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ORANGE COUNTY <br /> NORTH CAROLINA <br /> HUMAN RESOURCES <br /> Nancy Freeman, Director 1 228 South Churton Street, Hillsborough, NC 27278 1 919.245.2735 <br /> TO: Orange County Board of Commissioners <br /> CC: Travis Myren, County Manager <br /> FROM: Nancy Freeman, Tax Administration Director <br /> RE: Overview of Foreclosure Procedure and Foreclosure Activity & History Graph <br /> DATE: October 14, 2024 <br /> This information is provided to give an overview of the foreclosure procedures that are followed in the Orange <br /> County Tax Office. Additionally, the purpose is to provide a more transparent view of how foreclosure is used, <br /> and what the history of foreclosures looks like in Orange County. <br /> Unpaid real estate accounts are required to be advertised in local newspapers per NC General Statute §105- <br /> 369. Even though a taxing jurisdiction will not complete foreclosure on the majority of these delinquent <br /> notices, they are required to publish the advertisement in accordance with the statute, and it must be done <br /> between March 1 and June 30 after the bill becomes delinquent. This is the first step in the foreclosure <br /> process. We mail about 1,700-1,800 advertisement notices each year. <br /> The In Rem Foreclosure Method is used by our office and detailed in NC General Statute §105-375. Orange <br /> County and about 20 other counties in North Carolina use the In Rem Method of foreclosure. In Orange <br /> County, there are multiple years owed on the property before it is reviewed and considered for foreclosure. <br /> We exhaust every other method of collection available before beginning foreclosure proceedings. <br /> Process summary: <br /> • Tax Lien Advertisement is published. <br /> • Attempt enforced collection remedies: payment arrangements,wage garnishments, bank attachments, <br /> rent attachments, levies. <br /> • Staff conducts a title search. This may take two-three months of consistent research to complete <br /> Family Trees and attempt to gather all necessary information for notification purposes. <br /> • 30-Day notice is sent by certified mail. <br /> • If confirmation that certified mail has been delivered to all parties is not received, a legal notice is <br /> published for two weeks. At this point we are usually into month three. <br /> Orange County Government I www.orangecountync.gov 1 919.732.8181 <br />