Where to purchase tax liens

The research, bidding, and final payment can all be done online. Our offices continue to be closed to the public at this time in order to help reduce the spread of COVID in our community.

Therefore, payment for successful bids will ONLY be accepted via wire payment. The list of Lands Available for Taxes are properties which were offered, but not purchased, at a Tax Deed sale. After 90 days, any person or governmental unit may purchase the land for the opening bid, plus omitted years taxes, as cited in Florida Administrative Code 12D View Code.

You can view all tax deed files on this site as well. This application lets you view the Lands Available and properties that have a pending tax deed sale through our online auctions. The Orange County Comptroller does not warrant the accuracy of the content on this site, and all data herein is subject to change and may be updated without notice. Properties may be redeemed at any time prior to the receipt of final payment of the winning bid.

By using this service, the user agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Orange County Comptroller for any damage of any kind that may be caused by retrieving this data over the Internet.

If you require additional assistance, you may contact the Tax Deed section of the Official Records Department during business hours at , or visit us at E. But in many cases, you'll simply enjoy the higher interest payments of the tax lien while the homeowner repays their debt. Call our Home Loans Experts at to begin your mortgage application, or apply online to review your loan options. Buying a tax lien on a property gives the purchaser a legal claim on the property.

The investor pays off the delinquent taxes owed to the municipality and is then repaid by the property owner — plus interest — during a redemption period. Here's what you'll need to know about buying a home in a tax lien sale.

When a homeowner doesn't pay their property taxes, the local government or municipality will issue a tax lien certificate. The certificate amount is for the amount of taxes owed and penalties against the property. Typically, these certificates are issued once a year and an annual auction follows a few months later.

As a potential investor, you can sign up for the auction ahead of time. Plus, you'll have some time to do your due diligence on the properties before making a bid. When the auction goes live, you'll be able to bid on tax lien certificates. The minimum amount that you'll need to bid is the outstanding tax and penalties.

Plus, you'll include the interest rate you are willing to accept. The maximum allowable interest rate will vary based on the state. You should expect that most auctions will not stop at the highest allowable interest rate. Instead, you'll find the bidders who win are willing to accept a considerably lower interest rate. A bidding war can sometimes occur between buyers, driving down the rate of return for the winning bidder.

You'll need to take note of the redeemable aspect of the tax lien certificate. In most cases, there will be a redemption period that ranges from several months to a few years. The homeowner will be able to repay their taxes within this period to have the tax lien removed. Also, consider whether or not you'll need to purchase subsequent tax liens issued during the redemption period.

In some cases, the county may continue to issue tax liens each year that the owner doesn't pay their taxes. Depending on the local laws, newer tax liens may take precedence over your claim.

If the tax lien is not redeemed within the specified timeframe, then you'll have the opportunity to pursue a foreclosure on the property. But you'll need to follow local guidelines on notifying the current property owner. If you're considering buying tax lien properties as an investment, then you'll want to learn how you can make money from the deal.

Here's what you need to know about buying tax lien homes as an investment. Upon redemption, we notify the buyer to return their certificate for payment of the certificate face value plus accrued interest. If we are holding your certificate, a check will be mailed immediately. These payments earn the same rate of interest as does the original public auction.

Buyers return their certificates to us and deposit expense money. The lower redemption interest rate is applicable to discoveries made after May 23, and can be applied to the entire certificate regardless of when the certificate was purchased.

The list of parcels for sale will be available at the auction website about two weeks before auction starts. Any questions should be referred to the Taxpayer Service Unit at The annual public auction of real estate tax liens will be held as an internet auction.

Date and time of public auction. Bidding will begin on November 2, at a. Access will be on a first come first served basis. Unpaid tax list and public auction. Publication of the unpaid tax list will be in alphabetical order by property owner name. Taxes will be auctioned in parcel identification number order. The list of the unpaid taxes, in parcel identification number order, will be posted 1 at the Auction Website beginning October 18, and 2 in the Taxpayer Service area of the Treasury Division for several days before the public auction.

Each parcel will be offered for the amount of taxes, advertising, penalty interest, and fees and will be subject to general bidding. Payments will not be accepted after that time without redemption interest. Each bidder must register on the Auction Website before they will be allowed to participate in the tax lien sale. After registering, each bidder will receive a bidding number from the Auction Website that will enable the bidder to place bids.

All bidders must make a deposit on the Auction Website before their bids will be accepted. Registration and deposits may be made starting October 18, , and must be completed no later than October 27, , at p.

No registration or deposits will be allowed after this time. All deposits shall be made by electronic funds transfer. Final determination regarding the acceptability of any deposit will be at the discretion of the Treasurer. Buyers are responsible to ensure the information on their registration is correct since certificates of purchase, redemption checks, and refund checks are prepared from this information. Minimum bids: The minimum starting bid for each tax lien is equal to the amount of the unpaid taxes, interest, penalties, and fees the tax lien face value.

Tax liens are awarded to the highest bidder, or in the event of a tie, the winner will be selected at random by the Auction Website, and the winning bid amount will equal the amount of the tie bid. Tax liens will be grouped into batches and sold in one hour increments starting on November 4, , at a. Tax liens in each batch will be identified with a closing time. Bids may be made starting November 2, , at a. Bids will be accepted for each tax lien until the batch containing it closes.

The Auction Website stores the bids for each tax lien until the batch containing it closes. Prior to the closing of the batch, bidders may change or withdraw their bids. Once a batch closes, the bids become final and may not be changed or withdrawn.