My parent's house sold at a tax sale. Is it too late?

The short answer

Usually not. In Indiana the winning bidder at a tax sale doesn't get the house that day. The owner, or the heirs if the owner has died, keeps it and can get it back by paying the county within the redemption window, usually one year after the fall tax sale and 120 days after the later commissioner sale.

What the buyer actually got

At an Indiana tax sale the bidder pays the back taxes and gets a certificate, not a deed. The house still belongs to the owner on record. When that owner has died, it belongs to the heirs, even though the county's records still show the parent's name.

Notices about the sale go to the owner's address. When the owner has died, those letters often pile up at an empty house, which is why many families find out late.

Finding your deadline

Call the county auditor's office with the address or parcel number. They can tell you whether the house sold, at which sale, the last day to redeem and the exact amount. The auditor runs the tax sale, so their date is the one that counts.

Getting it back, or selling it

Paying the redemption amount to the county auditor before the deadline gets the house back. It is usually far less than what the bidder paid at the sale. Our page on what redemption costs explains why.

The family can also sell the house before the deadline. The redemption is paid at closing like any other debt on the house.

If the deadline has already passed

After the window closes, the buyer can ask the court for a tax deed and the house becomes theirs. At that point getting the house back is very hard. If the house sold for more than the taxes, though, the extra money may still be waiting for the family at the county. See who gets the surplus.