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Can You Sell a Tax Deed Property?
Yes, you can sell a property you bought at a tax deed sale. The catch is title. A tax deed often does not come with the kind of clean title a typical buyer, lender or title insurer expects, at least not right away. Here is why, what you can do about it, how owners usually handle it, and how to sell tax-deed land as it stands.
- Why tax deed title is different
- Quiet title, explained simply
- No commission, no closing costs
- Written offer within 24 hours
- Close in as little as 14 to 30 days
- Options to sell as-is
★★★★★ 4.9 from 14 verified Google reviews — read them · we buy with our own capital and pay all closing costs
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Owners of land bought at a tax sale
Why title is the issue
When a county sells land for unpaid taxes, it conveys the property with a tax deed. Depending on your state, the former owner, heirs or lienholders may still have rights for a period after the sale, or could challenge the sale if notice was not handled correctly. Because of that, many title companies will not issue a standard title insurance policy on a tax deed until certain conditions are met.
Without title insurance, most buyers’ lenders will not lend, and many cash buyers will not close. That is why tax-deed land often trades at a discount until the title is cleared.
Tax deed vs. tax lien
The two are often confused. In a tax lien state, a buyer at the tax sale gets a lien certificate, not the land. The owner can pay it off, and only if they do not, after a waiting period, can the lienholder go through a process to get a deed. In a tax deed state, the sale itself transfers the property.
Know which you have. If you hold a lien certificate, you do not yet own land you can sell. If you have a recorded tax deed, you own the property, subject to whatever rights your state leaves to the prior owner.
Clearing the title
The usual fix is a quiet title action: a court case that asks a judge to confirm you own the property free of the prior owner’s and other parties’ claims. It costs attorney and court fees and takes time, and the details vary by state. Some title companies offer a separate review process for tax deeds as an alternative in certain states.
Another route is time. Many states limit how long a former owner has to challenge a tax sale, after which some title companies become willing to insure. Ask a local title company or real-estate attorney what they require in your state; the rules, periods and costs differ a great deal. Our page on selling land with title problems covers related issues.
Your options to sell
You can clear the title first and then sell to anyone at a full market price. You can sell as-is to a buyer who understands tax deeds and prices in the cost and time of clearing title. Or you can sell to an adjoining owner, who may care more about the land than about title insurance.
Be upfront with any buyer about how you acquired the property. A buyer who discovers a tax deed late in a deal will usually walk away or renegotiate, which costs you more time than disclosing it first.
Asking us about your tax-deed land
We look at tax-deed parcels and will tell you plainly whether we can buy now, after title is cleared, or not at all. We review the deed, the parcel and what our title company requires, then send a written cash offer within 24 hours when it fits.
There is no commission and we pay the closing costs. Once title is insurable, we can close in as little as 14 to 30 days.
Why tax-deed owners ask us
Straight answer
Buy now, after quiet title, or not at all.
Title help
We work with our title company on the details.
As-is
No clearing or survey needed first.
No commission
You keep the agreed price. We pay closing costs.
Fast
Written offer within 24 hours when it fits.
No obligation
Ask your questions first.
Getting your offer, step by step
Three steps, no obligation at any point, and no cost to you at any stage.
One call or one form
Tell us the address or APN and the rough size. You do not need a survey, a plat or the tax bill in front of you — we look all of that up.
We value it properly
We research the parcel ourselves, at our cost, before we quote. We price it off recent sales of similar acreage and adjust for access, soil, flood mapping, timber and shape. No cost to you, no commitment.
Written offer, your decision
You have our number in writing within 24 hours. If you take it, a licensed title company closes it and we cover the standard closing costs — typically 14 to 30 days.
Selling to us vs. listing it
Both are legitimate. Listing can bring a higher gross price if you have time, the tract is easy to finance and you can carry the taxes while it sits. Here is the honest comparison.
| Selling to Dreamify | Listing with an agent | |
|---|---|---|
| Who you are dealing with | A direct cash buyer — we are the ones purchasing | An agent marketing it to someone else |
| Commission | None | Typically 6–10% on land |
| Closing costs | We cover them | Usually split or seller-paid |
| Repairs, survey, clean-up | Not your problem | Often requested by retail buyers |
| Financing risk | None — cash | Land loans fall through often |
| Timeline | As little as 14 to 30 days once title work is back | Land can sit on the market for months |
Land we buy
Land we buy
- Vacant, raw and bare land
- Inherited and heir property, including multiple owners
- Land with back taxes or a delinquent tax bill
- Out-of-state and absentee-owned parcels
- Farm, timber and hunting acreage
- Small residential lots and infill parcels
- Landlocked tracts and parcels with access questions
- Land that failed a perc test
- Tracts tied up in an estate or probate
- Property you inherited and have never seen
- Mobile home parks and RV parks
- Self-storage facilities — considered case by case
What we don’t buy
- Houses and other residential buildings
- Land you do not have the authority to sell
- Parcels where a co-owner has not agreed to sell
- Property already under contract with someone else
If we are not the right buyer for your parcel we will say so on the first call rather than waste your time.
We buy with our own money — here is what we have closed
We are a principal buyer using our own capital, not a lead broker collecting details to sell on. A sample of tracts we have bought and closed:
| Tract | Where we closed it |
|---|---|
| 5.05 acres | Dawson County, Georgia |
| 32.3 acres | Perquimans County, North Carolina |
| 72 acres | Pike County, Mississippi |
| 10.7 acres | Morgan County, Georgia |
| 6.24 acres | Jasper County, Georgia |
| 8.5 acres | Pike County, Mississippi |
A sample of tracts we have bought and closed ourselves. We are a principal buyer, not a broker — every one of these was purchased with our own funds through a licensed closing agent.
What sellers say
Every quote below is a real, verified Google review of Dreamify Properties — 4.9 stars across 14 reviews.
“Dreamify made a fair offer on our property in Alabama… Over the past couple years I’ve had a hundred texts and phone calls from land companies wanting to buy — from low-balling to wanting to put you under contract for 6 months and walk away on the last day. Dreamify followed through on every part of the deal.”
“Great experience working with John. He made the selling process super easy. I didn’t have to do much — he took care of all the heavy lifting. Communication was excellent; he kept me in the loop the whole time, which eased my mind.”
Questions we get asked
Can you sell a tax deed property?
Yes, but title insurers may require a quiet title action or a waiting period before insuring it.
How do you sell a tax deed property?
Clear title by quiet title or your state’s process, or sell as-is to a buyer who prices in the title work.
What is a quiet title action?
A court case confirming you own the property free of prior owners’ and others’ claims.
Is a tax lien the same as a tax deed?
No. A lien certificate is not ownership; a tax deed transfers the property.
How fast can you close?
We give a written offer within 24 hours and can close in as little as 14 to 30 days. If your timeline is longer, we close on the date that suits you.
What does it cost me to sell to you?
Nothing. No commission, no closing costs, no document fees. We buy with our own capital and pay the closing costs ourselves.
Find out what your land is worth to a cash buyer
Send the parcel details and we’ll research the property, answer your questions, and put a clear no-obligation offer in writing within 24 hours.
Life changes — more guides for sellers
Divorce, a move, a loss in the family, care costs, retirement or a parcel that turned into a headache. Whatever is behind the decision to sell, here is how we handle it.
- Divorce
- Relocating
- Loss of a spouse
- Paying off debt
- Bankruptcy
- Bought sight unseen
- Squatters or dumping
- Code violations
- Land that won't sell
- Buyer backed out
- Co-owner
- Owned by an LLC
- Nursing home costs
- Medical bills
- Job loss
- Retirement
- Storm damage
- Never built on
- Old mobile home on it
- Down payment on a house
- Sell or leave to kids
- Power of attorney
- Paying for college
- Farm or hunting lease
- Selling to a data center
- Selling or leasing for solar
- Capital gains tax on a land sale
- Selling to a developer
- Selling part of your land
- Owner financing
- Documents needed to sell land
- Who pays closing costs
- How long it takes to sell land
- Sell or keep your land
- Selling to a family member
- Selling land on Zillow
- Selling on Facebook Marketplace
- Selling timber off your land
- Selling without mineral rights
- Pipeline easement on your land
- Property taxes on vacant land
- Selling land at auction
- Selling land for conservation
- Land prices per acre
- Can I sell land for any price?
- Selling land without a deed
- How much 100 acres is worth
- Do I need a lawyer to sell land?
- Selling land with an encroachment
- Selling land with a cemetery on it
- How much 10 acres is worth
- How much 40 acres is worth
- Realtor fees for selling land
- How to sell a vacant lot
- 1031 exchange on vacant land
- Selling land to a neighbor
- Why you get offers for your land
- How much 5 acres is worth
- How much 20 acres is worth
- How to sell farmland