Tax sales are held by public auction or by public tender. Our present focus will be on auctions. The auction procedure is used not only to dispose of tax arrear properties, but to sell other types of properties and general merchandise. In fact, a variety of auctions are advertised almost weekly under the Public Notices section of your newspaper. Since preparation is almost always the key to success, we are offering the following guidelines for anyone who has intentions of attending auctions.

• Be aware that it is the auctioneer's responsibility to obtain the highest bid possible.

• It is best to attend several auctions before making any serious bids. You need to get a "feel" for the process. Use your first auctions as a way of observing and assessing how others behave. When you attend your first tax sale auction, or any auction, you will notice that, as the time of sale approaches, the auction room becomes quite crowded. You will also observe that most of the people attending the auction are there as spectators only; a very small percentage will actually make a bid. You will soon become familiar with the tempo; the auctioneer is quick and efficient. Bids will sometimes last one minute and have only one interested bidder, or, at other times, bidding can go on for ten minutes while bidders outdo one another with small sums of five to ten dollars.

• Always research the property (or inspect the merchandise) for which you are contemplating placing a bid. If you don't feel that you know enough about the property in question, then resist making a bid. (Better safe than sorry.)

• Be sure to read and understand the conditions of sale before making a bid. It may require some time and effort but you will eliminate the chances of disappointment afterwards.

• Always bring cash, certified cheques, or money orders to any auction at which you are planning to make a purchase. At all tax sales, the successful bidder is expected to pay his bid immediately after the sale closes. Payment is generally required in either cash or certified cheque. We strongly recommend that you do not carry a large bundle of cash. A certified cheque is excellent, or you might consider traveller's cheques.

• Never go beyond a predetermined limit when bidding. Base this limit on the information you have gathered. Avoid becoming obsessed with an item. Doing so will lead you to bid more than the property (or merchandise) is worth. If you are bidding on a tax sale property, you might bring a certified cheque for the maximum amount you intent to bid. This should ensure that you do not get carried away with the bidding process. If you are the successful bidder and the property is sold for less than the amount on your cheque, the clerk/treasurer will issue a refund for the difference.

• Avoid catching auction fever. This happens when bidders get carried away with the process; they will bid on anything and everything that is being auctioned and often will end up being the owner of things they did not even want and paying far too much for these items. The opposite of auction fever is auction paralysis. This occurs when the bidder is paralysed with fear and thus is unable to make a bid. Apparently such a state is often due to a fear of overpaying. If you don't overcome it, you will never get started. Often, if you fail to do your homework, you will not have the confidence to bid.

• When the time comes for you to make your first bid, make it ridiculously low. Don't worry about what others will think. The crowd might become puzzled but no one will single you out for embarrassment. Then sit back and see how much the item actually sells for. Did it go for a great deal more than your initial low bid? How many bidders were involved from beginning to end? How did the last few bidders conduct themselves? Did they follow a strategy? This approach will break the ice and give you the confidence necessary to make future bids.
  

PLEASE NOTE: When you have questions regarding a particular sale you should direct these to the local official (Clerk or Treasurer) mentioned on the tax sale lists. He/she is the one who is responsible for hosting the sale. Answers to certain questions may vary with different locations and what may be true for one municipality or township may vary slightly in another.