Tax sale


A tax sale is the forced sale of property by a governmental entity for unpaid taxes by the property's owner.
The sale, depending on the jurisdiction, may be a tax deed sale or a tax lien sale Under the tax lien sale process, depending on the jurisdiction, after a specified period of time if the lien is not redeemed, the lienholder may seek legal action which will result in the lienholder either automatically obtaining the property, or forcing a future tax deed sale of the property and possibly obtaining the property as a result.

General

The governmental entity can be any level of government that can assess and collect property taxes or other governmental debt, such as counties, cities, townships, and school districts.
State law offers the governmental entity a method of collecting its tax on the property without financially binding the nonpaying person or business, by placing a lien on the property which, if not paid, will result in future cost during a specified grace period wherein, to recover the property, the owner can be charged interest and/or penalties as well as other costs; and if completely non-paid, ultimately the seizure and selling of the property. In most places in the US, a tax lien takes priority, eclipsing other liens such as mortgages.
The requirements to begin the foreclosure process must be strictly followed; otherwise, the property owner will lose all rights to the property. Common requirements include:
  • sending a letter by certified or registered mail to any and all owners of record as shown on the entity's records, as well as to any person shown as having a mortgage, lien, or "other interest" in the property,
  • placing a public notice in a newspaper designated to publish legal notices,
  • posting notice at the local courthouse or other public place designated for official notices, and/or
  • posting notice on the property itself in such a place and manner that it is visible to the public.
Once the process begins, the property owner can still avoid foreclosure by paying the amount owed plus interest, penalties, and/or other costs or fees. The amounts can end up being quite high if the process is well under way. Even after foreclosure, in some jurisdictions the owner can still recover the property by paying the amounts owed within a specified time. Alternatively, the owner can file suit to have the sale set aside on grounds that the requirements were not followed.

Sales

Two main methods are used to capture delinquent real property tax: the tax deed sale and the tax lien sale.
Both methods operate using an auction method. The title, not the property is up for auction at a tax lien or deed sale, the property may or may not be salable. Traditionally, the auctions have been live events held at the county courthouse or another designated official location. However, online auctions have increased in usage. There are various auction bidding methods used to determine final sale, the method and the terms of sale vary by county for each county in every state. Each county will advertise that no tax sale is risk-free since all title and certificates on property are sold 'as is' with no warranties, and no expectation of clear title.

Tax deed sale

In a tax deed sale, the title to each property is sold.
At the sale, the minimum bid is generally the amount of back taxes owed plus interest, as well as costs associated with selling the property. Often the purchaser making the bid for the property takes title. However, the purchaser must follow each county's rules, which vary widely, and usually have a very short period to pay the entire amount owed, or else the sale is invalidated and usually the auction deposit is lost.
Depending on the jurisdiction, any amount in excess of the minimum bid may or may not be returned to the original property title owner, or the owner may forfeit rights to such excess amount if not claimed within a specified period. Also, anyone having an interest in the property may, in some cases, claim the excess.
In the event the property is not purchased at auction, title generally reverts to the governmental entity that initiated the sale, which can then offer it for at or even below the original minimum bid.
Title is generally transferred in a tax deed sale through a form of limited warranty or quitclaim deed. In most jurisdictions, this type of deed is generally insufficient to acquire title insurance. Therefore, a purchaser would most likely then need to initiate a quiet title action in order to resell the property later. However, title to the property can be sold from one purchaser to another using a limited warranty or another quitclaim deed, though usually at far less than its market value.
Some jurisdictions allow for a post-sale "redemption period", whereby the former owner has a specified amount of time to reclaim the property by repaying the amount bid at auction plus interest, penalties, and/or other costs. As such, purchasers of properties at tax deed sales are cautioned not to make major improvements on the property until after the redemption period has expired, as such improvements would then become the property of the original owner.
A tax deed sale may also be used in conjunction with a tax lien sale process, whereby the lienholder starts the process toward forcing a public sale of the property. In those instances the lienholder's investment constitutes the minimum bid; if no other bids are received at the sale then the lienholder will take title to the property subject to redemption periods or any lawsuit to overturn the sale.

Pitfalls of tax deed investing

Although the possibility of obtaining property at rates far below market values is promising, there are several pitfalls which must be taken into account before investing:
  • Payment is usually required at purchase or within a very short time afterward, and certified funds are required. Failure to pay the full amount generally results in the sales of properties purchased by the investor being cancelled; the investor may also be barred from future sales in that jurisdiction.
  • Though touted as a means of obtaining property at very low cost, in practice when a property is placed for auction at a tax deed sale, it is usually sold at a higher price than the original minimum bid of the back taxes, accrued interest, and costs of sale.
  • As stated above, in most jurisdictions properties sold in this manner are conveyed to the highest bidder via "tax deed", a form of quitclaim deed. Thus, the holder of the tax deed would then have to file a quiet title action, in order to clear any title defects or obtain a mortgage or title insurance.
  • Should a property be obtained, it may still be subject to other liens and assessments on the property which are not extinguished at sale. These liens and assessments can, in some instances, exceed the value of the property itself, making it virtually worthless.
  • Some states allow a post-closing redemption period, during which time the original owner can redeem the property by paying the amount bid plus interest/penalty and costs. As such, if the purchaser makes improvements on the property and the original owner redeems it within the redemption period, the purchaser may lose those improvements if they are physically attached to the property and cannot be removed.

    Tax lien sale

In a tax lien sale, instead of selling the actual property, the governmental entity sells a lien on the property. The lien is generally for the amount of delinquent taxes, accrued interest, and costs associated with the sale.
In the event that more than one investor seeks the same lien, depending on state law the winner will be determined by one of five methods:
  1. Bid Down the Interest. Under this method, the stated rate of return offered by the government is the rate of return allowed. However, investors can accept lower rates of return, including zero percent in some cases. The investor accepting the rate of return is the winner. In the event that more than one investor will accept the same lower rate, the tie may be broken by 1) first bid received, 2) random selection, or 3) rotational method.
  2. Premium. Under this method, the investor willing to pay the highest will be the winner. The premium may earn interest at a different rate than the base lien value, and in some cases may not be paid back to the investor upon redemption of the lien.
  3. Random Selection. Under this method, a bidder will be randomly selected from those offering a bid. Usually, a computer is used to make the selection, but in smaller jurisdictions more rudimentary methods may be used.
  4. Rotational Selection. Under this method, the first lien offered for sale will be offered to the investor holding bidder number one, who has the right of first refusal. If bidder number one refuses the lien, bidder number two may then bid. However, bidder number one will not be offered another lien until his number comes up again in the rotation. The next lien will go to the next number in line. Under this method, the investor has virtually no control over which liens s/he will obtain in the bidding, except to take or refuse what is offered.
  5. Bid Down the Ownership. The investor willing to purchase the lien for the on the property will be awarded the lien. For example, a bidder may agree to take a lien on only 95% of the property. If the lien is not redeemed, the investor would only receive 95% ownership of the property with the remaining 5% owned by the original owner. In practice, few investors will bid on liens for less than full right to the property or sale proceeds. Therefore, with multiple owners bidding on 100% encumbrance, the process then generally reverts to a tiebreaker method such as random selection.
Liens not sold at auction are considered "struck" to the jurisdiction conducting the auction. Some jurisdictions allow "over the counter" purchases of liens not sold at auction, subject to some liens being exempt from sale.
The investor must wait a specified period of time before taking action to foreclose on the property. During the redemption period, the lien may be repaid by the owner or a legal designee of the owner. Usually the lien holder is permitted during this period to contact the property owner to demand payment or threaten foreclosure, or else the lienholder can face sanctions.
In some jurisdictions, the lienholder must agree to pay subsequent unpaid property taxes during the redemption period in order to protect his/her interest. If the lienholder does not pay such taxes, a subsequent lienholder would "buy out" the prior lienholder's interest. Other jurisdictions allow the lienholder first right to pay subsequent taxes, but if the lienholder chooses not to do so, a separate lien is offered for sale. Still other jurisdictions do not offer subsequent tax payment priority; each lien is sold separately.
Once the redemption period is over, the lien holder may initiate foreclosure proceedings. Normally, the cost of the proceedings will include, in addition to statutorily-mandated costs, buy-outs of other liens and payment of any other unpaid taxes plus accrued interest. During the period between the initiation of proceedings and actual foreclosure, the property owner still has the opportunity to repay the lien with interest plus the costs incurred to foreclose.
The foreclosure proceedings, depending on the jurisdiction, may be either:
  • "self-executing": after the expiration of the redemption period the lienholder will acquire title to the property, or
  • "non-self-executing": after the expiration of the redemption period the entity will conduct a tax deed sale of the property; the payments made by the lienholder constitute the opening bid and, if no other bids are received, the lienholder will acquire title to the property.
In both cases, as with tax deed sales, title to the property will normally be in the form of a quitclaim deed, thus requiring further action to quiet title.
If the lienholder does not act within a specified period of time, as defined by state law, the lien is forfeited and the holder loses his investment. This period of time cannot be extended unless the tax lien holder is officially in the process of foreclosing on the property or other legal action is pending.
A lien issued in error of state law is repaid, but usually at a far lower interest rate than had the lien been valid.