Want to buy tax certificates over the counter?
That is the focus of this page.

To buy tax certificates over the counter you will be making purchases directly from the county rather than at auction. When the county has been unable to sell a certificate at auction, it is held by the county. There are numerous reasons why a tax certificate did not sell at the auction so it doesn't necessarily mean that there is something wrong with the property but you do need to conduct your due diligence. I have provided tutorials on how to do this on other pages in this section.

There are numerous terms used when describing county held certificates but the most widely used are: County Held Certificates, Certificates struck off to the County or Certificates Available. Each county maintains a list of these certificates, which is available for viewing at the Tax Collector’s office or a few counties have them available online. You may view the County Held Certificate List and purchase these certificates at any time during the year. The transaction is referred to as a transfer of tax certificate.

When you buy tax certificates over the counter it is important to note that you will also be paying the accrued interest on the certificate to the county along with the small transfer fee and principal due on the certificate. When the certificate is redeemed or tax deed sold you will be reimbursed the accrued interest paid to the Tax Collector and paid the interest you have accrued during the time you have held the certificate + your principal + auction fees and application costs (if applicable). All county held certificates carry an 18% annual interest rate. If purchasing OTC certificates, the face value of the tax certificate + the interest you paid the Tax Collector = the new face once transfered to you.

Requirements

To buy tax certificates, the county will require that you provide the following(all info except W-9 found in County Held Certificate Listing):

Cost

Certificates held by the county are sold for the face value of the certificate plus accrued interest. Since the certificates were not sold at the tax certificate auction, the annual interest on the certificate will be 18%. When the certificate is redeemed or sold, you will receive the face value of the certificate plus accrued interest from the date of certificate issuance.

If the certificate has been held by the county for 2 or more years, you could purchase the certificate and immediately apply for the tax deed.

Although the formats may vary, the typical county held certificate list looks much like the example below.

Example:

Date:
Date of report generation with current purchase amounts as of the day of reporting.

Account/Geo No.:
The first line is the 7-digit tax account number (2000392) and the second line is the PIN (property identification number) or altkey number in some counties.

Cert/Folio No.:
The first line is the certificate number, made up of the tax certificate sale year and the certificate number (2001-8.000). The second line is the actual tax year (year in which the tax was owed) and the folio number (2000 2000118.0000).

Value:
The assessed value of the property for the tax year in which the certificate was sold.

Face/Due Amt.:
The first line is the original face amount of the certificate ($231.90). This is the amount the certificate was originally advertised for. The second line is the amount due to purchase the tax certificate ($274.04). This amount will be used for calculating accrued interest. The amount due to purchase changes monthly.

Certificate Holder:
The first line is the certificate holder’s bidder number (2009976). The second line is the name of the certificate holder (xxxxxxx County).

Owner Info:
This is the property owner name, mailing address, and legal description of the property.

Property Info:
Designation of HX indicates the property is homestead exempt.

Here is some helpful information from the Columbia County Tax Collector, including a description of where to Buy Tax Certificates.

Tax Lien Investor (on Nav Bar)
The portal for the best return with Florida tax liens "certificates". Free informatiion from a second generation investor to guide you.

Tax-Certificate, Florida. What is and Why buy answers.
The what is and why buy free disclosure page.

Florida Annual Tax Certificate Sale "Auction" Bidder's Guide.
Get ready to win the bid.

Learn to buy tax certificates OTC "over the counter"
Buy tax certificates anytime throughout the year.

Tax Certificate Strategy, middle of the road and invest-small.
The winning tax certificate investing strategy.

Tax Certificate research criteria for a successful investment.
Research, the key between an informed decision and a blind guess.

The tax sale research tools for a successful bid.
Free tax sale research tools. Online investors can succeed from home.

Tax Certificate Research Tool.
Using Public Records.

Risks and possible outcomes of tax certificate investing.

Common Certificate questions & answers.

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