Washington County delinquent tax sale slated for March 9
JONESBOROUGH – After a great success last year, Washington County decided to once again conduct its Delinquent Property Tax Sale online.
COVID-19 concerns led the county to go online with its sale last year, and saw an increase in local, qualified bidders. Currently more than 100 properties are listed in this year’s sale, which will open to registered bidders at 10 a.m. on March 9.
Prospective bidders must register at GovEase and provide current proof of funding prior to the sale. Instructions on the bidding process are available on that same website. Bidders can access the auction from any device (smartphone, tablet or computer). The site has a bidder dashboard that enables real-time tracking of activity and purchases. Bidders can enter max bids ahead of time to streamline the bidding process.
Properties up for public auction are those with delinquent property taxes from 2019 and prior tax years. A complete listing of properties and disclosures about the sale are available on our Washington County Court Sales site. Properties are listed by the owner’s last name and include an address so those interested can look the property up online.
“Moving to an online sale allows those who can’t attend in person, but want to bid, the opportunity to participate,” said Sarah Lawson, Clerk and Master for Washington County. “One thing that bidders need to remember is some properties include liens owed to the City of Johnson City. Those will be collected as part of the minimum bid.”
These liens do not include clean-up or demolition done on properties after the tax sale. Winning bidders are encouraged to speak with codes enforcement in the city and county after the sale.
Lawson encourages folks to review the property sale list and let anyone they know who has delinquent taxes know about the sale.
“The opening bid contains all delinquent taxes held by the Clerk and Master,” Lawson explained. “Winning bidders must pay for the property before 4:00 p.m. on Thursday, March 10, 2022, and will receive a copy of the order confirming sale. The highest bidder can request a deed from the tax attorney, which is an additional $100 cost.”
Property sold is subject to a right of redemption, which runs one year from the date of the order confirming the sale. If a delinquent tax payer pays taxes and interest in that span, the highest bidder gets their money back plus 12% per annum, which will begin to accrue on the date of sale.
Each parcel is sold as is with no warranty. It is up to interested buyers to review the properties in advance of the sale.