More than 2,000 properties behind on taxes up for sale in Cambria County
JOHNSTOWN -- Out of an estimated 87,000 properties in Cambria County, approximately 12,000 are behind on taxes, and about 2,100 are up for sale.
Properties that are two years behind on property taxes are put into the tax sale system, where people can buy them for much cheaper than usual.
For instance, at a private sale, which happens four times a year, people buy properties for as little as $200, although they still owe any back taxes in mortgages.
But if a property isn't sold during one of they county's private sales, it moves to judicial sale, where the up-front prices are a little higher, but all the back taxes and mortgages are forgiven.
The idea is for cities, towns and counties to save money by forgiving tax debt if they can sell properties to people who will responsibly pay property taxes every year.
Jo Anne Ranck, the executive director of the Cambria County Tax Claim Bureau, said it's important for the county to try and convince people to buy delinquent properties. It's partially about cleaning up blight, but also about getting properties back into taxation.
"If there are less people paying taxes, then the burden is on the people who are paying taxes," Ranck said.
The Tax Claim Bureau will hold a seminar about how each type of tax sale works on Wednesday, Jan. 17, at 6:00 p.m.
They also plan to hold more seminars in the future.
For a full list of Cambria County properties for tax sale, click here.
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