September 14, 2024
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McHenry County is auctioning off abandoned properties; bidding starts at $814

By Claire O'Brien
The undeveloped land north of Congress Parkway and east of South Main Street in Crystal Lake photographed on Saturday, December 4, 2021, is the site of a potential Amazon warehouse

FILE - McHenry County is auctioning off properties of delinquent taxpayers. (Ryan Rayburn for Shaw Local/Ryan Rayburn for Shaw Local)

McHenry County is auctioning off properties in a sealed bid auction.

There are about 130 properties for sale, according to a news release. McHenry County Treasurer Donna Kurtz said the properties typically tend to be vacant lots, easements or other properties that generally aren’t desirable. However, Kurtz said, the properties could be valuable to an adjoining property owner.

Bids have to be in to the treasurer’s office by the end of the day Sept. 20, according to the release from Joseph E. Meyer & Associates, the downstate company conducting the auction for the county. People can bid online at iltaxsalebids.com, and written bids have to submitted to the treasurer’s office at 2100 N. Seminary Ave., Woodstock, or mailed to 2200 N. Seminary Ave., Woodstock, IL 60098. Those interested in viewing properties for sale have to register as a new user on the website.

“The sale of these lots should be a major benefit to both the taxing districts and the neighboring property owners. This sale will place the properties into the hands of individuals who have an interest in owning them,” according to the release.

Bidding starts at $814.

“By eliminating abandoned properties, the appearance of the neighborhood should improve, and the value of adjoining properties should increase,” according to the release.

All items will be sold to the highest sealed bid received on or before Sept. 20. Complete bidders’ packets and sale catalogs now are available at the McHenry County Treasurer’s Office or online at iltaxsale.com, according to the release.

Kurtz said the treasurer’s office does not open or examine the bids.

The online sale is different from Tax Sale Day, which is scheduled for Nov. 13, according to the treasurer’s office. Properties for which owners didn’t pay taxes in 2023 will have their outstanding taxes up for sale Nov. 13, Kurtz said.

Properties delinquent from 2020 or before will be the ones included in the sealed bid auction, according to the release.

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