Coral Springs, FL · Member since 2018 · 495 posts · 111 votes
I've been pulling the public Palm Beach County tax deed auction pages to see what actually makes it to sale. For the Sept 16 sale I captured 49 listed lots. Final status: 40 Redeemed, 5 Sold, 3 Canceled per County, 1 Bidder Walked Away.
The Oct 14 sale is trending the same way. As of Oct 1, 55 of the 75 lots I pulled already showed Redeemed, with 20 still scheduled.
What I take from it, especially for newer bidders:
1. Don't pay for title work or a drive-by weeks out. Most of the list disappears before sale day.
2. Re-check the auction site the morning of the sale. In Florida the owner can redeem until the winning bidder's payment is received, so a lot can drop off on the day itself.
3. Build your shortlist from what's left a few days out, not from the first list you see.
4. One winner walked away, which on these sites generally means forfeiting the deposit. Finish your research before you bid, not after.
Is this ratio what others see in Broward and Miami-Dade, or is Palm Beach unusual? Curious how you time your research.
Palm Beach Oct 14 tax-deed sale: 7 active parcels ranked by title/lien risk (free)
I went through the public record on the 7 Palm Beach lots that were still active on the county auction site at midday Oct 8. Risk 5 = highest. This sorts what the appraiser record and legal description already show. Municipal lien, mortgage and association searches have NOT been run yet.
AVOID: a deal-killer is on the record
- 2026-2658TD, Zeder Ave, Delray Beach — risk 5/5. The legal is the west half of an abandoned avenue, a 0.06-acre strip, and the opening bid is above the appraiser value.
CHECK: a specific flag to resolve before bidding
- 2026-2873TD, 1089 N Benoist Farms Rd, West Palm Beach — risk 4/5. The county list says Unit 3, but the appraiser says Unit 304 (legal: Unit 1-304). Confirm the unit before trusting any number. Condo association balance not reviewed.
- 2026-2857TD, 708 SW Avenue C Pl, Belle Glade — risk 4/5. A 120 x 85 ft metes-and-bounds cut-out of a larger lot. Recorded frontage or easement not verified.
- 2026-2885TD, 7186 San Salvador Dr, Boca Raton — risk 3/5. The biggest opening bid on the list by far, and an exemption on the appraiser record, so an owner may be living there.
- 2026-2864TD, 412 S Cocoanut Rd, Pahokee — risk 3/5. A single-family record in an SFMH zoning district. Whether the structure is a manufactured home isn't verified.
CLEAN*: no deal-killer flag on the appraiser record or legal description so far. *Liens not searched yet, so this isn't a clear-to-bid
- 2026-2778TD, 513 SW 5th St, Belle Glade — risk 2/5. A platted 0.08-acre vacant lot (about 3,485 sf). Check it against R-2 minimum lot standards before assuming it's buildable.
- 2026-2854TD, 530 SE 4th St, Belle Glade — risk 2/5. A clean platted legal, a 1,484 sf single-family home, and an opening bid about 10% of appraiser value. Occupancy and condition not verified.
At Palm Beach's Sept 16 sale, 40 of 49 lots redeemed before the gavel, so recheck the morning of the sale. Bidding one of these or another Oct 14 lot? Post the case number/folio and I'll run a free pre-bid check.