.
- 46 condemned / emergency order: The building is condemned or under an emergency order.
- 87 declared dilapidated: The structure has been declared dilapidated.
- 15 demolition permit: A demolition permit has been pulled.
- 241 structure fire: A structure fire was reported at the property.
Repairs the owner hasn't made are repairs they may not want to make.
Franklin County Sheriff Sale
61 houses in Franklin County are on the Franklin County sheriff sale list in DealSherpa today, each with its sale date and status, matched to the owner and every other signal on the house.
Schedule: Sales on Fridays (as published, as of October 18, 2026).
The weeks before a sale are when an owner can still sell on their own terms, which is why investors watch this list.
- Ohio foreclosures go through the county Court of Common Pleas. When the court orders a sale, the sheriff sells the house at auction, in Ohio usually online.
- Bidders typically register in advance and the winning bidder posts a deposit soon after the sale; the balance is due after the court confirms the sale.
- A sale is not final until the court confirms it, and a listed sale can be cancelled or postponed up to the last minute if the owner pays, files bankruptcy or the case settles.
Columbus Code Enforcement
4,885 houses in Franklin County have an open code enforcement case in DealSherpa today.
An open case is a repair the owner has been told to make and has not made. Fines and city liens add up, and an owner facing both is often ready to sell as is.
- Anyone can report a property condition to the city, usually through its 311 line or online service-request portal; an inspector visits and opens a case if they find a violation.
- The owner gets a notice with a deadline to fix the problem. Cases left open can lead to fines, liens for work the city does itself, and in the worst cases a condemnation order.
- Open violations generally stay with the property when it is sold, so a buyer should look up the open cases on a house before closing.
A look at the list
Sample Columbus Leads
A few real Columbus houses on two or more signals, as they look in DealSherpa. The address and owner are in the app.
| Priority | Property | Owner | Signals | Added | Skip trace | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High | Columbus, 43209Street and number in the app | Owner in the app | Added Oct 2026 | Not traced | View lead | |
| Urgent | Columbus, 43204Street and number in the app | Owner in the app | Added Oct 2026 | Not traced | View lead | |
| Urgent | Columbus, 43205Street and number in the app | Owner in the app | Added Oct 2026 | Not traced | View lead | |
| Urgent | Columbus, 43207Street and number in the app | Owner in the app | Added Oct 2026 | Not traced | View lead | |
| High | Columbus, 43207Street and number in the app | Owner in the app | Added Oct 2026 | Not traced | View lead | |
| High | Columbus, 43223Street and number in the app | Owner in the app | Added Oct 2026 | Not traced | View lead |
Franklin County coverage
Columbus Market Snapshot
Where the flagged houses are, as of November 10, 2026. Property type, age or value does not keep a house off the list.
| ZIP code | Flagged houses | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 43211 | 1,691 | 7% |
| 43207 | 1,526 | 6% |
| 43204 | 1,431 | 6% |
| 43224 | 1,189 | 5% |
| 43219 | 1,124 | 4% |
| 43223 | 997 | 4% |
| 43206 | 978 | 4% |
| 43123 | 773 | 3% |
| 43232 | 763 | 3% |
| 43227 | 727 | 3% |
| 43081 | 725 | 3% |
| 43026 | 717 | 3% |
Columbus proper holds 74% of the flagged houses; the rest are in the surrounding cities and townships of Franklin County.
How we rank a house
How a Columbus house gets to the top of the list
We start with every house in Franklin County that carries a signal. Then we look for the same house on a second list, and a third. A house with unpaid tax and an open code case, or a vacant house in probate, is a different conversation than either signal alone. Those are the houses a small mail or call budget goes to first.
Counts as of November 10, 2026. Recently sold houses are left out.
What the data says
Columbus, by the numbers
Observations computed from the flagged houses, not opinions. They move when the data does.
Unpaid tax is the widest net: 77% of flagged houses
19,807 houses in Columbus carry unpaid property tax. On its own that is a slow signal; it sharpens fast when the same house carries a second one.
49% of flagged owners don't live in the house
12,649 houses have an owner whose mail goes somewhere else, and 1,248 of those owners are out of state. An absentee owner with a problem property is the classic seller.
6,336 houses with a visible problem
4,885 have an open code case and 1,451 are recorded as vacant. These are the houses a driver would spot from the street; here they are flagged before anyone drives.
2,193 houses sit on two or more lists at once
A house with unpaid tax and an open code case, or a vacant house in probate, converts at a different rate than either signal alone. The stacked list is where a small mail or call budget goes first.
514 houses are in probate right now
The owner has died and an estate is open. The contact is the executor or an heir, and the house is often the only asset they need to deal with.
Columbus holds 74% of the market; the surrounding cities hold the rest
Beyond Columbus proper, the largest counts are Dublin (822), Grove City (809), Westerville (728), Hilliard (719), Reynoldsburg (474). Houses outside the core city tend to carry fewer signals but higher values.
Also on DealSherpa
Nearby Markets
Columbus questions
Columbus Distressed Property FAQ
How many distressed properties are in Columbus?
25,861 houses in Franklin County carry at least one distress signal as of November 10, 2026, and 2,193 carry two or more. Records by type: probate 514, tax delinquent 20,413, pre-foreclosure 91, eviction 678, code violation 6,725.
Where does the Columbus data come from?
From public records: court filings and county and city records for Franklin County. DealSherpa reads them, matches each record to its house, and joins the lists so a house on several of them shows once, with every signal.
How often are Columbus leads updated?
The Columbus lists were last updated on November 10, 2026. Court and sale lists move daily or weekly; tax lists move with the county's collection calendar. Houses that are paid up, sold or resolved come off the list.
Can I get the Franklin County tax delinquent list?
Yes. 20,413 houses in Franklin County are on the tax lists in DealSherpa today. Filter to them, add a second signal for a sharper list, then export it or push it to the CRM.
How much does DealSherpa cost?
DealSherpa Pro is $99/month and includes these lists, with a 3-day free trial. Plans for other tools start at $49/month; see the pricing page. Skip tracing is 12¢ per owner.
Which nearby markets are covered?
Dayton, OH, Cincinnati, OH, Akron, OH, Toledo, OH and Cleveland, OH. Each has its own page with its own counts.
Other questions? See plans and pricing or email jack@dealsherpa.app.
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About this page. The counts cover Franklin County, Ohio, and are read from DealSherpa's own records, last updated November 10, 2026; the market has been tracked since October 2026. A flagged house is one with at least one of the signals listed above; it is not a listing, an offer or a guarantee that the owner will sell. Recently sold houses are excluded. The sample houses show the city and ZIP only; addresses, owner names and contact details are available inside DealSherpa to subscribers, subject to its terms.