Beaufort County Tax Sale

  

THE PURPOSE OF THE TAX SALE

A tax sale is the forced collection of property tax for a specific year. Before a property is sold for taxes, three tax notices are mailed. The last is mailed certified, restricted delivery with returned receipt. Property may also by physically levied

WHEN AND WHERE

The Treasurer conducts the delinquent tax sale the first Monday in October. All sales begin at 10:00 am and will last from a few hours to two days. The second day of the sale will also begin at 10:00 am.

Sales are held in the Charles Lynd Brown Gymnasium located at 1001 Hamar St., Beaufort, SC  29901.

ADVERTISING

All real estate subject to sale must be advertised once a week for three consecutive weeks prior to the tax sale date. All personal property subject to sale must be advertised once a week for two consecutive weeks prior to the tax sale date.

Ads are published in the Beaufort Gazette/Island Packet.

BIDDER REGISTRATION

There will be a $25.00 registration fee for all persons interested in bidding. A picture I.D., current mailing address, and phone number are required. Registration is held between 8:00 am and 5:00 pm in the Beaufort Treasurer's office starting the Monday prior to the sale.

CONDITIONS OF SALE

The sale is an open auction. Properties are sold in the same order as advertised.

The current year's tax and any stamp fees and preparation costs will be added to the starting bid and will be collected as part of the bid.  If, in the event the property is not redeemed, it will be deeded over to the successful bidder.

All bid payments must be made before 5:00 pm on the day of the sale. Payments must be made with secure funds. Visa, MasterCard, American Express and Discover credit cards are accepted. A tax sale receipt will be issued to the bidder.

  • A 2.75% transaction fee shall be collected on all credit card payments. 
  • A $3.95 transaction fee shall be collected on all debit card payments.

Any successful bidder who does not pay for the bid is subject to a $500.00 fine by State statute.

PROPERTY REDEMPTION

Real property has a 12 month redemption period. Once property is redeemed the bidder will be notified by mail. At that time, the temporary tax sale receipt must be returned to the Treasurer's Office for a refund of the bid plus applicable interest. Interest is accrued by adding 3% of the bid per quarter. The interest shall not exceed the opening bid.

In the event the temporary tax sale receipt is lost, there will be a $25.00 charge and 10 days waiting period before your check is issued.

Mobile homes also have a 12 month redemption period. However, before the mobile home can be redeemed, rent must be satisfied with the bidder. Monthly rent is equivalent to 1/12th of the year's tax.

Redemptions can be made by the defaulting tax payer, a lien holder, or an agent for either one.

No redemption period exists for all other forms of property (ex: boats, furniture, planes). Once the property is sold at tax sale, a bill-of-sale is issued.

DEED PROCESS

If real property is not redeemed, a delinquent tax sale deed is issued within 90 days of the end of the redemption period in the successful bidder’s name, and submitted to the Register of Deeds for recording.  All property is deeded lien free. The recording process will take four to six weeks from the time the deed is submitted.

VOIDED TAX SALE

The Treasurer can void a tax sale. If this is done, the bidder will be notified by mail. The bid amount will be refunded to include actual interest earned.

SPECIAL NOTICE:

Please contact Dennis Garrett, Deputy Treasurer, to verify the availability of FLC (Forfeited Land Commission) properties, phone 843-255-2593, or visit our Beaufort office located at 100 Ribaut Road, Suite 165, Beaufort, SC  29902.