Tax sales in plain English
Every term you will meet on this site, how a Texas tax sale works, and how to build your first list. No account needed to read this.
How a Texas tax sale works, in five steps
- The county sues. When property taxes go unpaid long enough, the taxing units file a lawsuit and the court orders the property sold to pay the judgment.
- The sale is on a set date, the first Tuesday of the month at the courthouse steps or on the county's online auction site. The notice is posted at least 20 days ahead and lists the minimum bid where the county publishes one.
- You bid. The minimum usually covers the taxes, penalties, interest and court costs. The highest bidder wins and pays that day, usually by cashier's check. You receive a sheriff's or constable's deed.
- If nobody bids, the county keeps it ("struck off"). Many struck-off properties can be bought from the county later, sometimes for less than the debt, by sealed bid or at a resale.
- The old owner can buy it back for a set time after the sale (two years for a homestead, farm or mineral interest; six months for everything else) by repaying you plus a premium of 25% in the first year and 50% in the second. Plan on holding the property until that period ends.
This is the short version. Every county runs its sale a little differently, so read the county's own notice and bidder rules before you bid, and never bid on a property you have not looked at.
Build your first list in ten minutes
- Pick where. On the start page tap "Change area" and choose a county, city or ZIP you know. Properties you can actually drive past are worth more to you than a bargain three hours away.
- Pick when. "Upcoming auctions" shows the next sale dates near you. If you cannot make a sale, "Buy from the county" lists struck-off properties you can pursue any time.
- Read the three numbers on each card: what is owed, what the county says it is worth, and the sale date or status. A property that owes a small share of its value is where to start.
- Save five. Tap ☆ on the five that look best. They go to My Properties.
- Unlock the best two. Unlocking shows the owner, street address, account number and cause number. Free accounts get 10 a day.
- Look them up. Paste the account number into the county appraisal district site for exemptions and photos; search the cause number on the district clerk's site to read the judgment; open the address on Google Maps and, if you can, drive by.
- Check what survives the sale. Mortgages are usually wiped out, but IRS liens, some city liens and HOA dues can survive. Pro's Title & Liens report pulls the recorder documents; or search the county clerk's records yourself.
- Set your maximum before the sale: what it is worth to you, minus repairs, minus the months you will hold it during redemption. Do not bid past it.
The terms
Tax delinquentProperty taxes that were due and have not been paid. In Texas taxes are due January 31; on February 1 the account is delinquent and penalty and interest start.
Example: A home with two years of unpaid taxes is "two years delinquent".
Amount owed / taxes owedThe back taxes plus penalty, interest and collection fees the county says are due on the property right now.
Example: Owes $4,120 means that is what it would take to bring the account current today.
Assessed valueThe county appraisal district's figure for what the property is worth for tax purposes. It is a starting point, not a sale price.
Example: A house assessed at $180,000 might sell for more or less; use it to compare against what is owed.
Not published by countyThe county did not supply that field in the file it publishes, so the site does not show a number. Nothing is ever filled in with a guess.
Example: Many law-firm sale lists carry the debt but no appraisal, so "value" reads Not published.
OwnerThe name on the county's record for the property. It can be a person, an estate, a company or a trust, and it may be out of date.
Example: Some owners are confidential by law (judges, peace officers, certain victims) and are never shown.
Account numberThe county's own ID for the property. Use it to look the property up on the county tax office or appraisal district website.
Example: Harris County account numbers are 13 digits.
Cause numberThe court case number for the lawsuit the taxing units filed to collect the taxes. It appears once the county has sued.
Example: Search the cause number on the district clerk's site to read the judgment.
Legal descriptionHow the deed records identify the land: subdivision, lot and block, or a survey abstract and acreage. It is the only address some rural parcels have.
Example: "LOT 12 BLK 3 OAKWOOD SEC 2".
Tax sale / sheriff's sale / constable's saleThe public auction where a property is sold to collect the judgment for unpaid taxes. Held on the first Tuesday of the month at the courthouse, or online in counties that use an auction site.
Example: The auctions page lists each county's next sale date.
Minimum bidThe least the county will accept at the sale: usually the taxes, penalties, interest and court costs owed, or the adjudged value if lower.
Example: Minimum bid $9,972 on a $541,290 property means the opening bid covers the debt, not the value.
Adjudged valueThe value the court set for the property in the tax judgment. It caps what the county can ask as a minimum and matters for the redemption premium.
Scheduled for auctionA sale date is set and the property is on the notice for that sale.
Example: Listed under "The next sales" on the start page.
Struck off (to the county)Nobody bid at the sale, so the property was "struck off" to the taxing unit, which now holds it. Many can be bought from the county afterwards, often for less than the debt.
Example: Shown as "county holds it, can be bought from the county".
ResaleA property the county holds (struck off) that it is now offering again, either at a later auction or by sealed bid or private sale.
Available for future saleThe county intends to sell it but no date is set yet. Watch it; the date appears when the notice is posted.
Redemption periodAfter a tax sale the former owner can buy the property back for a set time by repaying the buyer plus a premium: two years for a homestead, farm or mineral interest, six months for everything else.
Example: Plan on holding a non-homestead property at least six months before you can resell with clean title.
Deed (sheriff's or constable's deed)The document you receive after winning at a tax sale. It conveys the taxing units' interest, subject to the redemption period and any liens that survive.
Example: A title company may require a quiet-title suit before insuring it.
Title & liensOther claims on the property (mortgages, HOA liens, IRS liens, city liens). Some are wiped out by the tax sale, some survive. Always check before you bid.
Example: The Pro Title & Liens report pulls county recorder documents for a parcel.
HomesteadA home the owner lives in and has claimed an exemption on. Homesteads get the two-year redemption period and are harder to buy cheaply.
Appraisal district (CAD)The county office that values property each year: HCAD in Harris, DCAD in Dallas, TAD in Tarrant. Its website shows the owner, value and exemptions.
MUD (municipal utility district)A special district that supplies water and sewer to a subdivision and levies its own tax. A MUD can also sue for its unpaid taxes.
Example: The records page has a MUD Districts tab.
Deal grade (A to F)The site's own comparison of what is owed against what the county says the property is worth. A owes a small share of its value; F owes close to or more than it is worth.
Example: Grades use county figures only; they are not advice.
UnlockA free account can open the gated details (owner, address, account and cause numbers, legal description) on 10 properties a day. Pro opens everything.
Example: Unlocked properties stay in My Properties.
Save (☆)Keeps a property in My Properties without unlocking it, so you can come back to it.
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