GOSHEN — Almost a third of the properties that were up for auction as part of Elkhart County’s annual tax sale were snapped up Tuesday.

Of the 759 parcels that were auctioned off at the Elkhart County Administration Building in Goshen, bidders made offers on 281 pieces of land. Parcels landed on the auction list if the property owners have delinquent taxes prior to the spring 2011 collection. The total back taxes owed on the properties in this year’s auction added up to $6.8 million.

Tuesday’s bids ranged from as little as $142 to as much as $408,000, according to county treasurer Larry Ernest. The total bids equaled $4.4 million, $970,000 of which was taxes and the remaining $3.43 million was surplus.

Bids were up slightly from last year. Elkhart County sold 270 parcels at tax sale in 2011 for a total of $3.3 million.

Owners of the 281 properties still have a chance to redeem their land. They have up to one year to pay back taxes and other fines owed to the county before Tuesday’s winning bidders can secure titles to the land.