Posts Tagged ‘Investing’

Tax Lien Investing: From the Field

Saturday, January 23rd, 2010

In April I went to a tax sale in New Jersey. Here?s what I noticed at this tax sale. There were more properties available than last year, but there were also more bidders. A couple of institutional buyers showed up who don?t normally come to this particular tax sale. At least they weren?t there in 2007 and 2008. And there were also a couple of new companies that I haven?t seen before, after talking to them I learned that one of these companies just started earlier this year and the other is into tax lien investing again after being away from it for a few years. There were also a couple of new investors just checking on what this tax lien investing thing is all about as well as the usual crowd.Most of the ?good? properties ? by good, I mean safe properties, properties that you know are going to redeem and have a decent looking structure on them, went at premium, except for one that went for 1%. There were a few parcels of vacant land and one trailer that went from 17% to 18% and there were a few pieces of undesirable vacant land that went to the township. There was one very large lien (over $60,000) that originally was struck off to the township, but one of the investors got it at 18% after the tax sale. It was a corner lot with some old barns on it.I went to this sale in order to pay the subsequent taxes on two of my liens to keep them out of the tax sale, and to see if I could pick up another lien. I was able to get a lien on a nice building lot for 18%. The lien was for around $2600.

Tax Lien Investing Basics for the New Investor

Friday, January 15th, 2010

Are you stalled in your tax lien investing because you think you need to know more before you get started? Tax lien investing is really not that complex. You just need to follow these 5 basic steps.1.

Update to Tax Lien Investing Book Review: “New Edition of The 16% Solution”

Friday, January 8th, 2010

Just after I wrote a review of three of my favorite books about tax lien investing, I got a call asking me if I?d like to review a brand new edition of one of them. A second edition of The 16% Solution, by Joel S. Moskowitz, is now in bookstores and I?ve just finished reading it. It?s been a while (more than 6 years) since I read the original version of this book ? which was somewhat outdated then, so I wasn?t sure just how different the second edition would be from the first. I was pleasantly surprised! With all of the hype and recent infomercials lately touting tax lien investing as a way to get rich quick, this book is very refreshing. Right from the beginning Mr. Moskowitz sets the reader straight, giving honest and straightforward information. I was really impressed with the forward to this second edition where he likened the chances of someone getting a property for pennies on the dollar from a tax lien to someone winning one million dollars from a one-dollar lottery ticket. Yeah it happens every now and then, but it?s not likely. And then he tells you what you can expect from tax lien investing ? ?super-high interest combined with safety.?This book is divided into four sections. In the first section Mr. Moskowitz explains what tax liens are, why they are such a safe investment, and why now, more than ever before you need to include them in your investment plan. At the end of the section he has a chart that shows how tax lien certificates compare to other investments in terms of income and growth potential, risk avoidance, safety, and liquidity. Section 2 talks about how to buy tax lien certificates; how to choose a state and county to invest in and how to choose the properties to buy tax liens on. It also covers bidding at the auction and buying over-the-counter and assignment liens. There is even a chapter on how to get local officials to help you do your due diligence (This doesn?t always work in every county, but it?s certainly worth a try).Section 3 of The 16% Solution talks about how you get paid on a tax lien certificate and how to foreclose on the property. Mr. Moskowitz explains how a tax lien certificate is redeemed, how to foreclose on a tax lien, and what to do with the property once you foreclose on it. Section 4 talks about avoiding and managing risks. Mr. Moskowitz explains just what the risks of tax lien investing are and how to avoid them. That?s something that most tax lien investing ?gurus? never tell you until you give them thousands of dollars for coaching. I recommend that anyone interested in tax lien investing read this book for this section alone. Buy this book and save your thousands for investing in tax liens!Also included in the book are a couple of appendixes with helpful information. In Appendix I there is a chart of state laws for all of the tax lien states. Georgia is included even though it?s technically a redeemable deed state. This chart is a good tool, but remember, just because a state has laws that allow it to have tax lien sales doesn?t mean that they actually have any. There are at least a couple of states on this list that either have only a couple of counties or municipalities that have tax lien sales, or have hardly any properties available in their sales.Appendix II has some more detailed information for 14 of the tax lien states (these are the states that have an interest rate of 16% or higher). Some of these states are covered more thoroughly than others. My guess is that the states that are covered well are the ones that Mr. Moskowitz personally invests in. The states that are covered thoroughly are: Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, and Iowa. Detailed information on the other states is lacking. If you are investing in one of the above-mentioned states or planning to invest in one of these states I recommend that you purchase this book. Also if you are planning to invest in tax liens on commercial or industrial properties there are helpful forms for avoiding environmental problems in Appendix III.This book is great for beginner investors in tax liens, it does not have information about tax deed investing, but it does have detailed information for 4 of the more popular tax lien states, and one redeemable deed state, plus general information for the other tax lien states. It also discusses investing online and purchasing leftover liens. You can purchase this book at a discount on Amazon at http://budurl.com/vdns.

Joanne Musa works with people who want to build an extremely profitable portfolio of tax lien certificates or tax deeds FAST. She is the author of the Tax Lien Investing Basics system for learning how to invest in tax lien certificates and tax deeds for maximum profit, and founder of Tax Lien Consulting LLC, a consulting company specializing in tax lien investing coaching and education. Go to www.taxlienlady.com for more information about tax lien investing.

Investing in Tax Liens: What if I’m in a Deed State?

Wednesday, January 6th, 2010

Frequently I get asked this question: “I really want to start investing in tax liens, but I live in a deed state. Should I look into investing in tax liens in another state, or try to invest in tax deeds in my own state.” In this article I’ll give you what I recommend for investors want to invest in tax liens, but find that in their state they only sell tax deeds. It’s not a one-size fits all answer, it really depends on what your goals are and on your particular state.You really have two options, either find a way to invest profitably in your state, or look at some of the online tax lien sales; you may even want to do both. First, find out what goes on in your state. Are there many deed sales? How often are the tax sales? How many properties are available and how competitive are they? You will actually have to go to some tax sales and see what they are like.Some states just don’t have very much available, if that’s the case; you may want to try the online tax lien sales. Other states may be very competitive and properties may get bid close to market value. If that’s the case there is still a way that you may be able to profit from tax deed sales in your state. Some counties give the excess proceeds – that’s the amount that’s bid in excess of the minimum bid amount, back to the owner of the property. Here’s how the excess proceeds strategy works in a nutshell. Instead of waiting for the tax sale you contact the owner of the property before the sale and see if they are going to let their property go for back taxes. If they have already decided to walk away from the property, perhaps they would be willing to give you a quitclaim deed to their property for a small fee. You record the deed with the county clerk a few weeks before the tax sale. Let the property go to tax sale and after it is sold you apply for the excess proceeds. This strategy only works in a few deed states that give the excess proceeds back to the owner of the property – not all deed states do this. So before you try this strategy check with the county tax collector or county treasurer and make sure that the owner of record of the tax delinquent property can apply for the excess proceeds from the sale. Also you do have to check for any other liens, since you are buying the property from the owner and not purchasing the deed at the tax sale, you will be held responsible for any other liens on the property.

Joanne Musa is a tax lien and tax deed investing expert who helps investors buy profitable tax lien certificates and tax deeds. You can find out more about the excess proceeds strategy of tax deed investing and get a Free mini-course at http://www.TaxForeclosureFortunes.com.

Should I Invest In Tax Lien Sales?

Friday, January 1st, 2010

are these tax lien sales worth investing in and can i make some good money doing it?

Tax Lien Sales – Guide That Explains The Secrets Of Tax Lien Investing?

Wednesday, December 30th, 2009

21st Century Tax Lien Investing-four Reasons to Start Today! Part 1

Monday, December 28th, 2009

Reason#1-Internet Tax Lien Sales:

21st Century Tax Lien Investing

Thursday, December 24th, 2009

There are four reasons why any savvy 21st century investor would want to learn as much as possible about tax lien investing. They are as follows.
Reason#1-Internet Tax Lien Sales:
The Tax lien market has seen considerable change over the last couple years.
It seems like only yesterday that a few of us would gather on the courthouse steps of what county in whatever state we were bidding for.
You would have the pick of the litter and watch the face of the county assessor drop as we all got our fill and stopped bidding.
In the bad old days the assessor would rarely, if ever sell off all of the liens that they had available. That would mean that the county would incur the wraith of an unfunded municipal coffer.
When a person does not pay their property taxes that county is left with an ever expanding deficit of funding for such things as road maintenance.
The bane of the tax assessor was the best kept secret in American investing vehicles, the tax lien. The word just never seemed to get out sufficiently about this amazing investment, thus a lack of sales of tax liens was a problem that needed solving.
The savior of the county came with the advent of the internet. Some of the more savvy assessors grasped the theory that folk just do not always want to travel, even for the BEST investment that money could buy.
The obvious solution was to bring the auction to bidder!
You can now sit in the comfort of your own home or office and make a fortune from GOVERMENTALLY SECURED investments!!! Several states such as Florida and Indiana are truly on the cutting edge of internet technology in the way they handle their auctions.
I, for one am more than happy to have the option to NEVER stand in the rain with my hand up again! While there are still a few of my PLATINUM level states that I heavily invest in and still have to travel to, I now can built my fortune ever higher by merely clicking my mouse!
Reason #2-Ease of Research:
Back in the good old days researching the properties that I wanted to bid on was tedious at best, impossible at worst.
Please do yourself the favor of NEVER bidding on a tax lien for a property that you have done no research on.
Sometimes a tax lien may seem too good to be true nine times out of ten it is exactly that TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE.
5 acres of land for pennies on the dollar sound great right? What if it is landlocked on all sides?? What if you need to drill a 1000 foot deep well??? What if it is an environmental waste dumping ground???? Get the picture?
The research phase of your tax lien purchase is going to be the difference between hitting a home run-redemption with full interest paid, possibility even a grand slam-getting a property for pennies on the dollar OR owning a piece of environment disaster history, made a parcel of useless land that YOU now get to pay taxes on.
Utilize all the tools that are now available to you at your finger tips. I say again GOD BLESS THE INTERNET!!!
Satellite photography has brought to us the power to look at any house in the nation within a few seconds. Like the old saying goes good fences make good neighbors.
Do not bid on a parcel that sits next to a junkyard; noise, dust, stench, environment waste, etc. will all be waiting for you if you win this gem! Good luck selling it!!!
A neighbors yard can look like a junkyard. A Satellite photo can show you if the neighbor has a messy back yard, or a shed that caught on fire and was never demolished.
The curb appeal of your neighbors house is just as important as the curb appeal of your house when you are trying to entice a buyer, especially if the market is hot and they have many homes to choose from.
Another essential tool for research, most importantly if you are going to concentrate of residential tax lien investing, is the deluge of real estate site available at a mouse click.
Now you can find out everything you would ever want to know about a neighborhood or even a whole city by just surfing the enormous number of real estate site that have comparables, resent sales number, noise and light level, and just general gossip. Never forget knowledge is power!
Reason #3 Information about Foreclosures and Failing Markets
Whether you deem it to be a blessing or a curse; we no longer have any privacy.
The internet has given us the ability to find mortgages that are in or close to default. It should be fairly obvious to you by this point in the book that if someone is not paying their mortgage, they are not paying their taxes.
This information is invaluable when you are making your desicion as to whether to buy tax liens for the interest or the property acquistion.
Banks and lending institution become heavy with foreclosed properties when the housing market crashes. They are not nearly as apt to pay off the back taxes on a property that is going to fill their books with more unwanted inventory. It is much easier for them to write it off the books as being seized for tax evasion.
As I mentioned above, so markets are MUCH more likely to redeem than others. Use the knowledge you accrue from your internet research on a given market to make an educated guess as to the outcome of your investment.
If you are only worried about getting an amazing interest rate, look towards investing in an area with a strong economy. You still maybe hit the jackpot, but it will be rare.
If you are looking to expand your real estate portfolio, look toward an area with a weaker economy. A lot of foreclosures and massive real estate sell-off are the indicators of choice. You will acquire your new property so cheap that you will be able to ask half the cost of your competition and still make a killing!
Reason #4 International availability
The internet has opened the doors to the international buyers market for goods and services around the world. Tax lien certificates are a perfect example of this 21st century investing arena.
I do not think you will see too many people flying in from Australia to stand on a county court room steps to bid for tax liens or deeds. While the hope of getting a home in America for pennies on the dollar is a huge draw to any savvy investor, now it can be done with your mouse, not a plane ticket.
Americans will always have the advantage of being able to easily travel throughout the country going to their favorite tax lien auction sites, but the advent of internet tax lien auction site has enpowered the world.
The great part is the county is getting their tax money to provide us with roads, fire and police departments, etc. Whether they use domestic or foreign investor dollars, we all win!

Melford Bibens is an ACE certified personal trainer. He lost 150lbs in 1996 through a self-engineered fitness and nutritional program and has kept the weight off for more than ten years.


He is the author of
, THE comprehensive guide to Tax Lien Investing in the 21st Century.

Tax Lien Investing Profits made easy

Friday, December 11th, 2009

Tax lien investing has been a tool used by the savvy investor and corporations for over 100 years to accumulate large profits.