Next, Person B & C get into a bidding war, & eventually Bob settles on Person C’s offer, for $15k above asking.

I was tied with highest bid and waived an inspection so they chose my bid.

You don’t “pay the taxes”, you bid at the auction the parish holds.

Our realtor got is a bid for paint and it was more than we wanted to spend on both carpet and paint.

Did you win the bid?

He only gave you an estimate, not a fixed price bid. 

You would need to do your due diligence before bidding on these properties.

So in that term, the seller agreed to hold certain amount of money for problem that needed to be fixed in escrow account after closing ( i think they have to put certain percentages higher than the bid from verified contractor).

Hello BP, I recently won a bid on a property at the Franklin County Sheriff's auction, at this auction you make a downpayment and pay the balance after the confirmation is filed.

You could also become a member of Connected investors and let investors Bid on your loan.