Selling a Savannah Home With a Chatham County Tax Lien

For a Savannah homeowner with delinquent property taxes, the modernization is mostly about how the sale runs — not what happens before or after. The fi.fa. process, the four-week advertising in the Savannah Morning News, and the 12-month redemption period under OCGA § 48-4-40 all follow the same Georgia rules used statewide.

How Tax Liens / Tax Sale Works in Chatham County

Chatham County tax sales work differently from mortgage foreclosures. The Tax Commissioner at 222 W. Oglethorpe Avenue issues a fi.fa. for unpaid property taxes, levies on the property, and advertises the tax sale in the Savannah Morning News for four consecutive weeks. The sale itself runs first Tuesdays from 10 AM at the Savannah Civic Center, Bryan Meeting Room, 301 W. Oglethorpe Avenue. Online bidder registration is required.

After the sale, the original homeowner still has rights. OCGA § 48-4-40 gives a 12-month redemption period. The redemption price under § 48-4-42 equals the tax-sale amount plus a 20% premium for the first year and 10% for each year after, plus any subsequent taxes paid by the tax-deed buyer and certain costs.

After 12 months, the tax-deed buyer can begin barment under § 48-4-45 — serving notice and publishing for four consecutive weeks in the Savannah Morning News. After the barment deadline expires, the right of redemption ends and the tax-deed buyer's title ripens.

Note that Chatham's mortgage foreclosure sales are still held on the courthouse steps at 133 Montgomery Street — not at the Civic Center. Two different sale types, two different addresses. If you have received a sale notice, read it carefully or take it to a real-estate attorney.

The Georgia Timeline — In Plain English

Here is what the Chatham tax-lien clock often looks like:

Year 1 — Taxes unpaid. The Chatham Tax Commissioner sends notices. Penalties and interest start accruing.

A fi.fa. issues. The property is levied. The tax sale is advertised in the Savannah Morning News for four weeks.

First-Tuesday tax sale day — The property sells at the Savannah Civic Center, Bryan Meeting Room, 10 AM. A tax deed issues to the high bidder. Online bidder registration was required.

12 months after the sale — The redemption right under OCGA § 48-4-40 ends, with limited exceptions.

After 12 months — The tax-deed buyer can serve barment notice (§ 48-4-45) and publish for four weeks. Once the barment deadline passes, redemption ends permanently.

A pre-sale closing pays the tax bill and ends the process. A redemption-period closing pays the tax-deed buyer the § 48-4-42 redemption price plus any mortgage payoff — leaving clear title with the seller.

How VP Buys Homes Helps in This Situation

A Chatham tax-lien situation has its own complications. Here is what we do.

We figure out where you are. Pre-sale, inside the 12-month redemption window, or post-barment is a different math each. The first call typically starts with reading the letter you received.

We get the actual numbers. The Chatham County Tax Commissioner at 222 W. Oglethorpe Avenue can confirm exact tax payoff. The closing attorney can run a title search to identify any tax-deed buyer and the current redemption-price calculation under § 48-4-42.

We close clean. Taxes paid, tax-deed buyer paid the redemption price, mortgage paid off — all from closing proceeds. The Savannah seller walks away with clear title and whatever equity remains.

We handle Historic-District code issues, flood-zone insurance, and complicated chain-of-title situations that often come with Savannah tax-lien properties. We do not back out at the last minute.

We pay standard closing costs. No commissions, no listing fees. We refer to a real-estate attorney for any nuanced redemption-math review.

• ✓Pay the redemption price plus mortgage payoff at closing so the seller walks away with clear title
• ✓Close well before the barment deadline ends the right of redemption
• ✓Coordinate with the county tax commissioner and tax-sale purchaser directly
• ✓Refer the seller to a Georgia real-estate attorney to confirm redemption rights are still alive

Local — Not a National Wholesaler

A real Chatham operator knows the Tax Commissioner is at 222 W. Oglethorpe Avenue, knows tax sales run at the Savannah Civic Center (not the courthouse), and knows that online bidder registration is required for the tax sale. They know the Savannah Morning News is the legal organ. They know mortgage foreclosure sales are still held at the courthouse on Montgomery Street. Out-of-state buyers conflate the two constantly.

We have closed Chatham tax-lien sales across the county — Historic District, Victorian District, Ardsley Park, Midtown, Pooler, Bloomingdale, Garden City, Wilmington Island, Skidaway Island, Whitemarsh Island, Isle of Hope, Vernonburg, and Pin Point. Some were pre-sale rescues. Some were redemption buyouts on Historic-District properties with code issues that scared off other buyers. We worked the numbers each time.

Frequently Asked — Tax Liens / Tax Sale in Savannah