Chattooga County Tax Commissioner Joy Hampton conducted a tax sale on the courthouse steps Tuesday, successfully auctioning off five properties. The funds will cover outstanding taxes and fees.

The September tax sale began with a list of 186 properties, but diligent efforts and payments reduced that number considerably. By the time the auction commenced on Tuesday morning, only seven properties remained to be offered to potential buyers.

Of the seven properties, five found new owners, collectively covering an initial $5,640.47 in overdue taxes and fees. Two properties, S14–3-A and 7A3–77, received no bids during the sale.

The successful transactions included:

72–34-58: Sold to Nastashia Adams and Edward Shropshire for $3,000.00, generating $2,087.30 in excess funds.
S21–90-A: Sold to Nastashia Adams and Edward Shropshire for $1,766.61, with no excess funds.
7A3–116: Sold to Teresa Elem for $1,023.30, with no excess funds.
S43–25: Sold to Teresa Womack for $5,200.00, generating $4,347.11 in excess funds.
7A3–30: Sold to Fabian Brown for $1,084.97, with no excess funds.

Commissioner Hampton emphasized a key characteristic of the auctioned parcels, stating, “All of the properties sold were vacant properties.” Tax sales are a crucial method for counties to recoup unpaid property taxes and return neglected properties to productive use, ensuring that all property owners contribute to local services.