This webpage contains copies of public notices issued by certain Connecticut municipalities relating to auctions they have slated to collect unpaid taxes and other charges under Connecticut General Statutes § 12-157.
This webpage and its contents are for general informational use only, and are not legal advice. Since municipalities and their attorneys cannot represent you or your interests, you should consult with your own lawyer about how tax sales work and what your rights and duties are.
The municipality’s lawyer is not your lawyer. Any information you give to the municipality’s lawyer is not protected by the attorney-client privilege and is not confidential. Sending any information to the municipality’s lawyer or law firm will not create an attorney-client relationship between you and the firm. The firm is not restricted from using any information you send for any purpose, including using it to assist the municipality to conduct the tax sale, on behalf of any of the firm’s clients, or otherwise.
The postings on this webpage are public records which are not guaranteed to accurately reflect the ownership, title history, encumbrances, delinquency amounts, boundaries, condition, buildability, accessibility, zoning compliance, environmental status, or any other information about the properties. Although these municipalities and their counsel endeavor to ensure that the information contained in all notices is correct and that appropriate notifications reach all record owners and encumbrancers, complete accuracy cannot be guaranteed.
You must conduct your own research to verify everything in these postings and any other information you deem relevant by using lawful methods and public records available from town departments and other resources. Potential bidders must exercise due diligence to investigate a property and its characteristics, value, and encumbrances before bidding. The municipalities and their counsel cannot grant permission to inspect these properties or communicate with their owners or occupants. Do not trespass on these properties or harass anyone associated with them.
Please read the brochure at this link FIRST because it answers most questions about how tax sales work:
Please do not call the municipality or its attorney with questions about tax sale properties or procedures until after you have thoroughly reviewed this link and the information below.
This website lists “tax deed” sales, not “tax lien” sales. This means that you are bidding to buy the property itself rather than the right to foreclose it in court. Registration occurs at the auction, not before. Unless the municipality announces otherwise, bids must be offered in person at the auction rather than by mail or phone. The municipality can only sell these properties at the public auction, not before; in other words, you cannot buy them from the municipality in advance. You may not bid on a property at the auction if you are its owner or if you hold a lien or mortgage on it.
At the auction, bidders will be required to sign a registration agreement which contains the following terms: BIDDER’S AGREEMENT
REGISTRATION OCCURS AT THE AUCTION, NOT BEFORE. PLEASE DO NOT ASK FOR THE REGISTRATION FORM IN ADVANCE.
Potential bidders should not call the municipality or its attorney to ask for a “payoff.” Payoffs are for owners or lienholders who want to stop the auction by paying the debt, while bidders want the auction to happen and should bid the price they believe reflects the property’s value. Except as otherwise stated in the auction or its notices, bidders only pay the municipality the amount of their bid, not the delinquent taxes or charges (although generally the municipality will not accept a bid which is lower than the delinquent amount). Bid what you think the property is worth, regardless of the debt amount. The general public is not eligible to pay someone else’s taxes and cannot obtain ownership of someone else’s property by doing so.
Each bidder must bring all of the following to the auction:
(1) A valid government-issued ID.
(2) A pen.
(3) The exact legal name and either social security number (for individuals) or federal ID number (for corporate entities) for whoever will take title to the property. For example, if you would like two people listed on the deed, bring both social security numbers with you. (You don’t need to bring the social security card itself.) If you would like the deed to be in the name of a corporation or LLC, make sure you know its exact legal name and its federal ID number at the time you register. The name you register under will be the name on the deed and it cannot be changed later, so be sure it’s correct.
(4) If you are bidding on behalf of another person, you must also bring a valid written authorization such as a signed power of attorney.
(5) A $5,000 deposit per property (or other amount specified in the notice) is mandatory in certified funds. This includes a check drawn by a bank on the bank’s own funds (often called a bank check, cashier’s check, teller’s check, or official check), or a money order. DO NOT BRING CASH, PERSONAL CHECKS, HOME EQUITY LINE CHECKS, OR ANY CHECK WHICH IS EITHER POST-DATED OR MORE THAN SIX MONTHS OLD; THEY WILL BE REFUSED. The deposit must either be payable to “Pullman & Comley, Trustee” or payable to yourself and then endorsed at the auction. Bidders will present their deposit when they register at the auction and pay it (only) when they are declared the winner to be applied in full to the purchase price of that property. Bidders who do not win will keep their deposits and may use them to bid on other properties. Please do not call asking how many deposits to bring; the answer is one for each property you wish to win.
Unless the notices say otherwise, the balance of the purchase price must be received from the winning bidder within five calendar days (or if the fifth day falls on a weekend or holiday, the next business day) in cash or certified funds payable to “Pullman & Comley, Trustee” or by wire transfer. There can be no exceptions or extensions to this deadline for any reason whatsoever. Failure to do so permanently forfeits the entire deposit and the right to purchase the property.
PLEASE DO NOT CALL THE MUNICIPALITY OR ITS ATTORNEY TO “CONFIRM” THE INSTRUCTIONS ON THIS WEBSITE. THEY ARE ALL ACCURATE AND WILL BE ENFORCED AS WRITTEN HERE.
The following links will take you away from this website and are provided for convenience only. They are maintained by third-party providers, and neither the accuracy nor the currency of their content can be guaranteed. Please consult with your own attorney, title searcher, or other appropriate expert when relying on these or any other reference sources.
© 2017-2024, Pullman & Comley LLC
Click on the links at the top of this page for details about specific properties and auctions.