D. Successful bidders must apply for a Certificate of Eligibility by completing an application and submitting it, along with a $ 10.00 processing fee, at any County Tax Office. The application will require a bidder to list all property owned in the County. Property Tax Department personnel will research accounts and confirm that taxes are current on all of a bidders’ properties. Certificates will be mailed upon completion of the research.
E. The Certificate of Eligibility and $ 30.00 money order or cashier’ s check( payable to the Galveston County Clerk) must be submitted to the Sheriff’ s Department in order for the deed to be prepared and recorded. Buyers will receive a copy of the deed upon filing. Please note that a Sheriff or Constable
Deed is without warranty and is subject to redemption by the tax debtor( see F).
F. A purchaser is entitled to possession immediately but it could become necessary to either lease to an occupant or evict through legal proceedings. Assuming the property is vacant, you are on your way – whether joining investors in repairing and reselling or those building an inventory of rental properties. Note: before investing an abundance of time and money understand that the redemption( process that allows the original owner to reclaim the property) period( starts when deed is filed with County Clerk) is two years for homesteads, agricultural use and mineral interests and six months on all other property types. You will be entitled to the sale price + 25 % in the first year and, for homesteads, sale price + 50 % during the second year.
G. Those properties not sold are“ struck off” to one of the affected taxing entities and sold in a variety of methods. Struck off properties within the cities of Galveston and Texas City are re-offered to the public at Sheriff Sale. Properties in the cities of La Marque, Hitchcock, Dickinson and League City can be purchased by making a written offer to purchase the property. These written offers may be submitted to the County’ s delinquent tax attorney, Linebarger Goggan Blair & Sampson, LLP. For more information, contact judy. fuller @ lgbs. com or, for additional information, contact the law firms handling these sales for their respective clients( Linebarger, et al via email at mark. ciavaglia @ lgbs. com or Perdue Brandon, et al at 800-833-5886).
Other options to investing in tax foreclosures? Purchase from banks and mortgage companies. These sales are conducted in the foyer of the County Courthouse at the conclusion of each Sheriff Sale. Listings are available for review at the Office of the County Clerk( 409-766-2200).
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