Tax Foreclosure Properties – What They Are, and How to Buy Them
Everyone who owns a property must pay taxes on it each year. If the owner doesn’t pay his or her taxes, the property’s status becomes delinquent. Fees accrue, and further taxes continue to pile up as time goes by. If the property isn’t brought current within a specified period of time, which differs state by state, then the property will eventually be foreclosed upon and sold at auction by the county in which it’s located. These tax foreclosure properties provide a great opportunity for savvy real estate investors.
There are several reasons why tax foreclosure properties are better investments than mortgage foreclosure properties, but the biggest is that they are almost always free of mortgages by the time they reach the sale. Mortgage companies will bail out the back taxes on properties they have an interest in long before they get to the point of government foreclosure. Since houses without mortgages are often also houses without other liens, the equity is up for grabs if you’re lucky enough to buy one.
You’ve likely seen infomercials recently claiming you can make thousands by investing at the tax sale. They’re only half right. The other half is blatant exaggeration to try to get sales! Tax foreclosure properties are a great investment, but you’ll have to avoid the tax sale to get the best deals. Competition at tax sales is fierce, and often the little guy can’t compete with the tax investing giants that go after the best properties.
The way to get these properties is by waiting until time is running out for these owners- this is usually during the period AFTER the tax sale. Most states give owners a year or so to “redeem” their property after it’s been sold at tax sale. When that period of time is up, there is no recourse- they have lost their property permanently. So by waiting until shortly before that redemption period is up, and then contacting the owners directly, you’ll be catching them at a time when they’re highly motivated to sell their property to you for a steep discount. Sometimes, these owners have resigned themselves to losing the property, and are just happy to be selling it to someone other than the government.
After you’ve purchased the property directly from the owner? You just pay off the delinquent taxes and fees, and the property is yours.
Few investors exploit this route. Why? Could be because it’s more work, but it’s more likely they just don’t know where to begin. If you’re willing to put in the time and effort to find these people, you’ve just discovered a lucrative way to invest in free and clear real estate… with next to NO competition.
Click here for more info on this investing method- including how to obtain or compile your own list of properties about to be lost to tax sale in your area or anywhere in the country, and how to find their owners.
Also, learn what to say to an owner when you talk to them on the phone, to “grab their deed” for as little as $10! (Yes, really!)
M. Dawson is a Chicago area writer, real estate investor, and entrepreneur.
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For more videos on short sales check out Kevin and Fred on the Short Sale Power Hour. Video for Short Sale Specialists.
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Fred Weaver is a founding co-owner of Group 46:10. He has been working in the financing/real estate business for over 7 years. Fred began his real estate career by working for a large wholesale bank as a processor and rate/lock specialist for home mortgages. After 2 years in the business, Fred transferred from the banking side of home loans to the mortgage side. While on the mortgage side of financing, Fred gained experience originating mortgages and processing files for Morgan Capital of Arizona, Inc.
Kevin is a founding co-owner of Group 46:10. He began working in the real estate business in 2007 after spending 8 years working in the finance industry for companies such as Bank One, Green Tree Financial, & GE Capital.
