Massachusetts Tax Deed & Lien Auctions

Massachusetts is a tax lien state. The city or town takes the tax title or sells it at a tax sale. The owner can redeem, paying what is owed plus 8% a year, until the Land Court forecloses the right of redemption; the holder cannot petition until 12 months after the sale or taking (M.G.L. c.60 s.62, s.65). After foreclosure the town must sell the property or keep it and pay the former owner the equity above the debt (s.64A).

In Massachusetts the owner can redeem a tax title until the Land Court forecloses the right, and the holder cannot petition for that until 12 months after the sale or taking (M.G.L. c.60 s.62, s.65). Land a town sells after it has already foreclosed carries no redemption for the buyer.

DeedFlex aggregates Massachusetts 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 Massachusetts properties with full deal analysis.

Key risks include: IRS federal tax liens, Environmental liens (21E). Most Massachusetts towns keep their tax titles instead of selling them. What investors usually buy is land a town already foreclosed on in Land Court, sold at public auction with no redemption left; Plymouth, for example, takes a $2,500 deposit and closes in 30 days. When a town does sell a tax title, the buyer holds a lien, not the property: the owner can redeem at 8% a year until the Land Court forecloses, and the buyer cannot ask the court for that until 12 months after the sale. Check for environmental liens (21E).

Opening bids vary widely by county and property. Massachusetts has an average property tax rate of 1.23%, 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.