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The number of properties that are placed on the list for tax sale varies from year to year, but few actually end up being sold in that manner. In recent years, the number of properties sold for taxes has dropped.
That's because mortgage companies do not want to lose their investment, according to Thomas D. Heap, county tax claims bureau director.
About four years ago, mortgage companies began to pay delinquent taxes in earnest, he said.
"They protect their interests," he said.
While the mortgage company may work with the homeowner, other people, particularly the elderly whose homes have been paid off, find themselves owing taxes they may not be able to pay, and their properties are listed for tax sale.
The tax claims office tries to work with people to help them avoid losing their homes and may arrange monthly payments, he said.
"That way they have an easier means of making payments," he said.
Also, the delinquent homeowner is sent up to five warnings by the tax claims bureau, Heap said.
"We go above and beyond what the law requires to notify the homeowners and to provide monthly payment options," he said. "We do everything we can to prevent people from losing their homes."
Even so, a number of properties end up being sold at tax sale, usually in September, Heap said.
Last year, there were about 2,000 properties listed for tax sale. By the time of the sale, the number dropped to 63, Heap said. No matter how many properties are taken off the sale list, the one constant is the voice of worry from those struggling to make ends meet.
"Some people must take out loans or go to a bank," Heap said.
Many of the individuals facing trouble are the elderly and those on fixed-incomes, and many are coming from Williamsport, which has the highest taxes in the county, according to Heap.
"We hear it every year," he said. "We are seeing people come to us and ask us for help and say they are afraid they are going to lose their homes."