Experience with Wayne County (Detroit) Tax auction?

[Joshua Woolls]

Does anybody here have any experience with the Wayne county(Detroit) tax auction? There are several properties that I am very interested in. I know that March 31st is the deadline for having payment (or a payment plan) in place. Does this mean that if this has not been taken care of before the 31st that the property is likely to go to auction? How long before the auction will we know what is actually going to be for sale?

I appreciate any help. As a side note, I am not looking for $500 properties that I think I am going to rent for $700 a month. I know the area very well that I am looking at. This is not so much a discussion as to why or why not buy in Detroit as it is about how the process works here specifically.

Thanks!

[Account Closed]

I sold my share to a partner a few months ago (for a small but very high-percentage profit).

My deed was lost in the mail. I was instructed to visit the Register of Deeds for a copy of official records, but you might want to call and ask if you need to do the same: http://www.waynecounty.com/deeds/index.htm. That being said, @Quinton Myers I don't think you need a copy of the deed unless you really want one - just call and ask if it's officially under your name.

@Michelle Petropoulos, very late reply, but if I recall correctly, homeowners were allowed to redeem their houses and adjacent vacant lots up until the week preceding the auction in 2015. Consider: why would the city turn away the original owner's money?

On the whole, the podcast is harsh on Detroit and for good reason, but I cannot think of a better training ground if you are resourceful, patient, cautious and looking for a very cheap education. I replicated the exact same process I did in Detroit in New York City and am set to close on a foreclosure next week.

Plus, Detroiters are surprisingly kind, fiercely protective and they love to talk about their neighborhood - even to some non-Detroit Asian guy who knocks on their door and asks if he can take pictures of their home as it's about to go into foreclosure! Haha.