NEW ORLEANS, LA – Mayor Nagin has often urged that investors buy a “piece of dirt” in New Orleans suggesting that the City provides for tremendous investment opportunities.  According to his office, “weeks after holding its first internet-based tax sale, the City of New Orleans will hold a second sale from 8 a.m. until 8 p.m. Wednesday.

The sale will include 300 properties located within the City’s 17 target recovery areas. It focuses on pre-Katrina delinquencies for the tax years 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2005, with the final due date being February 2005.”

In the first property tax sale held last month, approximately four million dollars of properties were sold.  At that time, Bayoubuzz and its Publisher, attorney, Stephen Sabludowsky, who handles Internet identified and recommended areas of the site that could and should be improved.  Regardless of any shortcomings, a tremendous amount of property was indeed sold online in November which volume would never take place in the confines of a Court House.  The Internet sale also allowed buyers from locations throughout the nation to select their real property investments with their computers without being inside the Court House.    

According to the statement from Mayor Nagin’s Office, “Money collected from the sale of properties goes to fund tax recipient agencies, such as the Sewerage & Water Board, the Orleans Parish Schools and the Levy Boards.

On November 26-28 the City held its first internet-based tax sale, offering 2,215 properties.  The sale generated response from individuals from 19 states, who purchasing 1,944. 

The Internet tax sale method allows purchasers from anywhere the opportunity to view property information (location, values, tax history, etc.), satellite imagery of the tax sale eligible properties, and all online registration and purchasing of parcels from any computer station. The website address is www.neworleanstaxsale.com. Individuals desiring to participate, with neither computer, nor Internet access, will be invited to the courthouse lobby located at 421 Loyola Avenue, where computers will be available to the public throughout the times of the sale.

Property owners whose properties are eligible for sale were sent, in addition to their annual tax bills, two additional delinquency notices, one via first class mail and one via  certified mail, at the address provided by the property owners to his assessor.  Additionally, general notifications and tax sale advertisements listing all sale eligible properties were published in the Times-Picayune on November 10^th and December 6^th.  If your property is eligible for sale, you can pay overdue taxes and remove your property from the sale by calling 1-866-493-7407 between 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.  Displaced residents are advised to check if their property is tax sale eligible by visiting www.neworleanstaxsale.com and entering the street address.

For technical support or questions regarding the tax sale please call 1-866-493-7408 to speak to our Customer Service Representatives. Someone will be able to assist you between the hours of 8 a.m. - 5 p.m., prior to the sale, and 8 a.m. - 8 p.m., during the sale.  All times are Central Standard.” (Emphasis by Bayoubuzz) 

Good luck and good buying.