What is a Maryland tax sale? What does it mean for your house?

What happened?

Your county can sell a lien against your house if taxes or other bills are not paid on time. A lien is a debt tied to the house that allows the purchaser to try to foreclose on your house if you do not pay the full amount you owe. The buyer has not bought your house yet. You still own it. If you pay what you owe before a judge ends your chance to pay, the foreclosure will stop. The law calls this “redeeming.”

What happens next?

The buyer may send you a letter saying they plan to take you to court. They cannot send the first letter until at least four months after the sale. If this is the house you live in, they must wait at least seven months. They’ll also need to send a second letter.

They cannot file a case until at least two months after they send the first letter and one month after they send the second. They also have to wait at least six months after the sale, or nine months if you live in the house. They may wait longer, but don’t count on that. The case might take three months or a year. It could move faster, so it is important to deal with this as quickly as possible.

Save all your papers.

You should keep everything they or the court sends you. If something is hard to understand, we can review it with you.

How much do you need to pay?

We can help you find out how much to pay to keep your house. If you’d rather do it yourself, call the County Tax Office or the lawyer named in a letter you received. Ask how much you owe, what each fee is for, and where to send the payment. Ask the County Tax Office how to pay any lawyer’s fees included in the amount.

What can you do?

You can pay what you owe and keep your house before the tax-lien buyer forecloses. If you need money, we can help you look for a loan. If you cannot keep the house, we can help you look at selling it before you lose it.