Private sale: how it works
Private sale of unsold tax deed land, between annual November sales
Any parcel not sold at the annual November sale may be sold by the county auditor at private sale before the next annual November sale, for not less than the parcel's minimum sale price. The board may reappraise the value at any time it thinks necessary, and any reappraisal must be finished at least 30 days before the next annual sale. The board may also engage licensed real estate brokers by resolution to market unsold parcels under nonexclusive listing agreements, reserving the right to reject any offer. Property under a city special assessment lien must be offered to the city first.
This route skips the live auction, which means these are the parcels nobody bid on, so the due diligence matters even more. Every state names this inventory differently, and the state-held and struck-off land table maps each local name to the same mechanism. The over-the-counter guide has the cross-state playbook.
Verified Sep 3, 2026 against North Dakota sources.
Tax Sale Atlas publishes educational information about public tax sale processes. This is not legal, financial, or investment advice. Rules, dates, and fees change; confirm with the county office before you bid.