Tax Sales

A lien is deemed to exist on property, in favor of the State for the amount of delinquent taxes, along with any associated penalties, interests and costs, once the amount of tax due on the property is assessed and levied. If the property taxes remain unpaid, the county tax collector may enforce the lien by selling the property to recover the unpaid taxes after three years delinquency in Missouri, two years in Illinois. The owner has an opportunity to repay the delinquent taxes during the redemption period, before the property is lost in foreclosure of taxes, i.e. at final tax sale.

The attorneys of Sauerwein Simon P.C. most frequently encounter tax sale questions by representing property owners who later discover their property has been sold without their knowledge for non-payment of taxes. In such cases it pays to retain a law firm intimately familiar with the process and with a record of successfully attacking and setting aside tax sales and collector’s deeds for the benefit of insured owners and lenders.

Our firm devotes more attorneys to real estate and title insurance litigation than any other firm in Missouri and Southern Illinois.