Summit County sold nine out of the 10 listed properties on Thursday at its annual sale of properties with delinquent property taxes.

As of May 1, 46 properties were listed on Summit County’s website as for sale due to unpaid property taxes. Summit County Deputy Auditor Kathryn Rockhill said that most property owners paid the taxes they owed on their properties prior to the sale, with some paying them 15 minutes before the auction.

Rockhill said she was surprised at how many owners waited until the last minute to pay their property taxes this year.

“People either were procrastinating or just like to gamble,” she said. “But for so many properties to be listed until the very end means residents were really taking a chance or needed a lot more time to raise the money that was owed.”

Rockhill estimated that about four more properties went to auction this year than in previous years, something she contributes to the bad economy five years ago, when the property owners first failed to pay their taxes.

“We don’t normally have this many properties go to auction,” she said.

The auction was crowded with people vying to find a deal on a piece of property. Rockhill said that the final 10 properties that went to auction were vacant pieces of property.

Two of the properties that went to auction were in Promontory and had a starting bid of $28,000. Both properties were sold to bidders for significantly more than what was owned on them.

“One was sold for $55,000 and another one was sold for $135,000,” Rockhill said. “Summit County takes the amount of property taxes that were due and the rest of the money goes to the state.”

Some properties had a starting bid of only a few hundred dollars, including a parcel in Francis that sold at $300.

“Most properties that were listed for only a couple hundred dollars went for only the asking price,” Rockhill said.

Only one property was not sold at the auction and is now owned by Summit County. Rockhill said it was a property near Echo Creek Ranch and had $1,400 of taxes owed on it. Resident can still purchase the land from the county.