3. Some thoughts and notes about real estate delinquency - arrearage

Many of the  abandoned and blighted housing structures in Sharon, PA are in a tax arrearage status. That is delinquency. Real estate tax arrearage is a two step process. Properties with unpaid real estate taxes for a year are posted on the annual Mercer County Tax Claim Upset T ax Sale. When a property is listed for a consecutive year with unpaid taxes and not sold at the Upset Tax Sale, then the property is placed on the Mercer County Repository list by the Tax Claim Office. Unpaid taxes are a first lien on a property. A mortgage and then other debts may be other liens on a property and they follow the tax lien. In other words, after the tax debt the next debt in the lien order is a mortgage followed by possibly other liens. An Upset Tax sale typically sees the current owner bringing the tax bill up to date.  All other liens continue. Two consecutive years on the Upset Tax Sale list places the property on the Repository List. There it sits until a person requests that the property be scheduled for a Judicial Sale. The person requesting that the property be placed in a Judicial Sale must commit to a minimum $1,000.00 payment. The Judicial sale is open to all bidders. A property sold at Judicial Sale is cleared of all tax liens and all other liens. The winning bidder may or may not proceed with rehabilitation or demolition. Or, they can do nothing.