Notes from the records room

Published

Nothing has completed review yet. Everything below is a labeled draft preview.

Draft explainers

A Tax Lien Is Not a House Purchase

Draft — awaiting verification

A tax lien or certificate is generally a claim tied to unpaid property taxes — not ownership of the property.

Read the guide : A Tax Lien Is Not a House Purchase

The Advertised Rate Is Not Your Return

Draft — awaiting verification

The stated rate is only one part of the picture. Understand bidding, costs, timing and risk.

Read the guide : The Advertised Interest Rate Is Not Your Guaranteed Return

How to Research a Parcel for Free

Draft — awaiting verification

Use official county and state resources to find parcel details, ownership records and open questions.

Read the guide : How to Research a Tax-Sale Parcel Using Free County Records

§

When a Certificate Is Not Redeemed

Draft — awaiting verification

Non-redemption usually starts another legal process with its own costs, deadlines and uncertainties.

Read the guide : What Happens When a Tax Certificate Is Not Redeemed?

?

Five Unanswered Questions (Hypothetical)

Draft — awaiting verification

A clearly hypothetical example showing how to document what public records do not answer.

Read the guide : Five Unanswered Questions in This Parcel's Records

• Duval County, Florida · Draft

  Duval County Tax Certificate Sale: A First-Time Bidder’s Checklist

  Research Duval County tax certificates with a practical checklist for official links, bidding, deposits, parcel records, and unanswered questions.

• Duval County, Florida · Draft

  Duval County Tax Deed Auctions: How to Find Listings and Research a Parcel

  Find Duval County’s official tax deed auction links and build a parcel research file covering sale documents, funding, title questions, and costs.

• Florida · Draft

  What Happens When a Florida Tax Certificate Expires?

  Understand Florida’s tax certificate expiration rule, why the original issue date matters, and which records to review before a deadline approaches.

• Pima County, Arizona · Draft

  Pima County Tax Lien Auctions: What You’re Actually Buying

  Learn what a Pima County tax lien certificate represents and how to research parcel records, bidding assumptions, and bankruptcy questions.

• Mohave County, Arizona · Draft

  Mohave County Tax Lien Sale Fees: What to Include in Your Budget

  Build a Mohave County lien budget that separates certificate principal, nonrefundable fees, research costs, and hypothetical net returns.

• Santa Cruz County, Arizona · Draft

  Santa Cruz County, Arizona, Tax Lien Sale: Where to Find Official Bidding Rules

  Find Santa Cruz County, Arizona’s official auction links and check sale-year rules, ACH readiness, parcel changes, and research responsibilities.

• Teller County, Colorado · Draft

  Teller County Tax Lien Auctions: How Premium Bids Affect Your Costs

  See how a Teller County lien premium changes your cash outlay and break-even assumptions, with clearly labeled hypothetical examples.

• Gunnison County, Colorado · Draft

  Gunnison County Tax Liens: Is Your Auction Premium Refundable?

  Understand Gunnison County’s premium treatment and build a reconciliation worksheet that separates principal, premium, interest, and expenses.

• Grand County, Colorado · Draft

  Grand County, Colorado, Tax Lien Sale: A Before-You-Bid Research Guide

  Research Grand County tax liens with a checklist for parcel interests, premiums, subsequent taxes, and Colorado’s changed treasurer’s deed process.

• Kane County, Illinois · Draft

  Kane County Tax Sale: Registration, Certified Funds, and In-Person Rules

  Prepare for Kane County’s tax sale by checking registration acceptance, certified-funds requirements, attendance, and unresolved schedule details.

• Will County, Illinois · Draft

  Will County Tax Sale: How to Find and Read the Buyer Registration Packet

  Read Will County’s buyer packet systematically, distinguishing registration deadlines, check-in, substitute-bidder rules, and subsequent-tax instructions.

• Peoria County, Illinois · Draft

  Peoria County Tax Sale: Subsequent Taxes and Redemption Checks Explained

  Organize Peoria County tax certificate records with a ledger for subsequent taxes, redemption checks, payment evidence, and unresolved legal tasks.

• Woodbury County, Iowa · Draft

  Woodbury County Tax Sales: Annual, Adjourned, and Public Bidder Lists Explained

  Distinguish Woodbury County’s annual, adjourned, and public bidder lists and learn how to verify a parcel’s status before researching a purchase.

• Johnson County, Iowa · Draft

  Johnson County, Iowa, Tax Sale: Registration and Auction-Day Checklist

  Prepare a Johnson County, Iowa, tax sale file covering the current notice, bidder identity, registration evidence, attendance, and funding questions.

• Muscatine County, Iowa · Draft

  Muscatine County Tax Sale: How to Find the Official Parcel List

  Find Muscatine County’s county-linked auction list and learn how to track parcel removals, updated amounts, identifiers, and missing research.

• Hancock County, Indiana · Draft

  Hancock County, Indiana, Tax Sale: Online Batches and Payment Requirements

  Understand Hancock County’s online auction batches and prepare a funding checklist that accounts for multiple wins and current payment requirements.

• Porter County, Indiana · Draft

  Porter County Tax Sale: Where to Find Official Notices and Sale Information

  Find Porter County’s official tax sale notice, county-linked vendor, property records, and instructions for researching results and buyer obligations.

• Prince George's County, Maryland · Draft

  Prince George’s County Tax Sale: Payment Requirements and High-Bid Premiums

  Separate bid amount, tax lien funding, deposit, and high-bid premium in Prince George’s County, with a hypothetical calculation and review checklist.

• Montgomery County, Maryland · Draft

  Montgomery County, Maryland, Tax Sale: How Sealed Bidding Works

  Understand Montgomery County’s sealed-bid structure, group and individual bids, bid factors, and the checks needed before submitting a tax lien bid.

• Charleston County, South Carolina · Draft

  Charleston County Tax Sale: Real Estate vs. Personal Property Rules

  Avoid mixing Charleston County real-estate and personal-property sale rules. Learn how to classify a listing and build the right research checklist.

• Horry County, South Carolina · Draft

  Horry County Tax Sale Redemption: What Bidders Need to Understand

  Understand Horry County’s real-property redemption concept and organize your records without assuming that a winning bid means immediate ownership.

• Fresno County, California · Draft

  Fresno County Tax Auctions: What the County Does Not Inspect or Guarantee

  Build a Fresno tax-auction research file for condition, legal access, land use, environmental questions, and the limits of county sale information.

• Contra Costa County, California · Draft

  Contra Costa County Tax Auctions: Costs Beyond Your Winning Bid

  Separate Contra Costa auction deposits, fees, transfer taxes, and research expenses to build a clearer cash and total-cost budget.

• Harris County, Texas · Draft

  Harris County Tax Sales: Who Pays Post-Judgment Property Taxes?

  Understand why Harris County’s minimum tax-sale bid may not be your full tax budget and learn how to research post-judgment balances.

• Harris County, Texas · Draft

  How to Research Floodplain Risk Before a Harris County Tax Sale

  Research floodplain questions before a Harris County tax sale using official maps, jurisdiction checks, permitting questions, and documented limitations.