The town of Westford will hold a real estate auction of town-owned property later this month to sell 18 properties.

Kate Paquin, chair of the Westford Tax Possession Sale Committee, said many of the properties that will be auctioned have been in the possession of the town for decades, some dating back to the 1930s.

"None of the properties being auctioned have houses on them; they are all vacant lots," she said, noting that one of the items up for auction is a lakefront property at Nabnasset Lake.

Properties range in size from 1/10th acre to 3.2 acres. Many were abandoned by the owners years ago and the town will now sell them to recoup revenue that was lost by failure to pay taxes, she said.

The town of Westford has retained the services of the Strategic Auction Alliance in Braintree/ Worcester to handle the sale on May 19 at 10 a.m. at the Westford Police Station meeting room.