How to buy tax-sale property in Massachusetts (2026)
You buy a tax title that conveys the property through the state's process. The owner has 1 year to pay you back. You earn 8% interest a year. The bidding method is not documented. Sales are held on a schedule that varies by county.
- Redemption period
- 12 mo
- Interest / penalty
- Flat rate · 8%
- Bid method
- Unknown
- Sale timing
- Varies
How to bid here · Massachusetts
In person- 1.Understand what is being sold: after demand and 14 days' notice, the collector takes the land for the city or town, and title vests in the municipality subject to the right of redemption (G.L. c. 60, ss. 53-54)
- 2.Watch for the treasurer's notice of public auction of the tax title, published and posted at least 14 days before the sale (G.L. c. 60, s. 52)
- 3.Bid at the public auction; the treasurer assigns and transfers the tax title, individually or bundled, to the highest bidder (G.L. c. 60, s. 52)
- 4.Bid at least the amount necessary to redeem the parcel, since the sum paid may not be less than the redemption amount (G.L. c. 60, s. 52)
- 5.Take a recorded instrument of assignment, which the treasurer executes on behalf of the city or town and which must be recorded within 60 days (G.L. c. 60, s. 52)
- 6.Step into the shoes of a tax-sale purchaser, subject to the owner's redemption rights and to any abatement granted before the assignment (G.L. c. 60, s. 52)
- Registration
- Required: UnknownUnknown
Not verified from a source yet.
- Deposit
- Required: UnknownUnknown
Not verified from a source yet.
- Forms
- Bidder ID card: UnknownW-9: Unknown
- Eligibility
- Residency required: UnknownNo delinquent taxes: Unknown
The price paid for the assignment must be at least the amount necessary to redeem the parcel (G.L. c. 60, s. 52)
- Payment
- Unknown
Not verified from a source yet.
Massachusetts sells the municipality's tax title, not a lien bid: the collector takes the land, and the treasurer may later assign the tax title at a public auction with 14 days' published and posted notice, for no less than the redemption amount. The statute sets no bidder registration, deposit, or form requirements, so those fields are unknown; the assignment is recorded within 60 days and the owner keeps redemption rights.
Citations
Sale type
M.G.L. c.60 ss.53, 62
official source“the collector may take such land for the town, first giving fourteen days' notice of his intention to exercise such power of taking”
Redemption
M.G.L. c.60 ss.62, 65
official source“may bring a petition in the land court for the foreclosure of all rights of redemption of said land either after 12 months from the sale or taking”
Interest / penalty
M.G.L. c.60 s.62
official source“interest at 8 per cent upon the original sum for which the land was taken or sold, from the date of sale”
Bid method
M.G.L. c.60 s.62
official source“if the land has been taken or purchased by the town and has not been assigned”
Sale schedule
M.G.L. c.60 s.53
official source“If a tax on land is not paid within fourteen days after demand therefor and remains unpaid at the date of taking, the collector may take such land for the town”
Municipality takes land for nonpayment of taxes; owner/assignee redeems by paying the treasurer the tax title account plus 8% (c.60 s.62); foreclosure by petition under c.60 s.65. Official Massachusetts General Laws. | Prose: tax title (municipal foreclosure) | 8% per year on the original sum | at least 12 months (until a petition to foreclose the right of redemption is filed) | n/a (municipal tax taking; town holds the tax title) | varies by municipality
Frequently asked questions
- What do I actually buy at a Massachusetts tax sale?
- The state transfers a tax title to the purchaser, often after a court or land-court process rather than a live auction.
- How long does the owner have to redeem the property in Massachusetts?
- 12 months (1 year)
- What interest or penalty do I earn on a Massachusetts tax sale?
- 8% flat per year.
- How is the winning bidder chosen in Massachusetts?
- Not verified from an official source yet, so treat it as unknown and confirm with the county.
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Not legal, tax, or investment advice. Read the full disclaimer.