§ 9-13-50.Designation by defendant of property to be levied on; when sheriff bound thereby

An execution does not hand the sheriff a blank check to seize whatever looks easiest to sell. Under subsection (a), the debtor gets first say: he may point out which part of his own property he wants taken and sold, and the sheriff must honor that choice and sell that property first, so long as the levying officer judges it enough to cover the judgment and costs. A debtor with land, equipment, and inventory can steer the sheriff toward the piece he can most afford to lose, rather than watching the officer pick for him.

That choice comes with a limit built into the same sentence. The sheriff is bound only when the designated property looks sufficient in the officer's own judgment. If it plainly falls short, the designation does not tie the sheriff's hands, and the officer can move on to other property of the debtor to make up the difference.

Subsection (b) closes a different gap. A debtor might try to point the sheriff toward property that is not his to give up — something sitting in the hands of a person who was never a party to the judgment. The sheriff must not levy on that property. Instead, the officer proceeds to levy on whatever property can be found in the debtor's own possession. The section protects the outside party from losing goods over a debt that was never theirs, and it keeps the debtor's designation right tied to property he controls.