Real Estate Brokerage Services for Tax-Acquired Properties

The City of Ellsworth is seeking proposals from qualified, licensed Maine real estate brokers to provide services for three years related to the marketing and sale of tax-acquired properties in accordance with the new Maine state law which governs these sales- 36 M.R.S. §943-C . The City currently has approximately twenty-five (25) tax-acquired properties. Four (4) or Five (5) properties generally are tax-acquired every year, so this contract would be continuing beyond the original twenty-five (25) properties.

Background

Tax-acquired properties are those the City has foreclosed on due to due to nonpayment of property taxes, in accordance with Maine law. When property taxes remain unpaid, the City places a lien on the property. If the lien is not redeemed within the statutory period (generally 18 months), the City automatically forecloses and takes ownership of the property.

In the past we have sold tax-acquired property primarily through a sealed bid process. In many cases, properties were sold at below-market value, and former owners had no opportunity to recover any remaining equity.

Recent changes to Maine law, particularly 36 M.R.S. §943-C, have significantly restructured how municipalities must sell tax-acquired property. The prior practice of selling such properties through auction or sealed bid has been replaced with a requirement to market and sell these properties through a licensed real estate professional using a market-based approach.

These changes were driven by constitutional considerations affirmed in Tyler v. Hennepin County, which require that any surplus proceeds from the sale of tax-acquired property be returned to the former owner.

As a result, current Maine statutes now:

• Require municipalities to make reasonable efforts to sell tax-acquired properties at fair market value;
• Require that former owners be notified of the sale and may be entitled to claim any excess proceeds remaining after taxes, interest, costs, and fees are satisfied;
• Impose clearer timelines and procedural requirements for marketing and disposition of these properties;
• Emphasize transparency, fairness, and market-based sales practices.

Purpose of this RFP

In light of these changes, the City of Ellsworth seeks to engage a qualified real estate professional or firm to:

• Assist in determining market value through comparative market analyses (CMAs);
• Market properties broadly to ensure competitive exposure;
• Facilitate sales that reflect fair market value;
• Help ensure compliance with statutory requirements, including documentation and timelines;
• Support the City in maximizing return while maintaining fairness to former property owners and the public.

The City’s goal is to establish a consistent, transparent, and legally compliant process for the disposition of tax-acquired properties that protects the interests of the municipality, taxpayers, and former property owners alike.

Project Details

• Reference ID: 2026-RFP-RE
• Department: Procurement
• Department Head: - (-)

Important Dates

• Questions Due: 2026-05-11T21:00:00.000Z
• Answers Posted By: 2026-05-18T21:00:00.000Z

Evaluation Criteria

• Experience and Qualifications (30 pts) —
  • Demonstrated experience in residential, commercial, or land sales;
  • Experience working with municipalities or public-sector clients;
  • Familiarity with tax-acquired, distressed, or surplus property sales.
• Approach and Methodology (25 pts) —
  • Quality and clarity of proposed marketing strategy;
  • Understanding of statutory requirements and municipal constraints;
  • Ability to ensure broad market exposure and competitive sales.
• Compensation Proposal (20 pts) —
  • Proposed commission structure;
  • Any additional fees or costs;
  • Overall cost-effectiveness to the City.
• Local Market Knowledge (15 pts) —
  • Knowledge of the Ellsworth-area real estate market;
  • Demonstrated success in similar geographic areas.
• References (10 pts) —
  • Quality of references from municipalities or similar clients;
  • Past performance and reliability.

Submission Requirements

• Broker/Real Estate Responsibilities (required) —

  Did you read through and confirm that you understand and agree to the responsibilities and required services?

• Additional services —

  Are there any additional services you or your firm offer that we haven't listed? If so, please explain below.

• Cover Letter Proposal Submission Requirements (required) —

  Have you reviewed and understand the Cover Letter Requirements?

• Firm Qualifications and Experience Submission Requirements (required) —

  Have you reviewed and understand the Firm Qualification and Experience Requirements?

• Proposed Approach and Marketing Plan Submission Requirements (required) —

  Have you reviewed and understand the Proposed Approach and Marketing Plan Submission Requirements?

• Compensation Proposal Submission Requirement (required) —

  Have you read and understand the Compensation Proposal submission requirement

• References and Sample Materials Submission Requirement (required) —

  Have you read and understand the requirements for References and Sample Materials?

• Required Forms, Certifications and Acknowledgment of Municipal Requirements (required) —

  Have you included all Forms, Certifications and Acknowledgments required for Proposal Submission?

• Proposal (without Cost Proposal) (required) —

  Please Upload your COMPLETE Proposal here. Upload fee proposal separately in the next step.

• Separate Cost Proposal (required) —

  Confirm that your fee proposal is not attached in your Proposal and is attached separately here.

• Bid Bond (required) —

  Each bid shall be accompanied by a certified cashier’s check, or bid bond, in the amount of XXXXXof the total bid price, payable toCity of Ellsworth, ME, as a guarantee that the bidder, if its bid is accepted, will promptly execute the Agreement. The bidder shall guarantee the total bid price for a period of 60 days from the date of the bid opening.

  Please scan and upload a copy of your bid bond/cashier's check. Bidder must also MAIL bid guarantee with a postmarked date no later thanMonday, May 25, 2026 addressed to:

  City of Ellsworth, ME
  Ebony Kramp-Dowling
  1 CITY HALL PLAZA
  Ellsworth,ME04605

  Please have the Bidder Name, Contract Title ("Real Estate Brokerage Services for Tax-Acquired Properties"), and Contract Number ("2026-RFP-RE") listed clearly on the outside of the envelope.

• Contract Execution, Payment Bond, Performance Bond, and Certificate(s) of Insurance (required) —

  The contract shall be executed by the successful bidder and shall be returned, together with the Payment Bond, Performance Bond and Certificate(s) of Insurance to City of Ellsworth, ME so that it is received within 14 working daysafter the bidder has received the contract for execution. Failure to do so shall be just cause for forfeiture of the proposal guaranty.

• Real Estate Brokerage Services for Tax-Acquired Properties (required) —

  Please upload files here.  

• Bid Bond (required) —

  Will this solicitation require a bid bond?

• Electronic Pricing Table (required) —

  Would you like to have bidders respond to an electronic pricing table through OpenGov?

  Some examples of of when to say "yes":

  1. This is a quote for goods or commodities
  2. This is a public works bid, with a pricing table that can be uploaded into ProcureNow from an excel spreadsheet
  3. Seeking services for hourly rate schedules
• Separate Fee Proposal Upload (required) —

  If you are NOT using the Electronic Pricing Table option, will you want your bidder to separate a Price Proposal from the rest of their Response? You'll want to do this if you open your bids initially WITHOUT showing price, and then come back in after a technical evaluation to unseal pricing later.

• Evaluation Committee? (required) —

  Will there be an evaluation committee to review the proposals and score them based on weights and multiple criteria?