NEWS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
October 9, 2020
MEDIA CONTACT: Julie Marinucci, Deputy Director
Land and Minerals Department
218-742-9898
42 formerly tax forfeited properties sell for $805,000 in latest online auction
St. Louis County completed another online auction of tax forfeited properties Thursday, successfully selling 42 of the 60 properties offered, for a total of $805,032. Among the properties sold are several houses, a commercial building, and a cabin. Two properties that previously had included blighted structures that were removed also sold. Also selling: a small island in Lake Vermilion.
As was the case with an earlier auction in June, the sale was offered completely online due to COVID-19 precautions, using publicsurplus.com. Results of this latest online auction were again far better than what is typically seen in a live auction, with 70% of the properties selling. St. Louis County first began offering tax forfeited properties for sale through an online auction in January, as part of a pilot program aimed at selling properties that previously hadn't sold in live auctions.
Properties that were not purchased at the auction are available for sale on a first come, first served basis through the St. Louis County Land and Minerals Department until sold or put back on the online auction. There are approximately 150 properties currently available for sale. The list of those properties, along with results from this latest auction, can be found online at stlouiscountymn.gov/landsales.
This was the third and final auction of new properties that will be offered this year. An additional online auction featuring properties that have been offered previously is expected to begin later this month.
Within St. Louis County there are nearly 900,000 acres of tax forfeited land, which the County's Land and Minerals Department is responsible for managing. Most of the land is maintained for forest management, however, the County is working to sell parcels that are not planned for management as a way to encourage development and increase the property tax base.
For more information about tax forfeited land sales, or to subscribe to receive email notifications about updates and future sales, visit stlouiscountymn.gov/landsales or call the Land and Minerals Department at (218) 726-2606.
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