Ok, So I haven't researched any of these but after clicking on a few of these auction links some of them appear to be strips of land between existing lots in subdivisions. Others appear to possibly be legitimate parcels or excess parcels that they could be getting rid of?
Any Arizona Surveyors have any idea's on what/why, or how the county is selling these off at auction?
Not being familiar with Arizona I don't know.
here are a few links. in the item description there is another link that takes you to the parcel maps of property being sold.
http://www.publicsurplus.com/sms/auction/view?auc=1523529
http://www.publicsurplus.com/sms/auction/view?auc=1523447
This one looks like maybe a vacated alleyway? does Arizona law not require vacated rights of way to revert back to the adjacent owners?
http://gis.maricopa.gov/MapApp/treasurer/liendelinquentparcel/index.html?APN=134-15-010J
http://gis.maricopa.gov/MapApp/treasurer/liendelinquentparcel/index.html?APN=160-23-123E
http://gis.maricopa.gov/MapApp/treasurer/liendelinquentparcel/index.html?APN=169-08-044M
are they selling half the right of way? HA
http://www.publicsurplus.com/sms/auction/view?auc=1523572
Am I just confused by this, Is the parcel map correct that I could buy my own Island??
http://www.publicsurplus.com/sms/auction/view?auc=1523978
I only looked at a few, it appears the County is selling hundreds of these parcels.
That's exactly what it looks like.
Here's a deed to the East half-a-foot of the West 3 feet of Lot 9..
Current bid is $100. I believe it listed the current owner as the State of Arizona. Something don't smell right...
The county has discovered no property taxes have been paid on those little strips of land the neighbors have been trading back and forth.
Then their properties were taken in hostage for lack of tax payments and when not paid they are being auctioned off to the highest bidder.
"What is somebody going to do with a 1ft strip of land between Mr Gonzo and Mr Hector?"
About all they can do is pay taxes on it. If neither Mr. Gonzo nor Mr. Hector is willing to buy it at any price, the purchaser of the one-foot strip can't do anything with it. Unless the buyer is a bean pole and never bends over there would be no practical way to occupy the strip in any productive fashion without invading the rights of Mr. Gonzo or Mr. Hector.
My home county tries to have a tax sale every year. Every year there will be some number of parcels that do not sell because they have a negative value. A few years ago I purchased a parcel for a total bid of $1.00 but had to pay something like $20 more to cover a closing cost item that was announced at the auction. The taxes are around $90 per year. I spend about $300 per year to keep the tract mowed. I do have plans for that parcel but am wasting about $400 each year until I get serious.
The parcels that do not sell roll into the next auction and they try again. The problem is it costs the county a few hundred dollars per parcel on average to have each parcel abstracted anew and notice being published in the official county newspaper to comply with the statutory requirements of the sale process.
Last decade, in Florida, there were a couple of a-holes buying these strips of land and then doing things to annoy the neighbors so they could sell it back to them at a large profit. One guy put of up a pink fence with glitter on it. Another guy bought a land locked piece behind houses, and landed a helicopter on it... a couple of examples. It got so bad laws were changed to give neighbors first dibs.
