New Mexico is a tax deed state, which means that if property taxes are delinquent for more than two years, the property can be sold at auction to pay off the tax debt. The property owner has a redemption period of one year after the auction to pay off the taxes and redeem the property. If the property is not redeemed, the buyer at the auction becomes the new owner of the property.

If the property owner fails to pay property taxes for two or more years, the property is added to the tax delinquency list. Three years after the first delinquent date, the Taxation and Revenue Department schedules a sale to sell the property. New Mexico’s Taxation and Revenue Department must mail you a notice about the upcoming tax sale and publish the notice in a newspaper.

• Notice by mail. The Department must send you a notice by certified mail, return receipt requested, at least 20 days, but not more than 30 days, before the tax sale date. The notice will let you know how much you have to pay in taxes, penalties, interest, and other costs to get current on the debt.
• Notice by publication. In New Mexico, a notice of the sale must be published in a local newspaper for three weeks or, if the area doesn’t have a newspaper, in a newspaper published in a nearby county.

Tax deed auctions in New Mexico are conducted by the State of New Mexico Taxation and Revenue Department, Property Tax Division (PTD). The auctions are held in the county in which the property is located. The PTD website has a list of all upcoming tax deed auctions. The property is sold at auction to the highest bidder. The property owner has one year to redeem the property by paying off the taxes and fees. If the property is not redeemed, the buyer at the auction becomes the new owner of the property

The following website should answer all your questions concerning tax sale auctions in the State of New Mexico: https://www.tax.newmexico.gov/businesses/property-tax-overview/delinquent-property-tax-auctions/