Answer: If your property in Fulton County, Georgia was sold at a tax sale for unpaid property taxes, you may still have the right to redeem it. This right allows the former owner or anyone with an interest in the property to reclaim ownership within a set time by paying the required redemption price.
After a tax sale in Fulton County, the county issues a tax deed to the purchaser, but the former owner keeps a statutory right to redeem the property. This right is valuable and can be exercised or sold, but strict deadlines and rules apply. Our firm helps former owners understand their options, calculate the redemption price, and handle the paperwork needed to redeem or sell their right.
Why choose us
We represent former owners of Georgia property sold at tax sale, guiding you through the redemption process or the sale of your right to redeem. Our office is located at 160 W Camino Real, 589, Boca Raton, FL 33432. You can reach us at (561) 933-4747. We are available during regular business hours to answer your questions and help you understand your rights.
Services offered
- Review of tax sale documents and notices
- Calculation of the redemption price and deadlines
- Advice on who may redeem and how to exercise the right
- Preparation of deeds to sell your right to redeem
- Handling the redemption process with the tax deed purchaser
- Coordination with the Fulton County Tax Commissioner and Superior Court
- Guidance on the effect of redemption and surviving liens
Steps
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Gather your documents.
Collect the tax sale deed, any notices you have received, and paperwork from the Fulton County Tax Commissioner. -
Determine your right to redeem.
We review your documents to confirm you still hold the right to redeem and identify any other parties with an interest. -
Calculate the redemption price.
We compute the amount needed to redeem: the price paid at the tax sale, plus any later taxes or assessments paid by the purchaser, plus a 20 percent premium for the first year (or part of a year) after the sale, and 10 percent for each year (or part) after that. If a notice of foreclosure of the right to redeem has been served, sheriff and publication costs may also apply. -
Decide whether to redeem or sell your right.
You may choose to redeem the property yourself, or sell your right to redeem to another party. We explain your options and document any sale by quitclaim deed. -
Complete the redemption or sale.
If redeeming, we handle the tender of certified funds to the purchaser and ensure the quitclaim deed is signed back to you. If selling, we prepare the deed and coordinate payment before the deadline. -
Confirm the effect of redemption.
After redemption, title returns to you, but any liens (such as a mortgage) that existed at the time of the tax sale remain in place.
Example
Suppose your home in Fulton County, Georgia was sold at a tax sale for $10,000. Within 12 months of the sale, you may redeem the property by paying the purchaser the $10,000, plus any taxes or assessments they paid after the sale, plus a 20 percent premium (here, $2,000), for a total of $12,000 plus any additional amounts. If you sell your right to redeem to an investor before the deadline, the investor pays you for your right, redeems the property, and receives a quitclaim deed from the purchaser. If you redeem, the purchaser signs a quitclaim deed back to you, and any mortgage or lien that was on the property before the tax sale comes back with it.
Common pitfalls
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Missing the deadline.
The right to redeem lasts 12 months from the tax sale, and sometimes longer until the purchaser forecloses the right by serving a notice through the sheriff. After the deadline, your right is lost. -
Not understanding the redemption price.
The redemption price includes the tax sale amount, later taxes, a 20 percent premium for the first year, and 10 percent for each year after. Sheriff and publication costs may be added if a notice of foreclosure has been served and more than 30 days have passed. -
Confusing tax sale with mortgage foreclosure.
Tax sales and mortgage foreclosures are different. This page is about tax sales only. -
Overlooking liens.
Liens that existed at the time of the tax sale, such as mortgages, survive redemption and return with the property. -
Not reading the paperwork.
Some counties use judicial in rem tax foreclosures, which have a 60-day redemption period. The paperwork from your sale will say which kind of sale it was. -
Assuming excess funds are part of redemption.
Excess funds from the tax sale are a separate claim with the official who held the sale, usually the Fulton County Tax Commissioner.
FAQ
What is a tax sale in Fulton County, GA? A tax sale happens when the county sells property for unpaid property taxes. The buyer receives a tax deed, but the former owner keeps a right to redeem the property. Who can redeem the property after a tax sale? The former owner, or anyone with a right, title, interest, or lien on the property, may redeem. The right to redeem can also be sold by quitclaim deed. How long do I have to redeem my property? You may redeem at any time within 12 months of the tax sale. After 12 months, the purchaser can serve a notice of foreclosure of the right to redeem through the sheriff, giving at least 45 days’ notice. After the deadline in the notice, the right ends. What is the redemption price? The redemption price is the amount paid at the tax sale, plus any later taxes or assessments paid by the purchaser, plus a 20 percent premium for the first year or part of a year, and 10 percent for each year or part after that. Sheriff and publication costs may be added if a notice of foreclosure has been served and more than 30 days have passed. What happens after redemption? The purchaser signs a quitclaim deed back to you. Title returns to you, but any liens that existed at the time of the tax sale, such as a mortgage, remain on the property. Can I sell my right to redeem? Yes. You may sell your right to redeem by quitclaim deed to a buyer, who may then redeem the property. What if no one redeems? If no one redeems and the right is foreclosed, the purchaser’s title becomes absolute. A recorded tax deed also ripens by prescription four years after it is recorded. Are excess funds part of redemption? No. Excess funds from the tax sale are a separate claim with the official who held the sale, usually the Fulton County Tax Commissioner. Is this the same as mortgage foreclosure? No. Mortgage foreclosure is a different process with different rules. Is this legal advice? This page is general information and does not create an attorney-client relationship.
Important information
Attorney advertising. Responsible attorney: Christian Cruz, Esq., Georgia Bar Number 238836. Office: CRUZ LAW FIRM, 160 W Camino Real, 589, Boca Raton, FL, 33432.
This page is general information about Georgia law, not legal advice. Reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship, and no such relationship is formed until we have a signed written agreement.
Fee arrangements depend on the posture of the matter and are set out in a written agreement before any work begins. We are glad to explain how fees would work in your situation when we speak.