Thurston County sold 22 of 56 tax-delinquent properties brought to an online auction that ended Wednesday, Jan. 6, and brought in $449,519.
Property that is tax-delinquent for three years is subject to foreclosure and auction by the county in January every year. Owners can only redeem their properties if they pay their owed taxes, interest, penalties and foreclosure costs.
Bid4Assets hosted the online auction that started Jan. 4 and included a mix of properties assessed as high as $7.7 million, according to a news release. Of the 56 total properties brought to auction, 32 were withdrawn, likely due to redemptions, and 24 were left available to bidders, according to a Bid4Assets spokesperson.
Thurston County Treasurer Jeff Gadman said in a news release that he thought an online auction made the most sense for the county.
"Our bidders can stay home and bid safely on a computer or mobile device, rather than gathering at the courthouse," Gadman said. "Bid4Assets brings a large network of buyers to our auction and their services are completely free for the county. This is a win-win for Thurston County taxpayers."
The auction drew 175 participants from seven states and Canada, the spokesperson wrote. For comparison, the January 2020 sale drew 100 bidders, the spokesperson added.
The highest successful bid was $165,200 for a 1.91-acre property on 93rd Avenue Southwest with an assessed value of $135,300, according to the auction website. The property started with a minimum bid of $11,526 and reach its peak bid after 364 bids.
The property with highest minimum bid at $125,135 was withdrawn from the auction before it could be sold. The one-acre property on Deschutes Parkway Southwest in Olympia had an assessed value of nearly $1.2 million.
The county treasurer conducts the auctions every year to recover back taxes, interest, penalties and costs. Any surplus funds from the bidding process are given to the original owner, according to treasurer's website.
However, the surplus funds may be deposited into the county's general fund if the owner does not claim the funds within three years.
Each bidder had to submit a $1,000 deposit and a $35 non-refundable processing fee to participate in the auction, per the auction website, however non-winning bidders are expected to get a refund within 10 days after the auction closes.
Here are the 22 properties the county successfully sold, including a series of adjacent shoreline properties near The Evergreen State College that largely went to the same bidder:
* A 0.09-acre property assessed at $28,700 near the intersection of Clark Street Southwest and North Seventh Avenue in Tumwater sold for $5,201.
* A 3.11-acre property assessed at $24,400 and located at 21240 Hobson Road SW, Centralia, sold for $75,200.
* A 1.91-acre property assessed at $135,300 and located at 3404 93rd Avenue SW, Olympia sold for $165,200.
* A 0.28-acre property assessed at $28,100 in Boston Harbor sold for $7,400.
* A 1.53-acre property assessed at $2,300 and located near The Evergreen State College sold for $2,495.
* A 1.46-acre property assessed at $2,300 and located near Evergreen sold for $2,495.
* A 0.91-acre property assessed at $2,300 and located near Evergreen sold for $2,494.
* A 0.45-acre property assessed at $2,300 and located near Evergreen sold for $2,493.
* A 0.79-acre property assessed at $2,300 and located near Evergreen sold for $2,494.
* A 0.91-acre property assessed at $2,300 and located near Evergreen sold for $2,494.
* A 0.98-acre property assessed at $2,300 and located near Evergreen sold for $2,494.
* A 0.8-acre property assessed at $2,300 and located near Evergreen sold for $3,700.
* A 0.78-acre property assessed at $2,300 and located near Evergreen sold for $2,492.
* A 1.5-acre property assessed at $2,300 and located near Evergreen sold for $3,494.
* A 0.7-acre property assessed at $2,300 and located near Evergreen sold for $2,493.
* A 0.99-acre property assessed at $2,300 and located near Evergreen sold for $4,300.
* A 0.91-acre property assessed at $2,300 and located near Evergreen sold for $2,492.
* A 0.22-acre property assessed at $60,300 and located at 8408 Sumac Court SE, Yelm, sold for $45,483.
* A 0.17-acre property assessed at $42,000 and located at 18416 Albany St. NW, Rochester, sold for $50,900.
* A 0.22-acre property assessed at $15,200 and located at 2420 113th Way SE, Olympia, sold for $7,101.
* A 0.59-acre property assessed at $19,800 and located on 22638 Blue Ox Trail SE, Yelm, sold for $13,700.
* A 19.75-acre property assessed at $38,900 and located at 8704 Skookumchuck Road SE, Tenino, sold for $42,900.
More details on each property can be found at the auction website.
