Part of the problem is that the sale isn’t drawing sufficient public attendance.
The tax sale to collect unpaid taxes should only focus on the unpaid debt, then return the balance of the sale to the owner.
Instead, it appears the winning bids at the tax sale are unduly low, giving the winner an exorbitant profit by flipping the property ASAP, and the value of the property is harvested by the tax sale bidder, without recourse of the original owner to collect his equity.
the owner, apparently, owned the house outright. The article says he paid cash for the house 20 years ago.