The land buyer’s edge
Buying land at a tax sale
Rural land is where tax deed auctions get interesting and where buyers get burned. The parcel is often sight-unseen, the decision is fast, and the number that matters is your maximum bid. This is the due diligence that tells you what a parcel is worth before you raise your hand: legal access, title, what survives the deed, and how to price the risk.
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What You Actually Own After a Tax Deed
A tax deed conveys the county tax interest, not automatically clear or insurable title. What it gives you, what it does not, and how to fix it.
Read guideWhat Survives a Tax Deed Sale: Liens That Do and Do Not Get Wiped
Which liens a tax deed wipes out and which survive: mortgages, IRS, municipal and code liens, HOA dues, and easements. What to check before you bid.
Read guideChecking Legal Access: Is the Tax-Sale Parcel Landlocked?
Legal access is the top value-killer in rural tax deed land. How to check for legal versus physical access and landlocked parcels before you bid.
Read guideQuiet Title After a Tax Deed: Cost, Process, and Timeline
Why a tax deed usually needs a quiet title action, what the process and timeline look like, what it costs, and how to budget it into your max bid.
Read guideMineral Rights and Tax Deeds: Do You Get Them?
Whether a tax deed conveys mineral rights, how severed mineral estates work, and how to check before you bid on a rural tax-sale parcel.
Read guideFlood Zones and Wetlands: Check Before You Bid
How to check a tax-sale parcel for flood zones and wetlands before you bid, why they can gut a parcel value, and free tools to screen fast.
Read guideIs the Land Buildable? A Pre-Bid Checklist
How to check whether a tax-sale parcel is buildable before you bid: zoning, minimum lot size, utilities, and septic or perc, with a fast pre-bid checklist.
Read guideValue a parcel before you bid
Run the numbers, then check the county’s calendar and rules.