The focus of this page is to provide tools and information for online tax certificate sale research by locating the necessary files and resources accessed through a hosted sale site. Grant Street Group being my favorite is contracted by the county government to conduct these sales. Access to files and information are free and the site creates an easy way to present information. While most due diligence research will be covered here, you will not find a title history in the tax sale files, I will address this on the next page, Public Records (link at bottom of page).

Researching public records to perform due diligence is relatively easy, but can be time-consuming at first. As you learn where to find the tax sale information, your skills will develop and you will begin to determine how much research you require to reach your own comfort level.

Grant Street Group hosts tax sale auctions for numerous county Tax Collectors around the state. A current list of counties hosting tax sales through Grant Street Group can be found on this page.

Note: Looking to the future, you may have a plan to purchase tax deeds. The same principles of research will apply. If you develop a strong knowledge base and solid research skills while buying tax sale certificates, the benefits will be evident when you start purchasing tax deeds. When buying tax certificates, the consequences of making a purchasing error are relatively low. When buying tax deeds, the consequences of making a mistake can be very high, particularly when a lien is attached to the property.

Property information is available from many sources. The most valuable will be those which are free and can be easily utilized. Much of the information can be found over the internet. It is updated frequently and is typically the easiest course for research. You may also obtain information directly by visiting the county offices where records are stored, such as clerk of courts, tax collector’s office, or property appraiser’s office. However, onsite visits require patience, time and persistence.

Here you will find the most common situations realized during tax sale research. While I can not expose every conceivable scenario, I have tried to provide information for the most common research questions. With experience, the needed research can be conducted quickly and confidently. Typically for me, if due diligence research exceeds 3 minutes for a single tax sale certificate, I move on to another certificate.

Research Tool: Online Sales Information

Some Florida counties have contracted with Grant Street Group to conduct tax sales online. Currently, this includes Citrus, Clay, Highlands, Lake, Leon, Marion, Miami-Dade, Okaloosa, Osceola, Palm Beach, Pasco, St. Lucie, and Volusia. This is a valuable resource, making these counties the easiest counties in which to conduct research. Web technology, search options and content are dynamic elements. While the specifics offered below will become outdated, the concepts for the research will remain the same.

Using Marion County as example, the following steps will demonstrate how to use the online tax sale information to your advantage.

• Web Site
  Marion County, found at www.bidmarion.com, provides a good example to show you the available information.

• Login
  First time users must register. The process is straight forward and requires only basic information. You do not have to register as a bidder to gain access to the site to research property.

  Once you are registered, enter your user id and password, the Auction Selections Page will be displayed.

• Auction Selections Page
  This page includes links to current and archived auction information, as well as links to auction site training tools.

• Training.
  Clicking on Auction Demo and Trail Auction will show you how to bid for and purchase tax certificates.

• Identify Sale
  Under current auctions, select the upcoming auction for tax certificates to bring up the Auction Summary Page. If the annual tax certificate sale has already been held, it can still be used for research.

• Auction Summary Page
  This page provides auction details, batch schedules, summary of bidding, and requirements to be met before bidding. The page also contains links to other areas of the web site, including a link to the search tool.

• Search for your Target Properties
  During the 2008 Tax Certificate Sale, Marion County advertised 28,470 certificates with a total face value of $34,105,523.97. By narrowing your search to certificates that meet your objectives, you will simplify the process of identifying target certificates. While on the Auction Summary Page, click on the search link. Set up the search criteria to match your objectives.

Recommended search: Assessed value greater than $15,000.

• Select Property for Evaluation
  The search will result in a list of certificates meeting your search criteria. The list will include an account number that will link you to the tax collector’s information about the property.
• Summary Page
  The summary page for the tax collector’s information for the property includes the owner’s information, prior certificates outstanding against the parcel, tax record property card and other valuable information. It also includes links to allow you to dig deeper in to the property information.

  The key piece of information is bankruptcy.. If the owners have filed for bankruptcy, the risk is greater. In most situations, my recommendation is to move on to the next certificate and leave this one alone.

• Property Card Page (Appraiser’s Information)
  To continue your investigation of the property, enter the property card page and click through until you open the Appraiser’s information page. Take note of the parcel size, current use and zoning. The point is to avoid purchase of a certificate against a drainage retention area (DRA) or property with development restrictions that may make it unbuildable. Click on the “MAP IT” button to open the GIS mapping system.
• GIS Interactive Mapping
  The system will automatically locate and highlight the specific lot or parcel. Viewing the map can frequently give you much more information than looking at the property card. With the options available in GIS mapping, you can view streets, property lines, existing structures, water features, etc. You can compare the property characteristics with that of surrounding properties to judge the potential value of the property.

Note: Just because a parcel is zoned for residential development does not always mean that it is buildable. There are many subdivisions that require multiple contiguous (adjacent) lots for development to occur. Buildability is also substantiated by the assessed value of the property being above $15,000.00. If the parcel is a right of way, drainage retention area (DRA), unbuildable or land locked (inaccessible due to lack of easement or road frontage), it would normally have an assessed value far less than surrounding parcels.

• Value Comparisons
  To further substantiate whether it is buildable, click the information button on the GIS map (white i in black circle). By clicking on a parcel of similar size, at few blocks away, you can compare appraised value. The GIS map page offers you options to display information about the properties shown, such as roads, sales values, etc. Use this functionality to answer questions, such as: Are there homes nearby? If yes, utilities are likely to be available. Are there developed properties in the subdivision? Are the lots about the same size as your target property?

Note: If you find a home sitting in the middle of a lot and the lot is divided by dashed lines, it could mean that multiple lots have been enjoined in ownership for development. The dark solid line surrounding the property shows the boundary.

Example: In the picture below, green lines show boundary of parcels, purple dashed lines show lot separation. At a quick glance this map tells me that 2 or more lots are required to build in this subdivision. If the tax certificate represents 2 lots, then it would be a viable purchase in this subdivision. If 2 or more lots were not combined on the tax certificate, then I would move on to another certificate.

The provided information is the opinion of the Author and is not to be construed nor interpreted, directly or indirectly, as legal or professional advice. Utilizing this information will be at users own risk and shall hold harmless the Author, James A. Mikel.

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