Smith County
Texas · Upcoming sale ·
County snapshot
Smith County has grown 6.4% since 2020 and still shows positive net migration (2,490 people in 2024). Demand for housing usually means owners redeem rather than walk away — good for the interest, less good if you were hoping to take the deed.
By population, Smith County is the 24th largest of Texas's 254 counties. It has grown faster than the state average (+2.9% across Texas), so competition at the auction is likely to be heavier here than in the quieter counties. Of the 2024 change, 2,490 came from people moving in and 641 from births outnumbering deaths.
Counties of similar size in Texas with a sale on our calendar: Jefferson County, Kaufman County, Bell County. Useful if this county's sale has already closed and you want the next comparable one.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Census population estimates. Population figures are estimates, not a count.
Property & tax profile
The median homeowner in Smith County pays $2,804 a year in property tax — below the Texas median of $4,232 (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 $3,302; homes owned outright, $2,128.
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 Smith County, 46.6% of owner-occupied homes are owned outright (Texas: 44.0%, U.S.: 39.4%). About the same as the state as a whole.
16.6% of all housing units in Smith 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 9.0% of all units (Texas: 3.5%, U.S.: 3.6%). That is above the state rate, so expect more empty properties on the delinquent list: the ones least likely to redeem, and the most likely to need work if the deed ends up yours. Drive by before you bid.
Half of the homes in Smith County were built in or before 1986 (Texas: in or before 1992). The typical tax bill is 3.8% of the median household income of $74,192 (Texas: 5.4%).
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.
Monthly sale on the first Tuesday at 10am; December list not posted yet (22/10). Bring the tax office's written statement of no taxes due ($10, notarized request). Pay in full on sale day by cashier's check or money order.
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Quick answers
When is the Smith County tax sale?+
The Smith County, Texas tax sale is scheduled for December 1, 2026, hosted via County tax sale (first Tuesday of the month, 10am).
Is Smith County a good county to buy tax deed properties in?+
Smith County has grown 6.4% since 2020 and still shows positive net migration (2,490 people in 2024). Demand for housing usually means owners redeem rather than walk away — good for the interest, less good if you were hoping to take the deed. Population in 2024: 249,091. These are U.S. Census Bureau estimates, not a recommendation — the county's own delinquency and redemption history matters more, and only the Texas treasurer publishes that.
How much is the property tax in Smith County?+
The median homeowner in Smith County pays $2,804 a year, about 1.2% of the median home value of $240,700 (Texas: 1.5%). Homes with a mortgage pay a median of $3,302, homes owned outright $2,128. These are U.S. Census Bureau survey estimates (American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates); the exact bill for a parcel depends on its assessed value and local rates, and the county tax collector has it.
What type of sale is it?+
Smith County holds a redeemable tax deed sale. Texas's statewide system: redeemable deed. What the buyer earns: 25% penalty.
What's the redemption period in Smith County?+
Smith County follows Texas's statewide redemption period: 180 days or 2 years.
Other Texas sales near this date
Every Texas page →- Nov 3, 2026Denton CountyRedeemable deed
Sheriff (online, GovEase, 10am)
Register and be approved on GovEase. Request the tax office written statement at least five business days before the sale; payment by ACH through GovEase before 4pm.
Official source: dentoncounty.gov ↗checked Oct 10, 2026 - Nov 3, 2026Harris CountyRedeemable deed
Constables (in-person, Bayou City Event Center, 9401 Knight Rd., Houston, 10am)
Monthly first-Tuesday sale by the eight constable precincts. Annual bidder registration with the tax office required; registration from 8:30am. Payment at the time of sale in cash or certified funds. The tax office listing showed 182 accounts for Nov 3 on Oct 16.
Official source: hctax.net ↗checked Oct 16, 2026 - Nov 3, 2026Tarrant CountyRedeemable deed
Constable Pct. 3 (in-person, 1895 Courthouse steps, 100 W. Weatherford St., Fort Worth, 10am)
November 3 list posted: 28 accounts for sale on Oct 16. Bring the $10 bidder authorization from the tax office (about two weeks to issue); register before 10am; exact certified funds within one hour.
Official source: tarrantcountytx.gov ↗checked Oct 16, 2026 - Nov 3, 2026Travis CountyRedeemable deed
RealAuction (online, travis.texas.realforeclose.com)
Tax-office bidder registration ($10) due Oct 27 for the Nov 3 sale and Nov 24 for the Dec 1 sale.
Other sales in December 2026
All December 2026 sales →- Dec 1, 2026
Tax commissioner (in-person, 140 Henry Pkwy., McDonough, 10am)
Judicial in rem sale (60-day redemption). Sales on the first Tuesday of the month when held. The office posted "No property tax or mobile home sale for November" and "check back later for the tax list for December" (22/10), so the next sale is set for Dec 1 but its list is not out yet. Register online and have funds verified the morning of the sale.
Official source: henrycountytax.com ↗checked Oct 22, 2026 - Dec 1, 2026
Will County Office Building, Joliet (in-person, 10am)
Buyer registration Oct 1 – Nov 13 (received by 4:30pm, no postmarks); check-in 8:00–9:45am.
Official source: willcounty.gov ↗checked Oct 16, 2026 - Dec 1, 2026
Bid4Assets (online, Dec 1 9am – Dec 2 9am PST)
Storefront open (21/10): 37 parcels, no reserve, bids from $2,449. One $2,000 deposit (+ $35 fee) due by Nov 23, 2026 at 1:30pm PT; full payment by Dec 4 at 1:30pm PT. Added to the price: $25 deed fee, $10 REET affidavit fee, $305.50 recording (mobile homes +$50.50 title fee and $10). Whatcom also lists a distraint personal property auction on Dec 7–8.
- Dec 2, 2026
NYSAuctions.com (online only, lots close Dec 2 at 10am)
Town of Greenburgh (Westchester County) tax foreclosure auction. Registration cut-off Nov 30 at 4pm.
Official source: aarauctions.com ↗checked Oct 22, 2026
Want the full statutory picture for Texas, not just Smith County? Read the Texas state page for the rate, redemption period, and every other county we've sourced, or compare it with tax lien interest rates in every state. If a past sale left money over, how surplus funds are claimed in Texas.
Before you bid: how to research a tax sale property, what a tax lien or deed really costs and the risks investors run.
See every other scheduled sale on the full auction calendar, every sale in December 2026, the upcoming Texas sales, or sign up for deal alerts to hear about new Texas dates as soon as we add them.
This page is general information, not financial or legal advice. Auction dates get postponed, cancelled, or rescheduled — always confirm against the official source above before showing up or bidding. Verified 2026-10-22.