From the Elkhart Truth:
Property owners have less than two weeks to come up with money for unpaid taxes to keep their land from being advertised as part of Elkhart County’s fall tax sale.
The deadline to pay back taxes and keep properties out of tax sale advertisements is noon Aug. 8.
“At 12:01 p.m., it will be too late,” County Treasurer Jackie Meyers said, adding that only certified funds and cash will be accepted for payments.
Landowners still have a chance to remove their properties from the sale even after they are listed if they pay the taxes and penalties owed to the county by noon Oct. 1. The tax sale is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. Oct. 2 in Room 104 at the Elkhart County Administration Building, 117 Second St.
Meyers started off with 1,350 properties with delinquent taxes adding up to roughly $4.3 million, and on Monday, July 29, she was working to subtract 25 parcels from the list after owners had come forward with payments..
“I expect it to get down to between 750 and 800 for the day of the sale,” Meyers said.
For the first time, the county will allow landowners to make partial payments on properties up until the Oct. 1 deadline.
“It’s been all or nothing in the past,” Meyers said. “There are a number of people making payments on these, but unless they pay all of their delinquencies, their property will still be in the tax sale.”
SRI Inc., an Indianapolis-based company, will host the Oct. 2 tax sale. Meyers warns that bidders should thoroughly research properties before bidding. The highest bidder for each property will pay via certified or wired funds on the day of the tax sale. The property owner then has one year to redeem their land through the county auditor’s office. If the property taxes go unpaid, the winning bidder can then start the process to obtain a deed for the land through the courts.
http://www.elkharttruth.com/article/20130730/NEWS01/707309993
