Cook County Treasurer's Office - 11/8/2001

The 2001 Cook County Scavenger Sale will be held December 26, 2001, through January 16, 2002, in Room B on the Lower Level, 69 W. Washington St., Chicago, Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas announced today. The sale will begin at 8 a.m. and continue to 4 p.m. each day it is held. The hours may be extended or shortened to accommodate the sale schedule.

The list of the 44,000 pieces of property to be offered at the auction sale will be published next Wednesday and Thursday (November 14 and 15) in local publications. The list will be available for inspection in Room 222 of the County Treasurer's Office and in Room 434 in the County Clerk's Office, 118 N. Clark St., Chicago, on Tuesday (November 13), when it also will be available for $250 in hard copy, CD format or zip disk.

The cost to register for the sale is $100 and registration must be done in person. Registration packets may be obtained in Room 222 of the Treasurer's Office on Tuesday (November 13). Registration will take place November 19 to December 18. There will be no late registration.

By state law, the Treasurer holds the biannual Scavenger Sale in odd-numbered years to offer for sale the unpaid taxes on properties delinquent for two or more years, consecutive or not. A successful bidder can go to court to win ownership of the property. Owners can redeem to avoid loss of the property.

Bids begin at $250, or half of the taxes due if they are less than $500, and rise in $50 increments. When bids reach $1,000, the increments become $100. Decisions by the auctioneer are final. Payment -- for registration, list or purchase -- is by cashier's check, money order or cash at Room 112 of the Treasurer's Office, 118 N. Clark St. No personal or business checks or credit cards are accepted. All sales are confirmed by the Cook County Circuit Court.

The date of the Re-Offer Sale, when purchases voided at the auction are offered for resale, has yet to be set.