Posts Tagged ‘Lien’

Understaning Bidding Methods When Buying Tax Lien Certificates

Tuesday, December 29th, 2009

Tax lien sales have many different variations. The statutes vary by state. In many areas, the rules will also vary at the county level.

One of the most important things that you need to remember when buying tax lien certificates at a tax auction is understanding the method by which the county determines who is going to buy the tax lien certificate. In some areas, this is determined by the investor bidding down the interest rate for the lien. In many other areas the county will sell the liens on a percentage of ownership basis. In other jurisdictions, the county uses a round robin procedure to determine the winner of the auction. In this article, I will explain the differences between the methods and the advantages and disadvantages of each method.

The most common type of auction is the bid down auction. The auctioneer simply starts the bidding at the top rate for that jurisdiction and then the rate is bid down until the lien is sold. In certain areas, investors can make up for a low rate by paying subsequent taxes and through minimum rate guarantee statutes.

The advantage of the bid down method is you can easily bid on the exact lien that meets your needs. You also don’t have any possible co-ownership scenarios that can make it difficult to file foreclosure and take full possession of the property.

In other states, it is on a percentage of ownership basis. What this means is that the interest rate remains flat, but in the event of foreclosure, the investor and the property owner become co-owners of the property. The initial bid is with the investor at 100% and it goes down until the lien is sold.

This method is great for high interest rates. Iowa uses this method, which means that you are guaranteed a very nice 24% rate. The problem with this is that if you end up as a co-owner with the taxpayer, you may have an expensive legal hassle on your hands to actually take possession of the property.

In other states, the bidding is on a round robin basis. In these areas, the auctioneer offers the lien around the room until someone buys it. They are always at the maximum rate allowed by statute.

In round robin states, you get a nice guaranteed rate of return on your tax lien certificate, and don’t have to mess with the co-ownership issue. However, in round robin states, it is much more difficult to actually get the liens that meet your needs. If you decline during your turn, then you have to wait for luck of the draw to see if you get the lien that you want. If you are a big money investor, then it’s not that big of a deal because you can buy a lot of different liens. But as a smaller investor who can only afford a couple of the liens on the book, this restriction can be very limiting.

As you can tell, the bidding procedure is something that is very important in the tax lien research process. With proper planning, you can wade through the minefield and reap great rewards!

Carlos Scarpero is an experienced real estate investor who specializes in land. On his blog at http://www.scarpero.com/real_estate, he discusses innovative and creative real estate strategies to make your real estate investing more profitable.

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

Monday, December 28th, 2009

Reason#1-Internet Tax Lien Sales:

How Can I Obtain A List Of Tax Lien Property Sales In San Diego County?

Sunday, December 27th, 2009

On the regular website it says it does not offer certificates, whatever that means, but that it does do sales. Anyone know?

Is There Someone Who Is Familiar With Illinois Tax Lien Sale?

Saturday, December 26th, 2009

I would like to buy a tax lien but I am confused with the 2 yr redemption period here in Illinois. If you purchased a lien for the tax year 2006(sold in 2008), and the owner did not pay their taxes and failed to pay again in tax year 2007, will you have the right to purchase the 2007 taxes and foreclosed the property OR will it be sold again in 2009 for the 2007 tax sale? Please help THANKS

Where Do You Find Out About Tax Lien Foreclosure Sales?

Friday, December 25th, 2009

Does anyone know how I can find out about buying a tax lien foreclosure house, particularly in california?

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 Certificates and Subsequent Tax Procedures

Tuesday, December 22nd, 2009

Tax lien auctions have gotten more and more competitive in recent years. Some factors that have led to this trend include: more awareness among small investors because of new courses on the market, more Wall Street money entering the market and the new trend of internet tax sales.

If you have been to the tax lien sale lately you may have noticed something interesting. The big dog investors are bidding the properties down to next to nothing. In Florida, it’s very common to see properties bid down to one quarter of one percent. Has your banker gone insane? Or do they know something that you don’t?

It’s probably a little of both, or they are probably playing the sub tax game. What’s the sub tax game? It’s very simple, really. In many states, the regulations allow tax lien investors to pay the taxes for the following years, also called subsequent taxes. In other states, the investor is actually even required to pay the sub taxes. Even more interesting, many states also have minimum penalty statues on the books that make investing there very attractive.

For example, in Florida, it is very common for the tax liens to be bid down all the way to one quarter of one percent. However, Florida also has a 5% penalty clause and an 18% normal interest rate. So, in Florida, the investor will often buy the lien at the quarter percent bid. If the lien redeems in three months, then he has made a 20% return. Worst case, the lien does not get paid for the whole year and the investor still makes 5%, which is a lot better than bank cd’s.

Then, the investor has the sub tax rule to make up the difference. He simply pays the following year’s taxes and is at the full 18% for the sub lien without any competition. Not only that, he is secured by high quality real estate. The two liens together will average well over 10%. So, the investor either gets a nice high rate of return, or he gets a nice Florida house.

Of course, that’s assuming that a hurricane doesn’t blow the house down. Heck, he is even covered there, because the tax lien investor gets first dibs on the insurance money, ahead of the homeowner and even the mortgage company. What a deal!

So, as you can see, subsequent taxes are an area of tax lien investing where you need to know the rules and learn to play the game. If you do it properly, then you can make some huge profits!

Carlos Scarpero is an experienced real estate investor who specializes in land. On his blog at http://www.scarpero.com/real_estate, he discusses innovative and creative real estate strategies to make your real estate investing more profitable.

Any Small Investors Have Good Luck At Tax Lien Sales?

Monday, December 21st, 2009

In KY the laws regarding tax lien sales to favor the institutional investors. I went to a sale on Tuesday and they cancelled it before it started due to an institution submitting a pre-auction bid to buy all of the tax liens. I was furious.

Tax Lien Certificates – Fat Investment Profits Backed By The Government!

Thursday, December 17th, 2009

Tax lien certificates are a little known or understood investment type that can reap tremendous rewards for their owners. Essentially they combine the potentially high returns usually associated with riskier investments with the security offered by lower income financial instruments such as bonds.
Here is how they operate:
1. The investor purchases the tax lien certificate which is secured to the property it relates to – in effect the investor is paying the property tax on behalf of the property owner.
2. As an example, the tax lien may relate to real estate/land owned by someone who has not paid their property taxes. This is where you step in – by paying off the tax lien and getting a certificate in return. This certificate entitles you to (a) interest on the lein and (b) the amount of the tax.
3. Interest payable on the property is passed directly to the certificate holder. The entire billing & collection process is done by the government administration and paid to the certificate holder. The rate of interest on the lien varies but tends to be between 8% and 50% per year.
4. Research shows that over 98% of tax lien certificate holders receive payments to the value of their investment within two years – and if they do not, the tax lien certificate holder can end up owning the property for little more than the amount that was paid for the certificate.
While you may be forgiven for thinking that tax lien investments are reserved for the very rich and experienced, you would in fact be wrong. They are quite simple and can be obtained for as little as a few hundred dollars.
Some experts believe that tax liens are one of the best kept secrets within the investment world – they offer high returns on capital and it is an investment backed by the government itself. In fact, investment expert Robert Kiyosaki has mentioned the benefits of tax lien certificates in his Rich Dad Poor Dad books.
Consider these staggering advantages of investing in tax lien certificates:
Tax liens typically earn incredible rates of interest on your investment. Where else can you achieve typical rates of 15%, 25% and more per year on a low-risk investment?
The investor is never responsible for ensuring that the interest, taxes etc are collected by the non-payer. This is the duty of the government who will handle all of this on the investors behalf.
Should the non-payer fail to settle the monies owed, the investor has the legal right to foreclose on their land/real estate for an incredibly low fee. The length of time can vary between one to three years before foreclosure becomes a possibility.
Tax lien investing is fairly simple – and arguably a lot easier to understand than stocks (and certainly less risky).
As with all investments, it’s important to be well armed with knowledge and experience on your side plus an understanding of the potential problems you may face when deciding to put some of your capital into tax liens.
Below we outline some important considerations:
1. To uncover the most profitable tax lien opportunities can take somewhat more capital and research than standard ones. It involves visiting tax lien sales which can be time consuming – and before bidding on anything you should consider visiting the real estates mentioned in the tax lien sales. This can be harder than it sounds because the amount of information available is very basic.
2. Remember, that aside from buying the tax lien, you will also need to pay the taxes on the property until it is redeemed. Once you do invest in tax liens, you cannot retrieve your initial investment – instead you must wait till the lien is redeemed or the property falls into foreclosure.
Tax liens are wonderful things – high yields, the opportunity to pick up real estate for just pennies on the dollar and returns that are backed by the U.S. government. Start investigating them now before they become common knowledge.

Tax Liens Exposed – Plus Six Additional Low Risk, High Return Investments That You Never Knew Existed. Free report! Stunning Investments That Offer Huge Payouts With Limited Risk!

How Long After I Pay An Outstanding Sales Tax Lien In Ny State Will They Un-freeze My Bank Accounts?

Monday, December 14th, 2009

They filed a tax lien against me about 30 days ago and now they have frozen my bank accounts. I am literally without any access to my money at all. I will have to put the entire payment of $7000 on a credit card. How long until they relinquish my funds in the bank?