Dirtline · Buyer tools
Closing Checklist
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Ohio tax sale
Kentucky tax lien
General
Ohio is caveat emptor.
Buyer beware — the county sells what it has, as-is. Your research is your only protection.
Day of sale
Bring 10% down payment (cash, check, or money order)
Required immediately after the close of sale. No credit, no installments, no refunds.
Complete the registration form before bidding
Full name and address of the grantee, marital status, valid ID.
Sign the Affidavit of Non-Ownership
You swear you're not delinquent on any Ohio property taxes. Liars are barred (ORC 5723.06).
Get your certificate of sale receipt
Proof of purchase. Keep it — you'll need it for the deed.
Paying the balance
Pay the remaining balance by the county deadline
Varies by county — Franklin 2026: balance due by 4pm on the stated date. Miss it and you forfeit the deposit.
Confirm the auditor's deed is being processed
Deed delivery takes roughly 2 weeks after full payment.
Before you touch the property
Do NOT enter, alter, or remove anything until the deed is recorded
You're not the owner until the recorder has the deed. Trespassing on your own "purchase" is still trespassing.
Run a title search
Federal tax liens SURVIVE a tax sale. So can some municipal liens. A title company or attorney finds them.
Check for IRS liens specifically
The IRS gets 120 days to redeem after a tax sale (ORC 5723.12). Know before you build.
Verify zoning and access
Street names change with annexations. Confirm the parcel, the road frontage, and what you can legally do with it.
Get insurance once you're the owner of record
Liability at minimum. Vacant land still gets you sued.
Kentucky sells liens, not land.
You're buying the debt. The owner has 1 year to pay you back with interest — only then can you move toward ownership.
At the lien sale
Bid on / purchase the Certificate of Delinquency
Annual county clerk sale (Anderson: ~August). You pay the delinquent amount; the county assigns you the lien.
Confirm the certificate lists you as purchaser
Get the paperwork. The owner is notified the debt was sold — they now owe you.
Record your interest accruing (up to 12%/yr)
Start the clock on your redemption deadline: purchase date + 1 year.
The redemption year
Do nothing — wait out the redemption period
The owner can redeem any time in the year by paying you principal + interest. Most do.
If redeemed: collect principal + interest
You get your money back plus up to 12%. Done — redeploy the capital.
If NOT redeemed: the clock expires — you may foreclose
After 1 year, the lien holder can file a foreclosure action to take the property.
Foreclosure (only if unredeemed)
Retain a Kentucky foreclosure attorney
Do not DIY this. Budget ~$2,000–5,000 in legal fees.
Title search BEFORE filing
Mortgages survive a lien foreclosure. If there's a $100k mortgage on a $25k lot, walk away from the foreclosure — keep collecting interest instead.
File the foreclosure action
Court process, takes months. Serve all parties with an interest in the property.
Take title, record the deed, insure the property
Once the court orders the sale/transfer and the deed records, it's yours. Liability insurance from day one.
Any land purchase, anywhere
Physically visit the parcel
Photos lie. Walk it. Check access, neighbors, dumping, flooding.
Verify legal access (not landlocked)
No road frontage and no recorded easement = a very expensive lawn.
Check zoning with the township/city
Call, don't guess. Ask what's allowed: build, farm, camp, subdivide.
Check flood maps (FEMA)
Floodplain kills building value and insurance options.
Estimate annual holding costs
Taxes + insurance + maintenance. Land costs money every year you own it.
Decide your exit before you buy
Flip, hold, build, or lease? The exit sets the max you'll pay. See the offer calculator.
Keep every document
Deed, certificate, receipts, correspondence. Paper trail is your armor.
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