Virginia Tax Deed & Lien Auctions

Virginia is a tax deed state. Most Virginia tax sales are court sales: the locality sues in circuit court, a special commissioner auctions the property, and the court must confirm the sale before the deed is delivered (Va. Code 58.1-3967). The owner can pay off the taxes at any time before the date of the sale; there is no redemption afterwards (58.1-3965). Small, low-value parcels can instead be sold by the treasurer without a lawsuit (58.1-3975).

Virginia has no post-sale redemption period for most tax sales: once the sale is final, the original owner cannot reclaim the property.

DeedFlex aggregates Virginia tax sale listings from county auction platforms and gives each property a plain-English verdict: Worth a look, Needs review, Screened out, or Not enough data yet. Next to it is how far the research has got on it. Start with Pro ($59/mo, flat) to browse all available Virginia properties with full deal analysis.

Key risks include: IRS federal tax liens. Virginia sells the property, not a lien. Each county and independent city runs its own sales, usually through a court-appointed special commissioner and an auction company. Expect a buyer's premium (commonly 10%, 15% in some counties), a deposit on sale day, and the balance after the court confirms the sale. In the court sale, liens of anyone named in the lawsuit are cleared; in the treasurer's small-parcel sale, a lienholder who was not given notice keeps its lien. Independent cities are separate jurisdictions from counties.

Opening bids vary widely by county and property. Virginia has an average property tax rate of 0.82%, which influences opening bid amounts. DeedFlex shows the opening bid for every listed property. Where we hold a market value we can stand behind, we show it; where we do not, we say so rather than print a number we cannot support.