Delinquent tax lists · Washington
Island County delinquent tax list
Short answer: Island County has two delinquent tax lists. The official one is published by the County Treasurer 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 344 (estimated) owners near Island County currently carry a distress signal. Washington is a deed state, so a winning bid at the sale takes the property itself.
Distressed owners near Island County
344
Within 25 miles of the county centre, refreshed daily. Island County is a rural county.
Top-deal discount target
~43% under market
Average start bid across the 20 strongest Island leads right now.
Avg. spread per top deal
$228,000
On a typical $533,000 estimated value.
Coverage centers on Island County and reaches 25 miles out, widening to 50 when the market runs thin.
Island 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 Washington rules, timelines and deficiency detail sit on the state page, since they apply to every county here.
| County | Island County, Washington. |
|---|---|
| Who publishes the list | The County Treasurer for Island County. |
| What the sale transfers | Washington is a deed state. A winning bidder gets the deed itself, so a winning bid transfers ownership of the property. |
| Rate and cadence | County treasurers auction tax deeds, typically each December, after 3 years of delinquency. |
| After the tax sale | The deed transfers at the sale. Whether the former owner can still redeem afterward depends on Washington law and the kind of sale, so read the county's sale notice before bidding. |
The Washington delinquency clock
Where a Island owner sits on this line is what decides whether they will take a low cash offer today.
The Island list, ranked hardest-first
Representative profiles from our ranking model for the Island County area. The live list, with exact locations, photos and owner details, is one free scan away.
- #1Notice of default for 118 days. Owners in this spot often want out fast, before a foreclosure hits their credit.$269K start bid · ~45% under market
- #2Notice of default for 49 days. Owners in this spot often want out fast, before a foreclosure hits their credit.$286K start bid · ~43% under market
- #3About 4 years of unpaid property taxes. The bill keeps growing, which often pushes owners to sell sooner.$257K start bid · ~45% under market
7 more ranked Island County deals behind the scan
Unlock the full Island County list freeFree scan · no card needed
What the Island list is made of
Most distressed owners carry more than one signal, so these bands overlap. Stacked signals rank highest.
How Island compares across Washington
Island County is the 16th largest of the 39 Washington counties covered here, and it runs denser in distressed owners than the Washington average, at 39.8 flagged properties per 10,000 residents against a state figure of 36.3. It accounts for about 1.2% of every flagged property across the Washington counties on this site.
| County | Seat | Flagged owners | Per 10k residents |
|---|---|---|---|
| King County | Seattle | 10,816 | 47.6 |
| Spokane County | Spokane | 2,123 | 38.6 |
| Pierce County | Tacoma | 1,917 | 20.7 |
| Snohomish County | Everett | 1,796 | 21.4 |
| Thurston County | Olympia | 1,433 | 47.8 |
| Clark County | Vancouver | 1,405 | 27.2 |
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 Island list vs. this one
Both are worth having. They answer different questions.
| Island official sale list | The LowBaller list | |
|---|---|---|
| Who publishes it | The County Treasurer | 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 Island list
What actually matters in a county this size, at this level of distress, under Washington timelines.
Off the main road
Island County ranks 16 of 39 covered Washington counties and holds about 1.2% of the state's flagged properties. Most buyers never scroll this far down the state, which is the entire argument for working it.
Below the state norm
Island runs 39.8 flagged properties per 10,000 residents against 36.3 statewide. A shorter list than average, which usually means fewer owners with stacked signals and a longer time to a yes.
All of Island County
The scan centres on Island County and reaches 25 miles out, widening to 50 when the list runs thin. In a county this size that usually spans several towns, each with its own price level, so read the estimated value on each row rather than the discount alone.
The Washington clock
Foreclosure here typically runs 5 to 7 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 Island 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 Washington 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.
Island County delinquent tax list FAQ
How do I get the Island County delinquent tax list?
Two lists exist and they are not the same. The official one comes from the County Treasurer, 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 344 properties around Island County currently carry at least one distress signal, ranked by how much pressure the owner is under.
Is there a free Island delinquent property tax list PDF?
Yes. The County Treasurer 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 Island County tax sale?
Island County publishes its own schedule, and it moves. The Washington pattern is the thing that holds steady: County treasurers auction tax deeds, typically each December, after 3 years of delinquency. Check the county's pre-sale notice close to the date, because the list shrinks daily as owners redeem.
Can I buy Island 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 Washington?
Washington 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 Washington 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 Island deals close?
The strongest current leads near Island County support start bids around 43% 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. Island runs denser in distress than the Washington 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 Island?
About 344 properties within 25 miles of Island County currently show at least one motivation signal in public records, and tax delinquency is among the most common. That works out to 39.8 flagged properties per 10,000 residents, against 36.3 across Washington as a whole, and makes Island the number 16 of the 39 Washington counties covered here by population. That figure moves daily as owners pay, redeem or fall further behind.
Do I need an Island address to search, or can I search the whole county?
Either. Run the scan on any Island 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 Island County
Delinquent tax lists nearby
Keep going
The Island 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 Island freeInformational summary, not legal or investment advice. Rates, redemption periods and sale formats are summarized at the Washington state level and can be changed by statute or applied differently by Island County. The County Treasurer and the county's own pre-sale notices control every schedule, deposit and bidding rule. Verify before you bid.