Delinquent tax lists · Pennsylvania
Delaware County delinquent tax list
Short answer: Delaware County has two delinquent tax lists. The official one is published by the County Tax Claim Bureau before each scheduled sale, free to download, and it lists parcel numbers and amounts owed with no owner contact. The year-round one is the delinquency record underneath it, where 2,987 (estimated) owners near Media currently carry a distress signal. Pennsylvania is a deed state, so a winning bid at the sale takes the property itself.
Distressed owners near Media
2,987
Within 25 miles of the county centre, refreshed daily. Delaware County is a mid-size county.
Top-deal discount target
~41% under market
Average start bid across the 20 strongest Delaware leads right now.
Avg. spread per top deal
$231,000
On a typical $566,000 estimated value.
Coverage centers on Media, the Delaware County seat and reaches 25 miles out, widening to 50 when the market runs thin.
Delaware County tax sale rules at a glance
The mechanics that decide what you are actually buying, and how long the owner keeps a way out. The full Pennsylvania rules, timelines and deficiency detail sit on the state page, since they apply to every county here.
| County | Delaware County, Pennsylvania. County seat: Media. |
|---|---|
| Who publishes the list | The County Tax Claim Bureau for Delaware County. |
| What the sale transfers | Pennsylvania is a deed state. A winning bidder gets the deed itself, so a winning bid transfers ownership of the property. |
| Rate and cadence | September Upset Sales convey deeds subject to liens; later Judicial Sales wipe them clear. |
| After the tax sale | The deed transfers at the sale. Whether the former owner can still redeem afterward depends on Pennsylvania law and the kind of sale, so read the county's sale notice before bidding. |
The Pennsylvania delinquency clock
Where a Delaware owner sits on this line is what decides whether they will take a low cash offer today.
The Delaware list, ranked hardest-first
Representative profiles from our ranking model for the Media area. The live list, with exact locations, photos and owner details, is one free scan away.
- #1Foreclosure suit pending for 93 days. Owners in this spot often want out fast, before a foreclosure hits their credit.$267K start bid · ~45% under market
- #2Foreclosure auction on record. The clock is likely ticking, and owners this close to an auction often take a fast cash offer over losing the home.$270K start bid · ~45% under market
- #3Foreclosure auction on record. The clock is likely ticking, and owners this close to an auction often take a fast cash offer over losing the home.$254K start bid · ~45% under market
What the Delaware list is made of
Most distressed owners carry more than one signal, so these bands overlap. Stacked signals rank highest.
How Delaware compares across Pennsylvania
Delaware County is the 5th largest of the 67 Pennsylvania counties covered here, and it runs denser in distressed owners than the Pennsylvania average, at 51.9 flagged properties per 10,000 residents against a state figure of 39.7. It accounts for about 5.8% of every flagged property across the Pennsylvania counties on this site.
| County | Seat | Flagged owners | Per 10k residents |
|---|---|---|---|
| Allegheny County | Pittsburgh | 5,395 | 43.5 |
| Philadelphia County | Philadelphia | 4,374 | 27.9 |
| Bucks County | Doylestown | 3,384 | 52.4 |
| Montgomery County | Norristown | 3,076 | 35.8 |
| Delaware County (this page) | Media | 2,987 | 51.9 |
| Berks County | Reading | 2,275 | 53 |
Density matters more than the raw count when you are choosing where to work. A smaller county with a high per-capita figure often has less competition per lead than the metro next door.
How far under market these close
The official Delaware list vs. this one
Both are worth having. They answer different questions.
| Delaware official sale list | The LowBaller list | |
|---|---|---|
| Who publishes it | The County Tax Claim Bureau | LowBaller, from county and public records |
| When it exists | Only in the run-up to each scheduled sale | Year round, refreshed daily |
| Format | A PDF or spreadsheet of parcel numbers and amounts owed | A ranked table with a map pin, photo and estimated value on every row |
| Owner contact | Not included | Phone and email on unlock, and no credit is spent when nothing verifies |
| Ranking | Alphabetical or by parcel number | Hardest situation first, by foreclosure stage, years behind and equity |
| Timing advantage | Everyone bidding sees the same list on the same day | Owners appear months before any auction, while a private sale still solves their problem |
Working the Delaware list
What actually matters in a county this size, at this level of distress, under Pennsylvania timelines.
Off the main road
Delaware County ranks 5 of 67 covered Pennsylvania counties and holds about 5.8% of the state's flagged properties. Most buyers never scroll this far down the state, which is the entire argument for working it.
One of the densest counties in the state
At 51.9 flagged properties per 10,000 residents against a Pennsylvania figure of 39.7, Delaware is in the top quarter for distress density. Stacked-signal owners are common here, and those are where the deepest discounts sit.
Media and everything around it
Delaware works off Media as its seat, and the scan reaches 25 miles out from there, widening to 50 when the list runs thin. In a county this shape that usually means several towns, each with its own price level.
The Pennsylvania clock
Foreclosure here typically runs 9 to 15 months from filing to sale. The tax clock and the mortgage clock run independently, so check both before you decide how hard a deadline an owner is actually facing.
Why Delaware investors work it before auction day
No bidding war
At the sale you are one of a room full of bidders on the same parcel. Months earlier you are the only person who called.
You can see the house
A private sale means an inspection and a clean title search. Deed auctions in Pennsylvania rarely give you either.
The owner keeps something
An owner with equity who sells early clears the tax debt and walks away with money. At the sale, they usually walk away with nothing.
Delaware County delinquent tax list FAQ
How do I get the Delaware County delinquent tax list?
Two lists exist and they are not the same. The official one comes from the County Tax Claim Bureau, is published as a PDF or spreadsheet before each scheduled sale, and disappears between sales. The year-round one is the delinquency record itself, which is what LowBaller compiles: roughly 2,987 properties around Media currently carry at least one distress signal, ranked by how much pressure the owner is under.
Is there a free Delaware delinquent property tax list PDF?
Yes. The County Tax Claim Bureau publishes the pre-sale list free of charge, usually as a PDF or a downloadable spreadsheet tied to a specific sale date. It gives you parcel numbers and amounts owed. It does not give you owner contact details, an estimated value, or any indication of which owners would actually take a low cash offer.
When is the Delaware County tax sale?
Delaware County publishes its own schedule, and it moves. The Pennsylvania pattern is the thing that holds steady: September Upset Sales convey deeds subject to liens; later Judicial Sales wipe them clear. Check the county's pre-sale notice close to the date, because the list shrinks daily as owners redeem.
Can I buy Delaware tax-delinquent property before the auction?
Yes, and it is usually the better trade. There is no bidding war, the owner clears the debt with a clean sale instead of a forced one, and you are not buying blind. The window is the months between the delinquency appearing in the record and the sale being scheduled, which is exactly the period this list covers.
What does a winning bid actually get you in Pennsylvania?
Pennsylvania is a deed state, so a winning bidder takes the deed itself, so a winning bid transfers ownership of the property. The deed transfers at the sale. Whether the former owner can still redeem afterward depends on Pennsylvania law and the kind of sale, so read the county's sale notice before bidding. That difference matters more than the discount: in a lien state you are buying a debt with a yield, and in a deed state you are buying a house.
How far below market do Delaware deals close?
The strongest current leads near Media support start bids around 41% under estimated value. Across the whole list, hard distress such as a scheduled auction or a stacked tax lien closes 25 to 45% under market, while softer signals like long-distance ownership land closer to 15 to 30% under. Delaware runs denser in distress than the Pennsylvania average, so stacked-signal owners, the ones who accept the widest discounts, turn up more often here than in a typical county in this state. Equity sets the ceiling, because an offer cannot go below what clears the owner's mortgage.
How many tax-delinquent properties are there in Delaware?
About 2,987 properties within 25 miles of Media currently show at least one motivation signal in public records, and tax delinquency is among the most common. That works out to 51.9 flagged properties per 10,000 residents, against 39.7 across Pennsylvania as a whole, and makes Delaware the number 5 of the 67 Pennsylvania counties covered here by population. That figure moves daily as owners pay, redeem or fall further behind.
Do I need a Delaware address to search, or can I search the whole county?
Either. Run the scan on any Delaware ZIP and you get the full ranked list for the surrounding area, or check one specific address to see whether that owner carries a distress signal. The scan is free; the full list opens with a 7-day trial, and credits are only spent when an owner's phone number comes back.
More on Delaware County
Delinquent tax lists nearby
Keep going
The Delaware owners who will sell cheap are on this list today.
Not in 2026 sale season. Now, months before the auction, while a quiet private sale still solves their problem. Scan free and browse every one.
Scan Delaware freeInformational summary, not legal or investment advice. Rates, redemption periods and sale formats are summarized at the Pennsylvania state level and can be changed by statute or applied differently by Delaware County. The County Tax Claim Bureau and the county's own pre-sale notices control every schedule, deposit and bidding rule. Verify before you bid.