We buy houses in Fluvanna County, VA

In Virginia, a foreclosure on a deed of trust is sold by a trustee, not a judge.

If you live in the home, the trustee must send you written notice of the time, date and place of sale. It goes by certified or registered mail at least 60 days before the sale (Va. Code 55.1-321).

The sale must also be advertised in a newspaper widely read in the county. The deed of trust may set the number of ads. If it does not, the law requires one a week for four weeks in a row (Va. Code 55.1-322).

The sale can happen no earlier than eight days after the first ad. It can happen no later than 30 days after the last.

Here is a real example. A trustee's sale notice ran in the Charlottesville Daily Progress in September 2026. It set a Fluvanna sale for October 27, 2026, in front of the building that houses the Circuit Court at 72 Main Street in Palmyra.

If you have received a notice, the date on it is the one that counts. A real estate attorney can confirm your options before then.

Every March 5, the Fluvanna treasurer sends the prior year's unpaid taxes to Taxing Authority Consulting Services (TACS). TACS is a Virginia law firm, and the person who owes the taxes pays its fees.

As of 2026, anything owed from before January 1, 2026 is paid through TACS, not the treasurer.

Land can be sold once taxes are still unpaid on December 31 after the second anniversary of their due date (Va. Code 58.1-3965).

Before suing, the collector must do two things:

• mail you a notice at least 30 days ahead saying you can ask for a payment plan of up to 72 months
• publish the list of parcels in a newspaper

You can get the property back any time before the sale. You pay the taxes, interest, penalties and costs.

TACS posts the Fluvanna sale list and terms online. The auction posted there was held on June 30, 2026 at the Maple Room in the Lake Monticello Firehouse, 10 Slice Road.

Bidding was in person and online. Every sale needs approval from the Circuit Court.

Since January 1, 1978, Fluvanna has taxed qualifying farm, forest and open space land at its use value. The county calls it a deferral, not a discount.

Here is how much land each type needs:

• farming and growing plants: 5 acres
• forest: 20 acres
• open space: 10

In each case, the house site and the two acres around it do not count.

The land may switch to a use that does not qualify. Or the owner may ask to rezone it for heavier use. Either way, the county charges roll back tax (Va. Code 58.1-3237).

Roll back tax equals the tax put off for the current year and the five previous years. Interest is added at the late tax rate.

A sale alone does not trigger it, as long as the new owner keeps the qualifying use and does not rezone.

Two county rules matter when you sell. A new owner must file a fresh land use application by November 1. And no application is accepted while taxes on the parcel are past due.

If your home is in Lake Monticello, the contract must say two things. The home is in a common interest community, and you will get a resale certificate from the association (Va. Code 55.1-2308).

Sometimes the buyer gets the certificate after signing, and the contract sets no other time frame. Then the buyer has three days to cancel (Va. Code 55.1-2312).

County utilities list public systems only in Palmyra, Fork Union and Zion Crossroads, plus two school sites.

The Virginia Department of Health says it requires nothing of you at a sale involving a septic system. Your septic permit and inspection records are at the local health department, part of the Blue Ridge Health District.

Any septic inspection done for a sale must be done by a licensed onsite operator, installer or soil evaluator (Va. Code 59.1-310.9).

A manufactured home on your own land stays titled with the Virginia DMV until you convert it (Va. Code 46.2-653.1). To convert it:

• the wheels and towing gear come off
• the DMV cancels the title
• you record an affidavit of affixation with the Circuit Court

The county counted 296 mobile home parcels as of January 1, 2025.