A $44K check, two addresses, and an investor who couldn't be found
A Georgia tax deed investor lost its claim to a Fulton County property after setting a Saturday redemption deadline – then going unreachable.
The Court of Appeals of Georgia, in a decision filed April 21, 2026, affirmed a lower court ruling that sided with the original property owner in a dispute over the timing of a tax deed redemption. The case turned on whether a property owner's right to reclaim land from a tax sale could be cut short by a weekend deadline – and what happens when the buyer disappears on the day payment is due.
The property, located on Ruby H Harper Boulevard in Fulton County, was originally acquired by Real Dream Investors in 2006. After the company fell behind on taxes, the Fulton County Sheriff sold the property to Monarch Holdings Group at a tax sale in March 2021 for $22,745.04. Monarch received a tax deed and, a year later, moved to permanently cut off Real Dream's right to buy back the property.
Monarch published a notice setting April 16, 2022, as the final date for redemption and confirmed the payoff amount of $44,447.02 by email. The catch: April 16 fell on a Saturday.
Real Dream did not pay by that date. On Monday, April 18, a representative from Real Dream's legal team showed up at the address Monarch had listed in its own notice, cashier's check in hand. No one from Monarch was there. The location turned out to be a mail-holding facility that could not accept anything on Monarch's behalf. The representative then drove to Monarch's principal office on file with the Georgia Secretary of State, only to learn the company had moved months earlier. Calls to the phone number in the notice went unanswered. Emails got no reply.
With no way to deliver the check in person, Real Dream's counsel sent the full redemption package – cashier's check, cover letter, and quitclaim deed – by overnight mail that same day. Monarch received it on April 19 and rejected it as late.
The appellate court disagreed on every count. Under Georgia's time-computation rule, when a deadline for exercising a right falls on a Saturday or Sunday, it automatically extends to the following Monday. The court found this rule squarely applies to tax deed redemption deadlines and rejected Monarch's argument that the statute only governs time periods rather than fixed dates. Tax sale laws in Georgia have long been interpreted in favor of property owners, and the court would not allow Monarch to shrink the redemption window by placing the cutoff on a weekend.
The court also found that sending payment by overnight delivery was reasonable, given Monarch was unreachable at every listed address. Georgia's Supreme Court has previously approved redemption payments mailed on the final day of a deadline, and the appellate panel saw no reason to treat overnight delivery differently – especially when Monarch's own absence made it necessary.
Monarch's tax deed was declared extinguished, and Real Dream was confirmed as the fee simple owner of the property. The decision is a pointed reminder for real estate professionals in tax deed investing: a weekend deadline does not accelerate the clock, and going dark when payment arrives can cost you the property entirely.
