Texas tax sale bid calculator

Free, no account needed. Find the most you can bid and still make your profit, and see what you get back if the owner buys the property back.

Your numbers

Your bidThe price you would pay at the sale. Deed fee, taxes and allowed costs you payFilled in: about $50, a typical county fee to record the deed ($25 first page, $4 each more page, plus county fees). Add later taxes, insurance and repairs a code or lease requires. Ask the county clerk for the exact fee.

Fixing and selling

What it would sell forAfter any repairs. Use nearby sales, not a guess. Repairs and clean-upAny other work it needs before you sell. Lawyer, title work and liens you would payNo typical figure: ask a title company or a Texas real estate lawyer for a quote. Some liens can survive a tax sale. Selling costs, % of the sale priceFilled in: 9%, typical in Texas: agent commission about 5.9% (Clever survey, 2026) plus seller closing costs about 3.3%. Change it to your own. Profit you wantThe most you can bid is worked out to leave you this much.

Most you can bid

If you keep it and sell

If the owner buys it back

Texas lets the former owner buy the property back after a tax sale. They pay what you bid, the deed recording fee, and the taxes, penalties, interest and allowed costs you paid, plus the premium. The clock starts the day the deed is filed for record. Which rule applies depends on how the property was used when the suit was filed, so check that first. (Redemption, explained)

Money you spent that is not on that list does not come back. Repairs count only if an ordinance, building code or a lease in effect on the sale date required them. The owner can ask for an itemized list, and only what is on it counts.

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Questions

What is the redemption premium on a Texas tax sale?

If the former owner buys the property back, they pay what you bid, the deed recording fee, and the taxes, penalties, interest and allowed costs you paid, plus a premium on that total. For a homestead, land with an agricultural appraisal or a mineral interest, the premium is 25% in the first year and 50% in the second. For other property it may not exceed 25%. Tax Code 34.21.

How long can the owner redeem a Texas tax sale property?

Two years from the day the deed is filed for record for a homestead, land with an agricultural appraisal or a mineral interest, and 180 days for other property. Tax Code 34.21.

Which costs count when the owner redeems?

Only the listed ones: the bid, the deed recording fee, taxes, penalties, interest and costs. Costs mean amounts reasonably spent to keep up and protect the property, such as insurance, repairs that an ordinance, building code or a lease in effect on the sale date required, and owners' association dues. The owner can ask for an itemized list, and only what is on it counts.

A math aid, not legal, tax or investment advice. It uses only the numbers you type and Texas Tax Code 34.21 as we read it on November 6, 2026. Have a Texas real estate lawyer look at any property before you bid.