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Charleston County Tax Sale: 1,174 Properties on the Block Monday, November 9

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The sale, in numbers

Charleston County's fall delinquent tax sale is one of the largest county sales in the Southeast this season: 1,174 properties on the Delinquent Tax Collector's published list, against $4,190,388 in combined delinquent taxes, interest and costs. It is the biggest single-day sale on our calendar for November 9 — a day when 12 tracked sales run across the country.

The amounts owed are the story. The median property on the list owes $1,521. The smallest bill is $162; the largest is $148,159. In a premium-bid state, bidding starts at the taxes and costs owed — which means a large share of this list opens at prices that have nothing to do with what the property is worth, in both directions.

• 1,174 properties on the published list
• $4,190,388 combined taxes, interest and costs owed
• Median amount owed: $1,521 — smallest $162, largest $148,159
• 752 of the 1,174 properties score 70 or higher on our 100-point screen
• Sale date: Monday, November 9, 2026 — run by the Charleston County Delinquent Tax Collector

What kind of property is on the list

Single-family homes are the largest group at 468, followed by 379 vacant residential lots and 32 vacant commercial lots — 411 vacant lots in all, which is why land buyers watch this sale. The rest is a long tail: 35 mobile homes, 27 condos, 23 duplexes and triplexes, and a scattering of specialty parcels.

One honest flag from our own screening: 90 parcels on the list classify as undevelopable. A cheap opening bid on a lot that cannot be built on is not a bargain, and it is exactly the kind of parcel a score-and-screen pass exists to catch before sale day, not after.

• 468 single-family homes
• 411 vacant lots (379 residential, 32 commercial)
• 35 mobile homes · 27 condos · 23 duplex / triplex
• 90 parcels screened as undevelopable — bid accordingly

How Charleston's sale works

South Carolina sells redeemable tax deeds, and the bidding is premium (highest bid wins) — it is not a bid-down interest auction. If the owner redeems within 12 months of the sale, the buyer gets the bid back plus interest that steps up the longer redemption takes: 3% in the first quarter, then 6%, 9%, and 12% in the final quarter. Critically, that interest is capped at the taxes-and-costs amount — every dollar of premium you bid above it earns nothing, which is why disciplined ceilings matter more in South Carolina than almost anywhere else.

Two data notes, because we would rather label a gap than fill it. The amounts on Charleston's list are taxes owed, never an opening-bid guarantee beyond the published figure, and the county publishes no assessed values with this list — so our Charleston report carries scores and amounts exactly as published, and no ceiling estimate. Where the data does not support a number, we show none.

Before Monday: how to work this list

Five days is enough time if the list is already screened. Start with the score sort — 752 properties clear 70 — then work the amount-owed column against what each property actually is: a $1,500 tax bill on a buildable lot inside the county is a different proposition from the same bill on an undevelopable strip. Check redemption likelihood (owner-occupied homes redeem far more often than vacant land), then confirm registration, deposit and payment rules with the Delinquent Tax Collector before sale day — county procedures, not blog posts, govern the sale.

The full list — every parcel, scored, with APNs and amounts exactly as the county published them — is on the Charleston County page linked below, including the one-time full report for this sale.

Questions

Is the amount owed the price of the property?
No. In South Carolina the published amount is the delinquent taxes, interest and costs, and bidding starts there — premium (highest-bid) bidding decides the final price. The amount owed says nothing about the property's market value.

When does the buyer get the deed?
Not at the sale. The owner has 12 months from the sale date to redeem by repaying the bid plus tiered interest (3% to 12%). Only if the property is not redeemed does the successful bidder receive a tax deed after the period expires.