What does a tax sale entail?

A tax sale is a legal process where a local government entity, usually a municipality or a county, auctions off properties to recover unpaid property taxes. When property owners fail to pay their taxes for a specified period, the government has the authority to sell the property to collect the delinquent taxes owed.

In this process, the property is sold to the highest bidder, and the funds raised from the sale are used to pay off the outstanding tax debt. If the owner does not satisfy the tax obligation even after the sale, they can lose ownership of the property, and the new owner may gain the right to collect future taxes or repurpose the property as per local laws.

This mechanism serves as a way for governments to ensure they can continue to fund essential services by collecting revenue from properties that are not being maintained in compliance with tax obligations.