The Isanti County Board unanimously voted to approve tax-forfeited properties for both private and public sale at its Aug. 1 meeting.
Isanti County Chief Deputy Auditor Angie Larson presented the board with a list of private and public tax forfeited land to be sold in Isanti County.
“Regarding the private sale, these are parcels that have no use to anybody other than the adjacent owners,” Larson said. “Other properties that would fall into this category would be land lot properties that you or I could not access.”
There was some discussion among the board on whether or not to raise the value of one particular property up for private sale on Twin Lake.
“The only one I question a little bit is the one that is valued at $84,000 and the recommended value is $10,000,” said Commissioner Susan Morris. “It seems like $20,000 would be a great deal for somebody.”
The board approved the original appraised value of the property along with the other private sale properties.
Commissioner Greg Anderson asked, “What if nobody bids?”
“Only the adjacent owners are qualified to bid in a private sale,” Larson replied. “If nobody bids, it stays in our inventory.”
Properties listed for public sale include Bridgewater, Maple Ridge and Oak Meadows town homes.
“We are selling the Bridgewater, Maple Ridge town homes as well as Oak View Meadows as a group,” Larson said.
Conditions regarding the public sale include:
• Sales are subject to existing leases, to building restrictions appearing of record at the time of forfeiture and to easements in effect at the time of forfeiture.
• The county makes no warranty that the land is buildable. All property is sold “as is” and may not conform to local building and zoning ordinances. It is the buyer’s responsibility to contact the city where the land is located for details of building codes or zoning laws.
• Isanti County is not responsible for locating or determining property lines or boundaries.
• All sales are final and no refunds or exchanges are permitted.
• The appraised value does not represent a basis for future taxes.
• For parcels containing an on-site sewer system, the buyer may be required at the discretion of the Isanti County auditor-treasurer to sign an agreement obligating them to complete an inspection of that on-site sewer system performed by an inspector licensed by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. The buyer then must provide proof the on-site sewer system has been brought into compliance with all applicable codes and regulations.
“There are some good deals to be had with these properties if someone wants to develop,” Morris said.
The public sale is 9:30 a.m. Friday, Oct. 6, and the private sale is 2 p.m. Friday, Oct. 13. Both will be held in the County Board room at the Isanti County Government Center in Cambridge.