Two Redtail Ridge lots on county's foreclosure list

Two lots on Redtail Ridge, the view property addition on the North Palouse River Road northeast of Colfax, have been included among properties listed for the county’s annual tax foreclosure sale.

The lots are among 10 properties listed for the tax foreclosure sale in December by the county treasurer’s office.

Properties are listed for the foreclosure sale when property taxes have not been paid for the previous three years.

The county’s complaint and summons was published Sept. 28 with notice for foreclosure action.

This year’s sale will be for 10 properties in which owners have failed to pay taxes since 2014. In each case the amount of taxes, plus interest and penalties for late payment, are listed for the amount due.

Also, once the properties are listed in the sale, another $1,200 charge is added for costs of moving the properties through the sale process.

Property owners have 30 days from the notice to pay the sum due or defend against the legal filing before the foreclosure judgment will be issued for the amount due.

The two Redtail Ridge lots are 31 and 32. In both cases the owners have notified the county that they plan to just let the lots go to the foreclosure sale rather than pay up on the sum due to the county.

One property is owned free and clear and the owner of the other lot has just one payment left to own the lot free and clear.

The last payment to close out the loan is owed to a bank in New Hampshire, and the bank has notified the treasurer’s office that they intend to write off the last loan payment rather that pay the sum due in back taxes, fees and penalties.

Banks and other lien holders on properties in foreclosure are also notified of the county’s action to take the properties and offer them for auction sale for the amount due on the lots.

The county assessor’s office has a $25,000 appraised value on Red Tail lots. Assessor Robin Jones noted valuation of Redtail lots is difficult to determine because sales of lots in the addition are slow. The county recorded three Redtail sales in 2013, two in 2014 and one in 2015.

The sums due the county for the two lots on the sale list are $2,827 and $2,359.

Records of county sales posted on TaxSifter notes the present owners of the lots purchased them in 2009 for $26,000 and $25,000.

Colfax real estate agent Tammy Lewis noted sale prices on Redtail lots can vary, depending on where they are located in the addition. Recent listings ranged from $18,000 to $50,000.

Sales of lots in Redtail started in November of 2007. The 36 lots were marked on 315 acres purchased from the estate of Roy McDonald in Colfax.

Properties on the foreclosure list can be redeemed by parties with an interest in the properties up until the close of business in the treasure’s office on Dec. 7, the day before the sale auction.

If the Redtail lots remain on the foreclosure list, they will go up for bid for the amount listed due, but actual sale for that amount is not likely to happen because of the value of the lots.

Redtail’s original plat totaled 36 lots. Developer was Washington Land & Ranches which is listed as a subsidiary of American Land & Ranches which is located in Prescott, Ariz.

The other eight lots on the foreclosure include properties all over the county. Total amount listed due for all the properties, including Redtail, is $42,694.

Among other properties listed are houses in Endicott and LaCrosse, parcels in Malden, a building in Winona and ag land holdings.

One commercial property in Pullman, which involves a substantial loan, is expected to be redeemed before the deadline.