Caroline County, VA
Tax delinquent real estate sale, Oct 22 — 43 parcels, in person in Milford and online
Caroline County, Virginia is selling 43 tax-delinquent parcels on Thursday, October 22, 2026 at 11:00 a.m., at the Caroline County Community Center Auditorium, 17202 Richmond Turnpike, Milford. It's a simulcast: you can bid in the room or online through the county's auction company, For Sale At Auction, whose two-step online registration asks for a copy of a government-issued ID. Every winning bid carries a 10% buyer's premium on top. The 43 parcels are two different kinds of sale, and the terms differ: 12 are special commissioner (court) sales and 31 are non-judicial sales by the Treasurer.
Virginia has no tax lien certificates — you're buying the property itself. On the 12 commissioner sales, the winner pays a 10% deposit on sale day by wire, cash or good check, the sale is subject to the approval of the Circuit Court, and closing is due within 15 days of that confirmation, with a special warranty deed. The 31 non-judicial parcels are sold under Va. Code § 58.1-3975, which covers only small, low-value parcels — assessed at $15,000 or less, or up to $30,000–$40,000 if unimproved and meeting size or condition tests — and whose taxes have been delinquent for years. On those, full payment is due by close of business on October 29, 2026, the minimum buyer's premium is $250, and the Treasurer conveys the parcel by deed; any money left after costs and taxes goes into escrow, where the former owner has two years to claim it.
Virginia rules at a glance
Virginia collects old real estate taxes by suing in circuit court, usually once they are still unpaid on December 31 after the second anniversary of the due date (one year for blighted or derelict property, or for parcels worth $100,000 or less). A court-appointed special commissioner sells the property, normally after a licensed appraisal, and the court must confirm the sale (Va. Code §§ 58.1-3965, 58.1-3967, 58.1-3969). The owner can redeem until the date of the sale by paying all taxes, penalties, interest, costs and attorney fees (§ 58.1-3974). The buyer takes title free of the claims of every party named in the suit, but not of easements recorded before the sale, and the former owner can claim the surplus for two years.
The statute, the bidding and what goes wrong for new buyers are on the Virginia page.
Property & tax profile
The median homeowner in Caroline County pays $1,597 a year in property tax — below the Virginia median of $2,790 (U.S.: $3,119). That is roughly what a typical home here owes for each year it goes unpaid — the debt that the opening bid at a deed sale is usually built from, plus interest and costs. Homes with a mortgage pay a median of $1,647; homes owned outright, $1,467.
On a home with a mortgage, the lender has its own reason to pay a delinquent tax bill: the tax lien outranks the mortgage, and a tax deed can wipe out the loan. On a home owned outright, nobody but the owner — or the heirs — has that reason. In Caroline County, 28.1% of owner-occupied homes are owned outright (Virginia: 33.1%, U.S.: 39.4%). That is less than the state as a whole: more of the delinquent bills here sit on mortgaged homes, where the lender often steps in.
7.2% of all housing units in Caroline County are vacant. The figure that matters for a buyer at the tax sale is the Census “other vacant” category — not for rent, not for sale, not a holiday home, but a catch-all that includes foreclosures, homes held up by legal proceedings or family reasons, homes needing repairs, and abandoned ones. Here it is 3.5% of all units (Virginia: 3.7%, U.S.: 3.6%). Close to the state rate.
Half of the homes in Caroline County were built in or before 1993 (Virginia: in or before 1984). The typical tax bill is 1.8% of the median household income of $87,407 (Virginia: 3.0%).
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates (tables B25077, B25103, B25081, B25002, B25004, B25035, B19013) — see the figures on data.census.gov. Survey estimates with margins of error; anything too uncertain to state is left out.
Before you bid: Check the current property list and terms on the For Sale At Auction listing before you register. Questions go to the Caroline County Treasurer at 804-633-5291.
Official source: forsaleatauction.biz — checked October 5, 2026
More sales: 42 other county sales are on the calendar in October 2026 — see them by date.
This page reflects publicly posted county auction notices as of publication and is general information, not financial or legal advice. Sale details can change — always confirm current terms with the county directly.