Home, first-time buyers, mortgages

Property owner rights

The current property owner does have several rights and protections during this tax foreclosure period.
First of all, the local taxing authority normally will not sell past-due taxes until after at least 12-18 months have passed since the initial due date. During this period, the government will be trying to collect the taxes themselves.
Even after the tax certificate is auctioned, the property owner will continue to have a redemption period. For non-owner-occupied properties, the property owner will have at least six months to redeem the property—with the appropriate penalty.
For homeowners, the redemption period can last longer. Some locales provide for up to two or three years to redeem the tax certificates on the property.
During this redemption period, the property still belongs to the original owner and NOT the investor. The investor receives full foreclosure rights after the redemption period has passed.
Even then the property stays in the original owner’s name until the foreclosure proceedings have been completed and the tax deed is issued to the investor.