The Tax Sale

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:

  1. 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!
  2. 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.
  3. You or your representative must be present to bid on property, no sales are available by phone or fax.
  4. The beginning amount is always the amount of the taxes and penalty.
  5. 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.
  6. Payment in full must be made for all bids at the end of the sale by cash or certified funds.
  7. Upon redemption, tax sale purchasers are returned the base amount of the taxes and penalty (excluding overbid) plus 1 ½ % interest.
  8. During the redemption period, registered letters are sent to the property owners and any recorded lien holders.
  9. At the end of the two year redemption period, the Tax Sale Purchaser can apply to the Chancery Clerk for a Tax Deed.
  10. All redemptions and pay-backs to tax sale purchasers are handled by the Chancery Clerk. They may be contacted at 662-286-7700.
  11. 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.
  12. 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.
  13. 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 .
  14. Alcorn County’s web site address is www.alcorncounty.org .

 

We are always happy to answer any other questions.