How to Stop the County From Taking My Land for Unpaid Property Taxes

Property tax foreclosure is not an easy situation to be in. If not resolved in a proper and timely way, you could end up losing your property. Fortunately, there are at least a couple of ways that we can suggest to help you iron out this problem.

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What is Property Tax Foreclosure?

Every landowner is expected to pay property taxes to the county where their property is located. The property tax varies for each property but the computation is based on the value of your land. Paying your real property tax is done every year. If you fail to pay the property tax, the foreclosure process will begin which will take three years to complete on average. After which, the county can legally claim possession of your property. If you will not take steps to resolve this issue, you will end up losing your land and your credit score will be significantly damaged.

In order to help you resolve your property tax issue, let us take a look first at how the process typically happens.

1. If you have not paid your real property taxes on time, your account will be considered delinquent. This will incur penalties that will be computed by your local taxing authority.
2. After a period of one year, if you still fail to pay your real property taxes, your property is going to be included in a “preliminary forfeiture list.” During this period, you will have a chance to stop the foreclosure process if you pay the owed taxes including the computed penalties.
3. If you have not taken any steps to remedy the situation, your property will be forfeited to the county treasurer after the second year. Do remember that forfeiture is different from foreclosure. You can still continue to claim ownership of your land. The hard part about this stage is that you are only allowed to pay your owed taxes and interests in a lump sum to stop the foreclosure. This can be very challenging especially if you do not have access to cash that you can use to pay for the taxes and penalties.

Fortunately, there are a number of ways that you can resolve this issue no matter what stage you are in the foreclosure process. We are here to help you find the best solution that you must do in order to eliminate the stress that you must be going through if you or someone you know is facing land foreclosure.

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How to Stop the County from Taking Your Land?

As mentioned above, the solution to your problem might be different depending on the stage of the foreclosure process that you are in. Let’s focus on the two most ideal ways that you can resolve this problem.

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Pay Your Owed Taxes Out of Pocket

Depending on where you are in the foreclosure process, you may be able to have a flexible payment plan for the owed taxes. You may be allowed to pay your dues for a whole year period or you may be asked to pay it in a single payment. The sure thing is that the earlier you settle the problem, the better it will be for you.

Either way, you have to pay the taxes one way or the other. Consult with your county on the full amount of the real property taxes that you have to pay and have your interests computed. Once you have the figure, ask if you are required to pay on a lump sum or if you will be allowed a staggered payment. Once you have that settled, be sure to make your payments during your prescribed schedule. Remember that the foreclosure process will not be stopped until you have updated your property taxes.

You may also check your county if you are eligible for tax deferment. If yes, this will give you more time to pay your taxes. However, the eligibility requirements for tax deferment are quite difficult. You have to belong to a certain group of individuals such as those with very low income, disabled, or veterans, to be even considered as an applicant.

Consider Selling Your Property

If you do not have enough funds lying around to pay for the accrued property taxes, the only option that you might have left is to sell your property. But you have to be strategic in doing this step, time is of the essence when your property is in the process of foreclosure and you cannot wait for months or years to have cash in your pocket or it might be too late.

Therefore, it is very important that you take all the necessary steps in selling your property as fast as you can. Depending on the property that you may have, it can take months or years for you to do a sale either on your own or through the help of real estate agents. But there is a faster way to get cash for your property: land companies.

Land companies will be able to assess your property and offer you cash in as fast as a couple of days. Since land companies are willing to buy your property fast, you have to be prepared to offer a price that is lower than market value. But that is a whole lot better than losing your property altogether.

By selling your property immediately, you can save a lot of money that should be added as interest if you cannot be able to make prompt payment. By doing so, you will have an opportunity to sell your land, pay your taxes, and afford a new property that is easier for you to maintain as far as taxes are concerned.

Bottom line: There is Always a Solution for Land Foreclosure

If your property is at risk of foreclosure, time is not on your side. Be sure to take all the necessary steps that you can in order to stop the county from taking your property.

If you are ready to sell your land, contact us immediately and we will get back to you with a fair offer as soon as we can. You can be assured that we can close the sale in as fast as a couple of days as long as we have all the necessary documents ready from you.

Land foreclosure is a difficult situation to be in but you should feel better knowing that solutions actually exist. Take the next step now so you can enjoy living worry-free.

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