TANGIPAHOA PARISH SHERIFF, CITY OF PONCHATOULA & TOWN OF AMITE TO CONDUCT ONLINE TAX CERTIFICATE SALE

TANGIPAHOA PARISH, LA – May 24, 2016 – On May 25, 2016, the Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff, City of Ponchatoula and Town of Amite will host Tax Certificate Sales at CivicSource.com. By hosting the sale online, bidders who would not normally be able to attend the auction in person are still able to participate.

Currently, over 400 properties are slated to go to sale, ranging in price from $120 to $16,000. The sales are open to the general public. Free registration and a list of available properties are now available at CivicSource.com.

A Tax Certificate Sale is the sale of properties that have delinquent taxes due. The tax certificates for these properties are sold to the public for the amount of the delinquent taxes due, plus any accrued interest, penalties, costs and other statutory impositions. The Tax Certificate Sale is a low-bid wins style auction, in which the property is sold to the purchaser willing to bid on the least percent ownership interest in the property.

Winning bidders of the tax sale are expected to pay for their purchases within 72 hours of the close of the auction. Payment must be made in one installment and all sales are final.

These auctions and all future tax sales can be viewed at CivicSource.com. Using the convenient search options, bidders can set the parameters for any property that falls within their interests and budget.

About CivicSource:

CivicSource is the leading auctioneer of tax-distressed real estate. From tax sales to adjudication auctions, CivicSource digitizes due process compliance to ensure legally valid sales. Founded in 2008, New Orleans based CivicSource has been recognized by Inc. Magazine’s 500|5000 as one of “America’s Fastest Growing Companies” and has been recognized as the one of the Best Places to work in New Orleans for the past five years, receiving the designation “Best Place to Work” in 2014. www.CivicSource.com

 

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Investor Seminar – Louisiana Adjudicated Property Auctions In Covington, LA

Monday, May 23, at 6:00 p.m., CivicSource will hold an educational seminar on investing in Louisiana tax-adjudicated real estate. The event is free and open to the public and will take place at The Southern Hotel located at 428 East Boston St. in Covington, LA.

CivicSource.com offers tax-adjudicated properties with title insurance for many taxing authorities across the state including St. Tammany Parish. Come learn how you can capitalize on this exceptional opportunity.

Learn more about the Louisiana adjudicated property auction process and view the full list of available St. Tammany Parish properties at CivicSource.com.

If you would like to attend this investment seminar email your RSVP to RSVP@CivicSource.com.

CIVICSOURCE HOLDS INVESTMENT SEMINAR FOR ST. TAMMANY PARISH TAX ADJUDICATED REAL ESTATE

NEW ORLEANS, LA (May 17, 2016) – On Monday, May 23, 2016, CivicSource will hold an investment seminar for St. Tammany Parish tax adjudicated real estate at 6:00 p.m. at The Southern Hotel located at 428 East Boston St. in Covington, LA. Interested investors will learn how to purchase tax adjudicated real estate with title insurance.

St. Tammany Parish is taking the necessary steps to sell thousands of adjudicated properties through a new online auction process. The properties are those that previously went unsold in a tax sale, and as a result, became adjudicated to the parish. Only properties that have been adjudicated for more than five years will available. The sale will provide winning bidders with full ownership of each property along with title insurance.

St. Tammany Parish is collaborating with CivicSource to auction the tax delinquent properties. The sales will place these properties back on the tax rolls, return them to commerce and generate significant, recurring annual tax revenues to the parish. There is a complete listing of qualified adjudicated properties on CivicSource.com where investors nominate properties for auction through a sale initiating deposit of $750.

The online auction replaces the traditional adjudication sale held at the Courthouse where participants were required to be present during the auction process. By hosting the sale online, bidders who would not normally be able to attend the auction in person are still able to participate from their homes or places of business.

CivicSource has already proven successful in other communities across the state. Since launching in July, the auctions have collected nearly $20 million in unbudgeted revenue through the sale of almost 1000 properties.

If you would like to attend the investment seminar for St. Tammany Parish tax adjudicated real estate, email your RSVP to RSVP@CivicSource.com.

About CivicSource:

CivicSource is the leading auctioneer of tax-distressed real estate. From tax sales to adjudication auctions, CivicSource digitizes due process compliance to ensure legally valid sales. Founded in 2008, New Orleans based CivicSource has been recognized by Inc. Magazine’s 500|5000 as one of “America’s Fastest Growing Companies” and has been recognized as the one of the Best Places to work in New Orleans for the past five years, receiving the designation “Best Place to Work” in 2014. www.CivicSource.com

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129-plus St. Tammany Parish properties part of online auction

By Kim Chatelain, NOLA.COM The Times-Picayune

May 06,2016 at 11:52 AM

 

More than 1,000 tax-adjudicated properties in St. Tammany Parish might end up on the block as the local government embarks on an online auction program, the first of its kind in the parish. An initial inventory of 129 properties is now listed online through CivicSource, a leading auctioneer of tax-distressed real estate.

The goals of the auction are to put adjudicated properties back into commerce, reduce blight, offer property ownership to St. Tammany residents and give original property owners a chance to settle their outstanding tax bills and redeem their properties, the parish government said. About 1,300 properties are currently being evaluated for future auctions or redemption.

Parish President Pat Brister said anyone interested in owning property in St. Tammany is encouraged to browse the online property inventory and take advantage of a unique opportunity. The government will also benefit from the auction, she said.

“By placing these properties back into commerce, there will be an estimated economic impact of $275,000 per year, based on their assessment in the current state. With improvements, this amount will eventually increase,” Brister said. “In addition, property owners who live next door to properties already in the auction inventory and who meet certain legal requirements could … purchase that property for $1 plus closing costs. This is a great opportunity to increase their own property values, strengthen their neighborhoods and play an essential role in blight reduction.”

Kelly Rabalais, director of the parish government’s Legal Department, said that through the online auction process, the legal legwork to vet each property is part of the purchase price of each parcel.

“Parish government will have no out-of-pocket expenses, only net return,” Rabalais, said. “In addition, the fact that anyone, from the convenience of their own home, can participate in the auction increases the exposure to the sale and increases the opportunity for investment in St. Tammany Parish.”

Interested buyers may visit www.civicsource.com to view a map, a list or a street view of the initial auction inventory of 129 adjudicated properties and register to participate in the auction. Registered users may then nominate properties that will initiate the auction process through a $750 deposit and place the nominated property into an active auction.

With CivicSource as the auction facilitator, the final sale price of each property includes a clear title, title insurance and closing fees, the government said. The initial $750 deposit will go toward the sale price of the winning bid. If a person placing the deposit is outbid, the deposit will be returned to the losing bidder, parish officials said.

Complete details about the online auction process are available atwww.civicsource.com/help. Interested buyers may call 888.387.8033 weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. to speak with a representative from CivicSource and have their questions answered.

The first adjudicated property sale by the parish government was held in 2013. It was a conventional auction conducted by an auctioneer and resulted in the sale of 81 properties for $394,400, officials said. That auction also resulted in the redemption of eight properties by the original owners who settled their outstanding tax bills with the parish.

http://www.nola.com/politics/index.ssf/2016/05/129_st_tammany_properties_part.html

Happening now: East Baton Rouge properties seized for failure to pay taxes up for online auction

The Advocate

BY STEVE HARDY|

May 3, 2016; 5:45 p.m.

More East Baton Rouge Parish properties are headed to the online auction block Wednesday.

The city-parish is trying to sell 16 plots seized when owners didn’t pay their taxes. Prospective buyers may bid on the properties at CivicSource.com between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. Opening bids range from about $3,500 to $6,500 and cover the cost of the title, closing cost and title insurance.

The city-parish has made several recent changes to its system of selling off tax adjudicated property. In February, it partnered with New Orleans-based CivicSource so potential buyers could scout land online. And there are many properties for sale — just under 2,000 heading into Wednesday’s auctions.

Auctions are held the first Wednesday of each month.

By law, the government can hold an auction once a prospective buyer puts a down a deposit — typically $750 — to buy a site. The city-parish then advertises the sale, puts it on the block and sells it to the highest bidder. The person who pays the deposit gets the money back if he doesn’t win the auction.

There are other ways to buy land from the government. At its last meeting, the Metro Council approved an ordinance beginning a Mow to Own program. In that program, neighbors who tend blighted property adjacent to their own for one year can strike a deal with the Metro Council to buy the land without sending it to auction.

So far, no one has purchased land under the new program, though four or five have expressed interest in taking advantage of it, said special assistant parish attorney William Aaron.

Aaron and Tara Wicker, the councilwoman who sponsored the ordinance, have said the city has two major reasons for wanting to make it easier to sell adjudicated land.

First, it could collect potentially millions of dollars in revenue by selling off the land it isn’t using. Additionally, many of the properties are blighted, and new owners could replace eyesores with economic drivers.

 

To the highest bidder

Greater Baton Rouge Business Report

News Roundup

Daily Report Staff

May 3, 2016

East Baton Rouge Parish will host an online auction via CivicSource.com for tax adjudicated properties from 8 a.m. until 8 p.m. Wednesday. The parish, in an attempt to collect delinquent real estate taxes, will sell 16 properties. The winning bidders will receive full ownership of each property with title insurance. The average starting bid for the properties, which includes closing costs, is $3,500 plus the cost of title insurance. In a statement, William Aaron II, special assistant parish attorney, says East Baton Rouge has found success online in addressing the number of adjudicated properties in the parish. A list, map and street views of the property up for auction is online. Registration for the auction is required.

 

St. Tammany Parish Government Announces Online Adjudicated Property Auction

St. Tammany Parish Government Press Release

Monday, May 2, 2016

St. Tammany Parish, LA– St. Tammany Parish Government has initiated the process of an online-adjudicated property auction through CivicSource, a leading auctioneer of tax-distressed real estate. The goal of this on-going property auction is to achieve multiple objectives including, the placement of adjudicated properties back into commerce, the reduction of blight, to offer the opportunity of property ownership in St. Tammany to every resident, and to give the original property owner a chance to settle their outstanding tax bills and redeem their properties. 1300 properties are currently being evaluated for future auctions, or redemption.

“By placing these properties back into commerce, there will be an estimated economic impact of $275,000 per year, based on their assessment in the current state — with improvements, this amount will eventually increase,” said Pat Brister, St. Tammany Parish President. “In addition, property owners who live next door to properties already in the auction inventory, and who meet certain legal requirements, could potentially purchase that property for $1 plus closing costs. This is a great opportunity to increase their own property values, strengthen their neighborhoods, and play an essential role in blight reduction. We encourage any person interested in property ownership in St. Tammany to browse the property inventory and take advantage of this opportunity.”

“Through this online auction process, the legal legwork to vet each property is part of the purchase price of each parcel. Parish Government will have no out-of-pocket expenses, only net return,” said Kelly Rabalais, Director, St. Tammany Parish Legal Department. “In addition, the fact that anyone, from the convenience of their own home, can participate in the auction increases the exposure to the sale and increases the opportunity for investment in St. Tammany Parish.”

Interested buyers can visit www.civicsource.com to view a map, a list, or a street view of the initial auction inventory of 129 adjudicated properties and register to participate in the auction. Registered users then nominate properties that will initiate the process through a $750 deposit and place the nominated property into an active auction. With CivicSource as the auction facilitator, the final sale price of each property includes a clear title, title insurance, and closing fees. The initial $750 deposit will go toward the sale price of the winning bid. Complete details about the online auction process are available at www.civicsource.com/help, or interested buyers can call (888) 387-8033, Monday-Friday from 8a.m.-5p.m. to speak with a help representative from CivicSource and have their questions answered.

The first adjudicated property sale by St. Tammany Parish Government occurred in 2013 and resulted in the sale of 81 properties for $394,400, as well as the redemption of eight properties by the original owners who also settled their outstanding tax bills with the Parish.

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Lake Charles signs with company to help with adjudicated property

Friday, April 22, 2016 2:46 PM

By Justin Phillips / American Press

The city of Lake Charles will now have some needed assistance in getting rid of adjudicated lots after the City Council approved an ordinance Wednesday allowing the city to work with a company focused on selling the properties.

Lake Charles will enter into an agreement with Archon Information Systems, which operates the CivicSource auction platform. CivicSource is a marketplace for different types of properties, including tax lien sale and adjudicated parcels.

Mayor Randy Roach amended the ordinance before it was approved by the council.

“If you recall several years ago, we entered into an agreement with these other taxing jurisdictions and the Lake Charles North Redevelopment Authority for the disposition of adjudicated properties,” Roach said.

“The agreement was signed by the taxing jurisdictions to allow us to contract with Lake Charles North Redevelopment Authority for the sale of the property. They need to be included in this ordinance in order for CivicSource to be able to do what we’re asking them to do.”

Brian Barrios with CivicSource said the company implemented its program in New Orleans in March 2015 and that since then 15 other jurisdictions have begun using the program.

“In a nutshell, what he have is a market-driven process where we take whatever properties you give to us, we post them up on our site at CivicSource, and an investor will initiate the sale prices by placing a deposit,” Barrios said. “It costs the governing body absolutely nothing.”

Barrios said that since the program began, CivicSource has dealt with roughly 1,000 properties and has brought in $17.4 million in “unbudgeted revenue for the various jurisdictions that have signed up.”

Roach said the city will ultimately be in control of what and how many properties are sold through CivicSource.

“So if we select one property to be sold, then they deal with one property. If we select 10, then they do 10,” he said. “We will refer to them the properties we want them to sell.”

http://www.americanpress.com/20160422-City-Adjudicated-Properties


 

City of New Orleans to Hold Online Tax Certificate Sale

APRIL 07, 2016

City of New Orleans Mayor’s Office Press Release

NEW ORLEANS – The City announced that it will hold an online tax certificate sale as part of its continuing efforts to collect delinquent real estate taxes. The online auction will take place beginning Tuesday, April 12 and ending Thursday, April 14, 2016.

Over 3,900 properties are scheduled to go to sale in the auction, which is open to the general public. Free registration and a list of available properties are available at www.CivicSource.comexternal link.

“As we continue our aggressive tax collection, we are working to recover taxpayer dollars through every means available to us,” said Mayor Mitch Landrieu. “We’re committed to collecting the revenues that we are owed and getting these properties back on the tax rolls. The success of previous annual sales should attract even more investors and give potential bidders confidence in the process.”

A tax certificate sale is the sale of properties that have delinquent taxes due. Investors purchase the tax sale certificate by paying the amount of outstanding delinquent taxes and other statutory impositions. Property owners have a 3-year redemptive window in which to pay the investor the delinquent amount, an immediate five percent penalty plus an additional one percent for every month since the filing of the tax certificate.

Winning bidders of the tax sale are expected to pay for their purchases within 48 hours of the close of the auction. Payments must be made in one installment and all sales are final. However, winning bidders do not immediately own the property. The property owner can redeem the property by repaying the purchaser plus penalties and interest. If the property is not redeemed within three years (or 18 months for blighted properties), the tax title holder can pursue the property’s title.

This auction can be viewed on CivicSource.com. Using the search options, prospective bidders can set the parameters for any property that falls within their interests and budget.

Individuals without immediate access to a computer can participate in the auction via kiosks that will be set up on the first floor of City Hall during normal business hours on auction days.

For property owners who would like to make a payment to remove their property from the sale, please visit the Treasury Bureau on the first floor of City Hall on weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. before or during the tax sale period. Only cash, cashier’s checks or official checks will be accepted.

For questions or assistance, prospective bidders should call CivicSource at 1-888-387-8033 or email support@civicsource.com.

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http://www.nola.gov/mayor/press-releases/2016/20160407-pr-tax-certificate-sale/

 

 

CivicSource helping city-parish officials clear up property tax rolls

 

New Orleans-based CivicSource will have on May 4 the first auction of properties that have been on East Baton Rouge Parish’s adjudicated rolls for more than five years.

Those 24 properties, along with 38 set for auction on June 1, represent a fraction of the 2,040 properties available on CivicSource’s website.

The company specializes in moving adjudicated properties and assists potential buyers with the required paperwork.

Originally, more than 2,100 EBR properties were up for sale when CivicSource first began marketing city-parish adjudicated properties Feb. 1, but that number has since dropped slightly.

William Aaron, special assistant parish attorney and head of adjudicated properties in the East Baton Rouge Parish Attorney’s Office, says the city-parish has seen a large uptick in property redemption—people who pay the back taxes owed for their property in order to take it off the adjudicated rolls—since the city-parish began using CivicSource.

Aaron says officials are also finding mistakes on the tax rolls. Some 30 properties were adjudicated that should not have been, he says. In some other instances, a property purchased by a church or nonprofit was not put on the exempt list.

“Whether we make a gillion million dollars or not, we’re cleaning up the rolls and getting people to pay their taxes,” Aaron says.

Kristen Lawrence, spokeswoman for New Orleans-based CivicSource, says investors have paid the $750 deposit on 194 properties in East Baton Rouge Parish since the service began.

If a potential buyer tries to purchase the property through the Parish Attorney’s Office, they are required to do all the legwork of finding past owners and notifying them about the impending sale. CivicSource does the due process work for the buyer and also offers title insurance. Title insurance protects the purchaser from unforeseen mortgages and liens, as well as legal attacks from a former landowner who was not notified of the property’s sale.

Once investors pay the deposit, it takes about 90 to 120 days before the property goes up for sale. Anyone—not just the person who paid the deposit—can bid on the property. If the person who paid the deposit is not the highest bidder, the company refunds their deposit and adds $750 to the total of the highest bidder.

The city-parish does not pay CivicSource a penny for the service, Aaron has said. The company sets the initial price of the property to cover its expenses and makes its money through closing costs. Any money generated above the initial price goes to the city-parish.

—Ryan Broussard