Behind on property taxes? Sell before it costs you the house.

Michigan runs tax foreclosure on a yearly calendar. Unpaid taxes become delinquent and are turned over to the county treasurer the following March. A year later the property is forfeited, and the county then asks the court for a foreclosure judgment. In Wayne County, the final day to redeem has generally been March 31. If the taxes aren't paid or in an approved plan by then, ownership passes to the county.

Detroit homeowners who live in the house should check the HOPE poverty tax exemption and the Pay As You Stay program first, and the United Community Housing Coalition can help with applications. Read our full Wayne County guide.

In Ohio, delinquent property taxes go on the county's delinquent tax list, and the county treasurer or prosecutor can file a tax foreclosure. Some larger counties sell tax certificates (liens) to investors, who can later foreclose if the taxes aren't repaid. For abandoned or vacant property, Ohio also has an expedited foreclosure process that county land banks often use.

The details vary by county, so start with your county treasurer: ask what's owed, whether a delinquent tax contract (payment plan) is available, and whether any certificate or foreclosure action has been filed.

If you want to keep the house and can afford it going forward, a payment plan or exemption is usually the best move. If you don't want to keep it, the choice is between selling yourself and letting the county take it.

Letting it go almost always costs the most. The county sells it at auction, often well below market value, and any equity above the taxes is either lost or has to be claimed through a separate process. Selling before the deadline turns that equity into cash at closing, and you see every line of the payoff on the settlement statement.