INFORMATION REGARDING COLLIER COUNTY TAX DEED SALES
Tax deed sales are the auction of property on which tax certificates have been sold by the Tax Collector’s office, for delinquent real estate taxes. The auctions are held on Monday’s at 1 PM, in the Collier County Administration Building 7th Floor, Room 711 at 1:00 P.M in the Collier County Government complex. Clerk of the Circuit Court’s office holds these auctions, but assumes no responsibility for any encumbrances or liens on property. You must be present at the auction or send a representative to bid for you. No phone call or electronic bids are allowed at this time. The Tax Deed Files are kept with the Tax Deed Clerk located in the Recording Department of the Collier County Annex Building, 3315 Tamiami Trail East, Naples, Florida. This Department is open to the Public from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, Monday through Friday. As a courtesy, the Clerk keeps a clipboard containing copies of the properties for sale for county taxes available for inspection. This clipboard is located on the counter of the 2nd floor of the Collier County Courthouse Annex, Recording Department. Anyone may take notes from this clipboard or the Tax Deed Clerk will make a copy for $1.00 per page. Upcoming Tax Deed Sales list and the List of Lands Available are now available on the Clerk’s website at www.CollierClerk.com. The Clerk’s office assumes no responsibility for any inaccuracy contained on the upcoming sales or lands available lists. The Notice of Tax Deed Sale for each property is published in the Naples Daily News once a week for four consecutive weeks. The sale will be held no sooner than thirty days from the publication date. YOU MUST DO YOUR OWN RESEARCH FOR THE PROPERTY INVOLVED. The Tax Deed Clerk uses only legal descriptions; however, with this description if the property is improved, you can find street address information from the County Building Department for county property or the City Building Department for City property. You may search the Official Records and look at the Ownership & Encumbrance Reports are now available on the Clerk’s website at www.CollierClerk.com. The improvements of the property, if any, are on record at the Property Appraiser’s Office, The Clerk’s Office assumes no responsibility for any encumbrances (judgments, mortgages and other liens) on any property offered for sale. It is in your best interest to have a Title search done by an attorney or Title Company. It is possible you will have to take legal action to get possession of the property. Until possession is granted by the Court, you may not have access to the property without permission of the prior owner. The Clerk’s Office assumes no responsibility for the availability of any property offered for sale. When considering tax deed properties, please be advised that ALL PROPERTIES ARE SOLD BUYER BEWARE. Anyone bidding at the sale should be aware of the instructions that follow:
A. Present taxes may not be delinquent at the time of the sale, but they may be due. It is the responsibility of the successful bidder to pay any present taxes due.
B. The successful bidder is required to pay the total amount of the bid within 24 hours of
the sale in cash or cashier’s check or wire transfer. The Clerk may refuse to recognize the bid of any person who has previously bid and refused, for any reason, to honor such bid. Wire transfer must be received by the Clerk’s bank by 1 pm the next business day after the sale and clearly indicate the TDA for which payment is being made. No final payments will be accepted after 1 pm the next business day following the sale. Payments received after 1 pm will be returned to the bidder and the sale will be forfeited. A successful bidders’ final payment made by wire (which can have varying processing times) must allow enough time for the wire to be processed and received in the Clerk’s bank account by 1 pm deadline. A final payment made by wire that is initiated by the successful bidders’ bank prior to the 1 pm deadline, but not received in the Clerk’s bank account by the 1 pm deadline, will be returned to the bidder and the sale will be forfeited. Tax Clerk does not accept credit card, personal checks or third party checks for payment of Tax Deed fees.
C. The successful bidder is also responsible to pay recording fees and documentary stamps associated with the Tax Deed.
D. The successful bidder at the Tax Deed Sale must post a non-refundable deposit of 5% of the bid or $200.00 whichever is greater, in cash or cashier’s check, at the time of the sale to be applied to the sale price.
The purchaser of the property will be issued a Tax Deed as soon after the sale as it is reasonable for the Tax Deed Clerk to prepare. (Usually within two days after the sale). Any person may redeem a tax certificate before full payment for a tax deed is made to the Clerk including documentary stamps and recording fees. If the property is redeemed before the balance is paid, the successful bidder will be refunded any money that has been paid. Governmental liens & judgments survive the issuance of the tax deed and are satisfied to the fullest extent possible with any overbid monies from the sale. Liens of governmental units not satisfied in full survive the issuance of the tax deed. Should you have any questions concerning what liens & judgments survive the tax deed sale, consult an attorney, we cannot advise you. A Tax Deed does not provide clear title to the property. The successful bidder will have to make arrangements with the previous owner, or open a Quiet Title suit to acquire clear title. Information on Quiet Title procedures and costs would be available from an Attorney that handles these lawsuits. We recommend you read the Florida Statutes chapter 197. For legal advice, consult an attorney.
