One county, very different houses
Medina County covers 423 square miles between Cleveland and Akron, and the houses you find depend heavily on where you stand. Brunswick, Medina and Wadsworth hold most of the population and most of the subdivision housing. The 17 townships, from Hinckley in the northeast corner to Spencer and Homer in the southwest, are mostly large lots on private wells and septic systems. Villages like Lodi, Seville, Spencer and Chippewa Lake have older housing near their centers, some of it from before 1940.
The county was created in 1812 and organized in 1818, on land that was part of the Connecticut Western Reserve. At the 2020 Census it had 75,169 housing units, and about 80% of occupied homes were owner-occupied. That high ownership rate means many houses here change hands only when a long-time owner dies, downsizes or moves to care, and those houses often haven’t been updated in years.
We buy in every part of the county. Pick your town for local detail:
| Area | Pages |
|---|---|
| Cities | Brunswick, Medina, Wadsworth, Rittman |
| Villages | Lodi, Seville, Spencer, Westfield Center, Chippewa Lake |
| Townships and communities | Brunswick Hills, Hinckley, Granger, Sharon Township, Montville Township, Medina Township, York Township, Lafayette Township, Valley City, Guilford Township, Litchfield |
Inherited houses and the Medina County Probate Court
Estates with Medina County real estate go through the Medina County Probate Court, on the 4th floor of the courthouse at 225 E. Washington St. in Medina. Judge Kevin W. Dunn has presided over the probate and juvenile court since 2013. The probate office number is 330-725-9703, and the court accepts filings in person.
The court’s website posts the forms a family usually needs to sell a house, including:
- Release from administration and summary release packets, for smaller estates.
- Form 11.0, Consent to Power to Sell Real Estate, used when the heirs agree to let the executor sell without a separate lawsuit.
- Form 12.0, Application for Certificate of Transfer, which moves the house into the heirs’ names so they can sell it themselves.
- A full set of estate land sale forms, from the complaint for authority to sell through the entry confirming the sale and ordering the deed.
Which route fits depends on the will, the heirs and the debts, so talk with a probate attorney about your own estate. The court cannot give legal advice, but it lists the Medina County Bar Association (330-725-9794) and Community Legal Aid (800-998-9454) for referrals. Our Medina County probate court guide walks through the steps, and selling a house in probate covers what a buyer needs from the executor.
How Medina County sheriff sales work
Foreclosed houses in Medina County are sold online, not on the courthouse steps. The Sheriff’s Civil Division sets the sale dates, and the auctions run on RealAuction’s state site, medina.sheriffsaleauction.ohio.gov, on scheduled Thursdays at 9:00 a.m.
What the sheriff’s office publishes about the process:
- Each property is advertised in the Medina County Gazette for three consecutive weeks, starting five weeks before the sale.
- The appraisal is done from the exterior only, and the opening bid is two-thirds of that value.
- If nobody bids at the first sale, the house goes to the next scheduled sale with no minimum bid.
- Bidders register with RealAuction and post a deposit of $2,000, $5,000 or $10,000 by wire or ACH before the auction.
- Buyers cannot see inside, and the sheriff warns that some liens may survive the sale.
That second sale with no minimum is the reason to act early. An owner who sells before the sale date controls the price and keeps any equity above the payoff, while a no-minimum auction can go for far less. The sheriff’s office says a court order is needed to pull a property from a sale, so a private sale should start weeks before the date, not days. See selling before a sheriff sale and the Ohio foreclosure timeline.
Back taxes and the Medina County Treasurer
Property taxes are collected by the Medina County Treasurer at 144 N. Broadway St., Medina (main line 330-725-9745). If you’ve fallen behind, call the office as early as you can: the treasurer may be able to set up a payment plan before the account moves toward a tax foreclosure. The research we did could not confirm Medina County’s current plan terms or whether it runs a county land bank, so ask the office directly.
When you sell a house with delinquent taxes, the title company pays the county from your proceeds at closing, and the buyer takes the house free of that debt. Our guide to delinquent property taxes in Ohio explains penalties and the foreclosure process.
What a Medina County seller pays and checks at closing
Three county rules change the numbers on a Medina County closing statement.
The conveyance fee is lower than in Summit, Stark or Portage. Medina County charges $3 per $1,000 of the sale price (the state’s $1 plus a $2 county fee), plus 50 cents per parcel. Summit, Stark and Portage each charge $4. On a $250,000 sale, that is about $750 here instead of $1,000. The seller pays it. More in our Ohio conveyance fee guide.
No county point-of-sale inspection. Medina County has no countywide housing inspection at transfer. Check with your city or village for any local permit rules.
Septic systems are not inspected at sale, but buyers will ask. The Medina County Health Department says it does not require a household sewage treatment system to be inspected before a home is sold. A buyer’s lender often requires one anyway, and the department recommends evaluating septic and well systems before any purchase. One rule can surprise sellers: if public sewer is accessible to the property, the house must be connected and the septic properly abandoned under a health department permit. For a failing system, see selling a house with septic problems.
If your house is move-in ready and you have time, listing it with a local agent will likely bring a higher price than a cash offer. If it has an estate, a sale date, a failed septic or a long repair list, get a written offer and compare.