Old Town Temecula Hotel Site Among Tax Properties Listed For RivCo Auction Sale

TEMECULA, CA — A large vacant section of Old Town Temecula is included in the over 30 vacant lots, homes and properties listed in the Riverside County internet-based auction, underway through the weekend.

This marks the 14th year that the county has conducted internet- based auctions for its entire portfolio of assets with liens in an effort to close the loop on $28 million in tax default debts.

Bids on some of the homes are as low as $100, according to the Riverside County Treasurer-Tax Collector's office. In the Temecula and Murrieta areas, the lowest bid for homes or land in the auction was $2,434 in Temecula, with the highest starting bid also in Temecula, for land in Old Town, at just over $1 million.

Notably, a large section of Old Town Temecula, near the Truax building, between 2nd and 3rd street, west of Mercedes Street and east of Old Town Front Street.

All properties in the auction have been in property tax default since at least 2020, with a handful in default since 2015. These were not listed in the parcels pulled from the auction and removed from the tax sale before it began.

The Old Town Temecula property's owners were last listed as the Temecula Hotel Partners Old Town Holding Company and Temecula Hotel Investors, with property taxes left unpaid since July of 2020, according to the tax sale documents.

See the full list here.

Registration for the auction had to be completed by April 20. There are details on how to place bids, where to find properties, and general rules for participation can be found at countytreasurer.org/tc-223 or Bid4Assets.com.

In January, the Board of Supervisors approved the online auction, which Treasurer-Tax Collector Matthew Jennings said includes 826 properties, including 30 single-family homes and lots in the De Luz, Murrieta and Temecula areas, as well as lots, properties and agricultural land east of Temecula.

"Our office is committed to delivering a tax sale process that is transparent, secure and efficient," Jennings said in March. "The online auction format modernizes the experience, increases participation and makes bidding more accessible than ever."

At least two properties in the De Luz area were listed in the tax auction, as well as a handful of Murrieta and Temecula lots and residences.

Patch has reached out to the City of Temecula for further details about the area of Old Town, and will update this report if and when that is received.

The $100 minimum bids for real estate in arrears apply to properties in various locations, including Lake Elsinore and Wildomar, with the highest minimum ask listed as $1.16 million for a residential property in Desert Hot Springs, documents showed.

"Parcels offered vary in location, size and potential use," according to a statement by the Office of the Treasurer-Tax Collector.

The county's minimum bid amounts reflect tax and sales costs. Officials said that minimum prices will be reduced on some properties that do not generate interest in the first round of bidding.

According to the Tax Assessor, the county currently has $28 million in the total aggregate value of properties in default.

Under state law, before a property under a tax lien can be sold off, it must be held in abeyance for at least five years.