THE TAX SALE
As
required by Mississippi Code Sections 27-41-49 to 27-41-89 (see the
Ms. Code online at www.sos.state.ms.us ) the Tax Collectors of the 82 counties
and those municipalities that collect their own taxes must “sell”
all land on which the taxes are not paid on either the first Monday
in April or the last Monday in August. Alcorn County, like most
counties, holds their Tax Sale on the last Monday in August at 8:30
a.m. each year. For many years, Alcorn County has been blessed with a relatively small Tax Sale. In 2012, we "sold" 641 parcels with a total dollar amount of $184,000. The following is some general information about the Tax Sale:
- Many people are
under the false impression that you can get a piece of property
by paying the taxes on it for seven years. This is not true!
Anyone who wishes to test it is welcome to start by paying my taxes
for the next seven years, I will even send you my notice! The
only way to obtain possession of a piece of property through taxes is
if the taxes have not been paid on the last Monday in August and
you come to the Courthouse and “buy” it at the Tax Sale.
Even then, you do not immediately get possession of the property!
The owner or mortgage holder or any other interested party has a two
(2) year redemption period in which to redeem the Tax Sale.
IN FACT, IT IS VERY RARE THAT PROPERTY
IS ACTUALLY LOST THROUGH THE TAX SALE. OUT OF 400 HUNDRED PARCELS
SOLD, LESS THAN 4% (FEWER THAN 16 PARCELS)
WILL BE LEFT UNPAID AT THE END OF THE REDEMPTION PERIOD!
- The date of the
Tax Sale in Alcorn County is always the last Monday in August, beginning
promptly at 8:30a.m. We are usually finished by 12:30 and the
City of Corinth, which holds a separate sale at city hall begins their
sale at 1:00 p.m.
- You or your representative
must be present to bid on property, no sales are available by phone
or fax.
- The beginning amount
is always the amount of the taxes and penalty.
- Overbids are non recoverable, because
you do not receive interest on the overbid and the purchaser at
Tax Sale does not get the overbid back when the tax is redeemed!
So, a purchaser at Tax Sale could easily lose money if they overbid
and the property was redeemed fairly soon after the sale.
- Payment in full
must be made for all bids at the end of the sale by cash or certified
funds.
- Upon redemption,
tax sale purchasers are returned the base amount of the taxes and penalty
(excluding overbid) plus 1 ½ % interest.
- During the redemption
period, registered letters are sent to the property owners and any recorded
lien holders.
- At the end of the
two year redemption period, the Tax Sale Purchaser can apply to the
Chancery Clerk for a Tax Deed.
- All redemptions
and pay-backs to tax sale purchasers are handled by the Chancery Clerk.
They may be contacted at 662-286-7700.
- Property upon which
the taxes are unpaid are advertised in The Daily Corinthian (662-287-6111)
one day a week for two consecutive weeks after the fifth day of August.
- No lists of property
to be sold will be provided by this office until the morning of the
tax sale. This is because tax payers will be paying up until that
time.
- If a parcel
is not sold at the Tax Sale, it is
“Struck off to the State” or “sold to the state. This rarely
happens any more because there are always enough buyers at the tax sale
to buy all the property offered. A list of lands that have been
certified to the state can be found on the Secretary of State’s website
at www.sos.state.ms.us .
- Alcorn County’s
web site address is www.alcorncounty.org .
We are always happy to answer any other questions.
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