📍 Every property in this auction –> : 2026 Tax Auction Map
Official PDF Notice –> https://assuranceteamrealestate.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Notice-of-Sale-1.pdf
If you’ve ever wondered how investors pick up property below market value, here’s a real, local example. Yamhill County is selling 14 tax-foreclosed properties at public auction on Friday, August 28, 2026 — and minimum bids start at just $100.
As a Newberg real estate investor and REALTOR®, I get asked about tax foreclosure auctions in Oregon all the time. They’re one of the most misunderstood corners of real estate investing — equal parts opportunity and trap. So let’s walk through what’s being sold, how the auction works, and what you absolutely need to know before you raise your hand.
The Auction Details
Per Board Order No. 26-218 of the Yamhill County Board of Commissioners (dated July 16, 2026), the Yamhill County Sheriff will sell the county’s interest in these properties to the highest bidder for cash:
- Date: Friday, August 28, 2026
- Time: 10:00 a.m.
- Location: Yamhill County Courthouse, 535 NE 5th Street, Room 32, McMinnville, Oregon
14 properties are on the block (one offering is two adjacent tax lots that must be sold together). Real market values range from a few hundred dollars for small slivers of land up to $398,013, and minimum bids run from $100 to $265,342 — set at roughly two-thirds of each property’s real market value.
📍 I’ve mapped every property in this auction here: 2026 Yamhill County Tax Auction Map
Full legal descriptions are available on the Yamhill County website.
How Oregon Tax Foreclosure Auctions Work
When property taxes go unpaid long enough in Oregon, the county forecloses and takes title. After a waiting period, the county sells those properties at public auction to get them back on the tax rolls. A few things make these sales very different from buying a home off the MLS:
It’s a cash sale to the highest bidder. No financing contingency, no inspection period, no negotiating after the gavel falls.
Everything is sold “as is.” Yamhill County makes no warranties or guarantees about the condition of title, whether you can use the property for any particular purpose, whether it can be developed under state and local land use law, where the boundary lines are, or the environmental condition. Read that sentence twice. It’s the whole ballgame.
Due diligence is 100% on you — before auction day. There’s no backing out because you discover a problem afterward.
Why Some of These Bids Start at $100
Here’s the part most first-time auction buyers miss: a $100 minimum bid usually isn’t a hidden gem — it’s priced that way for a reason. Tax-foreclosed inventory often includes landlocked slivers, unbuildable remnant lots, odd-shaped parcels created by old surveys, and lots with serious title or access questions. That $150 real market value is the county assessor telling you something.
That said, this auction also includes properties with real market values of $143,000, $154,000, $191,000, and $398,000 — and at minimum bids of roughly 67% of RMV, that’s exactly the kind of spread that gets an investor’s attention. The winners at these auctions are the people who did the homework; the losers are the ones who bid on a legal description they never drove past.
My Due Diligence Checklist for Tax Auction Properties
Before I’d bid on any tax-foreclosed property in Yamhill County, here’s the minimum homework I do — and what I walk investors through when they bring me an auction list:
- Pull the tax lot on the county GIS map and physically visit the site. Is there legal access? Is it in a floodplain? Is anything (or anyone) on it?
- Research the zoning and land use rules. An unbuildable lot at $28,000 is not a deal — it’s a liability with a tax bill.
- Investigate the title history. County tax deeds can carry title complications; many buyers pursue quiet title actions before a title company will insure a resale. Budget for that.
- Check for liens, environmental red flags, and code violations that may survive or complicate ownership.
- Set a maximum bid and stick to it. Auction energy is real. Your number was smarter than your adrenaline.
I’m not an attorney, and for title and legal questions on a specific parcel you should talk to one — but I can help you figure out which parcels are even worth that phone call.
📍 Every property in this auction –> : 2026 Tax Auction Map
Talk It Through Before You Bid
I invest in this market myself, and our team hosts Newberg’s only real estate investor meetup, where auctions, off-market deals, and value-add strategies like this are exactly what we talk about every month. If you’re curious about tax sales, want a second set of eyes on a parcel, or want to meet other local investors doing these deals, come join us: Newberg Investor Meetup on Eventbrite.
And if you’re eyeing a property in this auction and want a local read on the neighborhood, the comps, or what it could resell for — that’s a conversation I’d love to have before August 28, not after.
Call or text me directly:📞 503-217-4229
📍 Every property in this auction –> : 2026 Tax Auction Map
Official PDF Notice –> https://assuranceteamrealestate.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Notice-of-Sale-1.pdf
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Connect with John Laney | John Knows Newberg
🌐 Website: AssuranceTeamRealEstate.com 📘 Facebook: facebook.com/JohnKnowsNewberg 📸 Instagram: @JohnKnowsNewberg 💼 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/JohnLaneyRealtor ▶️ YouTube: Watch John’s Videos
📞 Call or text John directly: 503-217-4229 📧 john@assuranceteamrealestate.com
John Laney is a licensed Oregon REALTOR® with Epique Realty / Assurance Team Real Estate, specializing in seller representation, investor properties, and commercial real estate in Newberg and the Chehalem Valley.
Source: Yamhill County Office of County Counsel — Notice of Sale, Board Order No. 26-218 (July 16, 2026) | Yamhill County
