Every year the community quietly changes when properties with unpaid taxes become eligible for sale. The upcoming Snohomish County tax auction presents a potential opportunity—but also significant risk. Whether you’re exploring investment of foreclosed parcels or simply want to understand the process, knowing how a tax auction works and what this particular sale requires will help you move forward confidently.

When property taxes go unpaid for a designated number of years, the county may initiate a foreclosure under state law. These properties are then eligible to be offered at auction, where the winning bidder receives a tax deed.

Key points:

• These properties are sold “as-is, where-is” with no guarantee of clear title or condition.
• Title insurance often cannot be issued until title issues are resolved.
• Former owners (or parties with recorded interest) may still have limited rights to excess proceeds if the sale price exceeds the taxes owed.
• Many properties listed for sale never actually go to auction because the owner redeems the debt right up to the day before the sale.

One of the biggest hurdles with purchasing tax-foreclosed properties is obtaining title insurance—and, as a result, securing financing. After a tax sale, Washington law provides a redemption period, during which the former owner or other parties with a legal interest may reclaim the property by paying the full amount owed plus fees. This is extremely rare since the redeemer has to be a minor, or any person adjudicated to be legally incompetent. But in those instances, they have 3 years from the date of sale to redeem the property.

Because of this redemption window, title companies will not issue standard title insurance immediately after the auction, since ownership could still be reversed if the property is redeemed. Without insurable title, traditional lenders—and even most hard money lenders—will not finance the purchase, meaning these transactions typically require cash buyers.

Some specialized companies, such as Tax Title Services, can help buyers obtain title insurance before the redemption period ends – for a fee. This makes resale or refinancing possible, but it still takes additional time and cost.

In short, a tax deed gives you ownership rights, but not clear title right away. Buyers should be prepared for a cash purchase, a waiting period, and extra steps before the property can be financed, insured, or resold.

Auction proceeds first cover unpaid taxes, interest, penalties and foreclosure costs. If the high bid exceeds that amount, the excess may be claimed by the record title owner, but only under specific conditions and within a statutory time. In Washington, rights of redemption are extremely limited after a tax sale unless the owner was a minor or legally incompetent at the time.

The 2025 Snohomish County Tax Foreclosure Auction will be held online via Bid4Assets on Tuesday, November 18, 2025 (subject to final court order). Here’s what to know if you plan to participate:

1. Eligible Properties

Only parcels that are three or more full tax years delinquent (for example, tax year 2022 or earlier) are eligible for auction. The property list is updated frequently since owners can still pay their delinquent taxes up to the day before the sale to avoid foreclosure

2. Finding the Auction List

You can find the full list of auction properties on the Bid4Assets auction page under the “Auction Folders” section. There, you’ll find:

• A downloadable spreadsheet with all eligible parcels.
• A separate list with each property linked to its own individual page.
  Each property page provides additional details such as parcel number, assessed value, photos (if available), and a link to the title report for review before bidding.
• Some Properties Never Get Auctioned – Just because a parcel appears on the published list doesn’t guarantee it will be sold. Owners (or parties with recorded interest) can pay the full taxes, interest, penalties and costs right up to the business day before the sale to avoid auction. In the auction folders, those will be marked as “Withdrawn”.

3. Registration & Bid4Assets Account

All bidders must create a free Bid4Assets account and complete the registration process before the deposit deadline. During registration, you’ll also specify how you want the title vested (e.g., individual name, joint ownership, LLC, etc.) for any properties you may purchase. Be sure to follow Bid4Assets’ instructions carefully to ensure eligibility.

4. Deposit Requirements

To bid, participants must submit a $2,000 deposit and a $35 processing fee to Bid4Assets by 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time on Tuesday, November 11, 2025.

• The $2,000 deposit is refundable if no purchase is made.
• The $35 processing fee is non-refundable.
  Deposits must clear before bidding privileges are activated.

5. Owner Redemption Deadline

Property owners have until 4:59 p.m. on Monday, November 17, 2025 to pay their taxes and fees in full. Properties redeemed by that deadline will be removed from the auction list, so final listings may change right up until the sale.

6. Buyer’s Premium & Settlement

Winning bidders will pay a 5% buyer’s premium in addition to the final bid amount. Full payment must be made within the strict settlement timeline outlined by Bid4Assets—failure to comply may result in forfeiture of the deposit and disqualification from future auctions.

7. “As-Is” Sale Condition

All parcels are sold as-is, with no warranties or guarantees regarding title, condition, access, or fitness for use. Buyers are responsible for conducting their own due diligence before bidding.

8. How to Bid

There are detailed instructions on the auction page that cover how to bid, auto bids, overtime, and much more. Here’s a video from Bid4Assets as well:

9. After the Sale

At the close of an auction, the highest bidder will be deemed the winner. After all the auctions in the county have closed, winning bidders will be notified in their message center if they have won any auctions. They will also receive details on auction settlement requirements. The winning bidder will see each of the parcels that they won listed as a link to DeedWizard.

DeedWizard allows bidders to provide vesting information quickly and easily for any property they have won and access settlement instructions. Any bidder that does not win a parcel or does not participate in the auction after submitting a deposit will receive a refund. Here’s another tutorial video:

• ✔ Review the title report/foreclosure title listing from the Treasurer’s office.
• ✔ Visit the property (public right-of-way only until ownership changes).
• ✔ Check for outstanding liens, assessments or easements.
• ✔ Confirm zoning, land‐use restrictions, utilities & access.
• ✔ Understand the minimum bid and required deposit.
• ✔ Verify payment deadlines, buyer’s premium, settlement terms.
• ✔ Plan for time and cost to clear title or resolve issues after purchase.
• ✔ Have funding in place—paid‐in‐full required if you win the bid. And they don’t mess around – They expect to be paid 2 days after the auction ends. The settlement deadline is November 21st by 1:30pm PT.
• ✔ Have an exit strategy: resale, rehab, hold long term—or planned use.

The 2025 Snohomish County tax auction offers potentially attractive pricing—but it carries elevated risk. Buying at tax auction can yield opportunities, but you must approach it with full awareness: do your homework, understand the rules, have funds ready, and be prepared for extra work. I have personally purchased a Snohomish County tax foreclosed property from this same platform back in 2018, and have followed it every year since then. So if you’re serious about exploring tax-sale properties in Snohomish County (or need help assessing one), let’s connect and walk through the process together, I’m happy to help!