Live data — updated September 20, 2026
Virginia Over-the-Counter Tax Deeds (2026): 35 County-Held Listings
Quick answer: Virginia counties hold 35 unsold tax-deed properties you can buy over the counter at the statutory price, with no auction and no bidding.
What you are buying. The property itself. These went to a Virginia tax sale, drew no bid, and the county kept them — so the price is back taxes plus costs rather than whatever an auction room would have paid.
The catch. A tax deed is not a warranty deed. Title is exactly as good as the sale that produced it.
Budget for what a deed does not clear: surviving liens, occupancy, condition, and in most states a quiet-title action before a normal buyer's lender will touch it.
In most states these sell at the statutory minimum — back taxes plus costs — to the first qualified applicant. The mechanism is set county by county, so confirm it with the county before you plan around it.
Ask for it by the county's name, not ours. "OTC" is investor shorthand — call a county asking for their OTC list and you may be told they have none, because that is not what it is called on their side of the desk.
Elsewhere the same inventory turns up as county-held property, leftover tax deeds, post-auction sales, or land-bank property — and land-bank stock is worth a second look, because once a parcel has been transferred to a land bank the county no longer owns it and is no longer the seller. The question that cuts through all of it, asked of the treasurer or the assessor: what happens to the properties that do not sell at the auction? If the first person says nothing is left, ask a second.
The same due diligence as auction buying applies, and the best time to look is right after a sale has run and the county has moved what did not sell.
See the full Virginia investor guide and the live Virginia auction calendar.
Where the inventory is
| County | County-held listings |
|---|---|
| Chesapeake | 19 |
| Galax City | 6 |
| Alexandria City | 5 |
| Manassas Park City | 5 |
Counts update daily.
Frequently asked questions
What does over-the-counter (OTC) mean in tax sales?
When a property gets no bid at the county tax sale, the county keeps it ("struck off") and sells it afterward at a fixed price — usually the back taxes plus costs. No auction, no bidding war: first qualified buyer to apply gets it.
Why would a property go unsold at auction?
Mostly obscurity, not defects: small rural counties get few bidders, some lists never circulate, and low-value parcels aren't worth a professional's trip. Plenty are genuinely rough — the same title and condition research applies as at auction.
Are OTC properties cheaper than auction properties?
Usually — there's no competitive bidding, so the price stays at the statutory minimum (taxes + penalties + costs) instead of getting bid up. The tradeoff is the inventory skews toward what bidders passed on, so research matters even more.
How do I buy an OTC property in Virginia?
Each county publishes its held list and application process — typically a form plus payment of taxes and fees. DeedFlex members see the scored Virginia OTC list with valuations and risk flags to pick targets before applying.