Carbon County to advertise repository properties for sale

Carbon County is hoping to sell some of the parcels of land that it has in its repository.

Two weeks ago, the county commissioners approved 2-0 advertising the Tax Claim Bureau’s sale of repository properties. Commissioner William O’Gurek abstained from the vote due to his employment with the Times News.

Commissioners’ Chairman Wayne Nothstein said at the time that there were 924 properties in the repository.

“We want to see the properties to get them back on the tax rolls,” he said.

Last week, the board asked Renee Roberts, director of the tax claim bureau, to speak about the sale.

She said that of the 900-plus properties, 96 percent of it is vacant land.

Of that, more than 600 of those available properties are in Penn Forest Township.

“The average bid price listed is $850,” Roberts said, noting that sales are on a first-come, first-served basis.

All properties are sold free and clear of taxes, municipal claims, mortgages and liens, but Roberts urges interested buyers to have an examination of the title of the property by an attorney or title professional to make sure there are no other liens before buying.

“These are buyer beware sales,” she said, adding that if the property checks out and the sale is made, whatever the buyer purchases the property for becomes the fair market value for assessment purposes.

A list of properties for sale in the repository is available for $5 in the bureau, located in the Carbon County Administration Building, Jim Thorpe, during business hours or can be found online at www.carboncounty.com in the tax claim bureau under the departments menu.