Taxes Current
Does Any of This Apply to Me?
Not directly, and it is worth confirming rather than assuming, particularly on inherited property where several people may each think another is paying.
What Should I Be Thinking About Instead?
Whether the framing survived and what the house would be worth repaired. Those two answers decide everything else.
Should I Sell or Repair?
Where values carry the cost of the work, repairing or listing usually beats a cash sale. We say so in writing when that is our view.
Behind, But Not Sold
How Much Time Do I Have?
Until the county's sale. That is a calendar you do not control, which is why this is the most time-sensitive position on this page.
Is Selling Now Better Than Waiting?
Usually, because you still hold title and can convey it. After a sale you hold a right to redeem, which is worth less to any buyer.
Can I Pay Part of It?
A question for the tax office, and worth asking directly. Arrangements sometimes exist and they are not advertised.
Will a Buyer Take on the Arrears?
Frequently, as part of the transaction. Say so at the start so it is in the number rather than a surprise.
Sold Within the Last Three Years
Do I Still Own It?
You hold a right to redeem rather than clear title. Administrative redemption runs three years from the date of sale where a private party bought.
What Would It Cost to Redeem?
The sale amount, subsequent taxes the purchaser paid, interest at 12 per cent per annum under section 40-10-83, and on residential property the value of preservation improvements.
Can They Really Charge Me for Their Renovation?
The Alabama Supreme Court has held that a broad range of improvements, including permanent ones, count as a redemption expense on residential property.
Can I Make Them Tell Me the Amount?
During the administrative process an investor seeking reimbursement must respond with the amount or value if the redemptioner asks, and some counties document it by affidavit.
Sold More Than Three Years Ago
Is It Too Late?
Not necessarily. Judicial redemption remains, and whether the limitation has run turns on possession rather than on the calendar alone.
What Does Possession Mean Here?
The purchaser must have peaceable possession for their clock to run. The owner's possession may be constructive or scrambling rather than actual.
What Should I Do First?
Speak to an Alabama lawyer. This is a lawsuit rather than a counter transaction, and the facts about who has been using the property matter.
Questions That Apply Whatever the Answer
Which County Holds My Records?
The one the parcel is in. A Birmingham postal address does not mean Jefferson County.
Can I Sell With an Open Insurance Claim?
Yes. Who keeps the proceeds is a contract term rather than a legal barrier.
Should I Clear the Site?
No advantage to you, and demolition is a cost buyers price in rather than a problem you need to solve first.
Is There a Fee for a Figure?
None, and declining costs nothing either.
If your question is specific to your property — and the good ones usually are — send the address. The answer often turns on the tax position and on who goes near the property, and our service area index sets out what changes across the metro.