Update: This auction has been postponed to Saturday, Jan. 14, at 10 a.m.
New Ipswich is auctioning off three properties taken by tax deed later this month, including a blank lot and a property with a burnt-out home which will require demolition.
The auction is scheduled to take place Dec. 17 at 10 a.m. at the New Ipswich town offices. All three properties are marked and potential buyers are encouraged to drive by to view them prior to the auction.
The three properties available, all taken by tax deed in prior years, include a wooded lot on Highbridge Road, 11 Temple Road and 283 Greenville Road.
The wooded lot on Highbridge Road is 5.8 acres, located across the street from the Souhegan River on the Greenville town line. The lot, which is identified as Tax Map 15B, lot 12, slopes upward from the road. It has been assessed at $42,600 and its most-recent tax bill would have been $947.
New Ipswich Town Administrator Debbie Deaton said the Highbridge Road property had previously been put up for auction during a property sale in January, and was sold at that time, but the prospective buyer ultimately backed out, and the property is now back up for auction.
The 11 Temple Road property includes the shell of a 1 3/4-story Cape-style home on a 0.28-acre lot. The home was originally built in 1850, and was in the midst of a remodel when the property was taken by tax deed. The building as it stands is an open shell. It was most recently accessed at $70,100.
Deaton said the Temple Road property was taken by tax deed by the town in 2010, and there have been previous attempts to sell it, but potential owners ultimately did not fulfill agreements related to the sale, and it reverted to town ownership.
The third property is 283 Greenville Road, which includes a home severely damaged by a 2019 fire. The home is standing, but is required to be torn down, and asbestos related to the home abated. The home is on a 4.3-acre lot, near the town line. The lot itself is overgrown, and contains multiple abandoned vehicles. It was most recently assessed at a $75,000 value.
Deaton said the Greenville Road property was originally slated to be part of the town’s last property auction in January, but the town ultimately pulled it from the sale to do more investigation into the cost of demolition and remediation of the asbestos on the property. The town has since received an estimate of approximately $80,000 for the work.
All abutters have been notified of the auction of neighboring properties.
After the sale, the town would recoup losses related to legal fees and back taxes, any liens on the property would be paid and any remaining profit would go first to the former owner or their heirs.
A $5,000 deposit per property, in cash or a certified or bank check must be made to the town within 30 days of the sale date. The town reserves the right to reject all bids. The properties are all sold “as is, where is.” Plot plans, photos and more details are available on jsjauctions.com.
Ashley Saari can be reached at 603-924-7172, Ext. 244, or asaari@ledgertranscript.com. She’s on Twitter @AshleySaariMLT.