There is not a set schedule for public auction sales; sales are held annually and scheduled as title research is completed, all other collection efforts are exhausted, and as the New Mexico Taxation and Revenue Department Property Tax Division (PTD) moves forward in placing property back on the tax rolls. PTD does not hold sales in all 33 counties each year.

For information as to when a sale may be conducted in a county that is not listed above, please contact the Property Tax Division office at (505) 827-0883.

Delinquent Property Tax Auctions are usually conducted at the county courthouse or in a similar location, as designated by the Taxation and Revenue Department, in the county where the properties are located.

Upon completion of all preliminary statutory requirements needed to properly offer delinquent properties for sale, a list of the properties to be disposed of is created, and a property tax delinquent property tax auction is scheduled.

The notice for the hearing, the Terms of the Property Tax Division Public Auction sale, and a list of the properties that are going to be in the auction can be located above by clicking the links under the “Downloadable PDFs” (Property Tax Division does not mail out lists).

Copies of sale lists can also be obtained through the County Treasurer’s Office or the County Assessor’s Office.

To collect delinquent taxes, the county treasurer is authorized to seize a mobile home and sell it for taxes under authority of a demand warrant according to Section 7-38-53 NMSA 1978 of the Property Tax Code.

A sale properly made under Section 7-38-67 NMSA 1978 constitutes full payment of all delinquent taxes, penalties and interest considered as a tax lien against the property at the time of sale. The sale extinguishes the tax lien only. No other liens are extinguished.

The responsibility to inspect the property and review the chain of title belongs to the buyer prior to the sale.

Per section 7-38-70 NMSA 1978 (B), If the real property was sold substantially in accordance with the Property Tax Code, the deed conveys all of the former property owner’s interest in the real property as of the date the state’s lien for real property taxes arose in accordance with the Property Tax Code, subject only to perfected interests in the real property existing before the date the property tax lien arose.

The New Mexico Taxation and Revenue Department Property Tax Division (PTD) does not furnish title information, maps, or suggestions about the locations of properties being sold. The responsibility to inspect the property and review the chain of title belongs to the buyer prior to the sale. Buyers should know exactly what they are buying before the sale.

Site inspections must be held outside of the property boundaries; trespassing is not allowed. All property is sold “as is” and is not guaranteed. There are no refunds, and all sales are final. See the “Terms of the Property Tax Division Public Auction Sales” at the top of this page for more information.

The day before, view the most recent auction notice at the top of this website or verify with the county treasurer’s office that the property you are interested in has not been pulled from the list of properties that will be auctioned.

The registration at the auction begins at 8 a.m. and will close immediately at 10 a.m. when the auction starts. You will need to scan the QR code at the door with your phone camera and begin your registration. Once complete, please sit back and wait to be called by an associate from the Property Tax Division – Delinquent Bureau.

You will want to determine how much money you will be willing to spend at the auction and make sure that you have secured funds for that amount. If paying with a check, please review the frequently asked questions below on “payment at the auction”.

If you didn’t succeed at the auction, you are free to leave.

Individuals interested in bidding on property must register as bidders on the day of the sale. Registration will close promptly at the start of the sale.

Bidding is on an oral basis, and bidders must be physically present or be represented by an agent.

In the event an agent is representing a bidder, the agent must present to the Property Tax Division, upon registration, a notarized document authorizing him to act as an agent for the party he will represent.

If you are fortunate to buy at the auction you will have to notify the staff that you’re ready and have your money on hand.

The staff will call you all bidders in numerical order beginning with number 1 and go from there until all bidders have been called. Once they have gone through the cycle they will start again.

For a delinquent tax auction, a personal or business check will not be accepted unless it is accompanied by a letter of guarantee from the bank the check will be made from. A letter of guarantee is a document issued by the bank that assures PTD that for this purpose, a check up to a certain amount is accessible to the account holder and the check is able to be cashed for the amount identified on the letter.

All letters of guarantee must state that the bank will “guarantee payment’ up to a stated specific amount. A letter of guarantee from the issuing bank must be provided at the time of registration. The letter needs to be on a banks official letterhead and must include the name of the individual or business that will be bidding on the property, the date of the auction taking place, the funds that are available, and the maximum dollar amount honored by the bank.

Any bidder who does not pay before the auction closes may not participate in any future property tax sales. In addition, the bidder is responsible for all costs, expenses, and attorney fees expended in the collection of uncollected bids.

For more information see “What types of payment are acceptable at public auction sales?”

The deed that the state issues is a Tax Deed. The deed conveys all of the former owner’s interest in the real property as of the date of the state’s lien for real property taxes arose.

The deed is subject only to “perfected interests” in the real property existing before the date the property tax lien came into being. The state of New Mexico does not warrant any title to property purchased at a public auction sale.

Interest in real property is “perfected” when the deed or lien is recorded with the County Clerk’s Office in the county where the property is located.

The state issues a tax deed equivalent to a quitclaim deed. The deed conveys all of the former owner’s interest in the real property as of the date the state’s lien for real property taxes arose. This deed is subject only to perfected interests in the real property that existed before the date of the property tax lien.

New Mexico warrants no title to property you buy at public auction. It is sold “as is.” The deed issued by the New Mexico Property Tax Division (PTD) can be used as the basis to begin clearing the title through the court

The State of New Mexico does not have a Right of Redemption for former owners.

However, there is a two-year period allowed in which the former owner, or someone claiming through him, has the right to challenge the sale through court under Section 7-38-70 NMSA 1978.

The only redemption period in New Mexico is the “120-day Federal IRS redemption period” (this means if the federal government has a lien on the property, they may exercise their option as a lien holder against the property within 120 days of sale).