Registration will last until 10:00 a.m. The auction will begin at 10:00 a.m. or, if necessary, as soon as all prospective bidders are registered. We will start with a reading of the rules of the sale. Properties will then be offered in alphabetical order by street location. Each property will be announced and the opening bid price will be given. (Please note** The opening bid on any property at the Tax Sale will be the total owed to the Tax Collector's Office on the day of the auction, including Tax Sale costs. No lower bids are accepted. This means that if there is $10,000.00 due on the property you can't bid $9,000.00. You must bid the minimum amount or more.)

The bidder interested in the property that is being offered will hold up his number card. It will then be recognized that there is a bid on the floor for that amount. If another bidder is interested in the same property he or she can hold up their bidder's card and state the higher amount they will bid. Bidding will continue until the highest amount is reached. The person who has bid the highest amount will be the successful bidder and will be announced so by the auctioneer.

Each property will be auctioned off this way. If there is no bid on a property then that property may be adjourned until the next tax sale date or adjourned to have its liens sold at a prospective lien auction (date to be announced).

When the successful bidder is determined at the end of the bidding on each property, auction personnel will approach them and ask them to sign the appropriate paperwork and present their deposit. If you are one of the successful bidders you will sign a contract on the property that you bid on. The contract will also confirm the property location, the purchase price and will give you other information. This will be done immediately after your successful bid rather than at the end of the auction.

One of the most important things to know is that you have only five business days from the date of the sale (until 4:30 p.m. on June 20, 2003) to come up with the balance of your bid price or your deposit will be forfeited. The balance of the bid price should be brought to the Tax Collector's Office, Room 103, 550 Main Street, Hartford, by 4:30 p.m. June 20, 2003. This deadline is very important! You do not want to bid on a property that you may not have all the money for by June 20, 2003. Do not rely on taking out a loan after the sale. Financing is almost impossible to arrange in such a short time and we offer no extensions for any reason. You will forfeit your deposit without exception if you miss the deadline.