Posts Tagged ‘Tax Liens’

Know More About Government Tax Liens

Saturday, January 16th, 2010

Each and every owner of any kind of property is required file property taxes that is applicable to the stat and local governments. The tax will be based on the value of the property that is been owned and also in which state the property has been owned. Sometimes these taxes are referred to as the Real Estate Taxes.

Sometimes there arises some severe condition where the owner of the property will not be able to pay the property taxes that are required to be paid. When this problem arises the owners of the properties become delinquent. Once if the delinquency has been recognized, then the in charge of collecting the property taxes will be upon the appropriate governing authority. Then the appropriate governing authority will collect the tax by tax auction or through tax sales.

All states in the country have their own set of separate laws that are regarded to the course of acts in collecting the delinquent taxes. Most of the times, the local government will be put in charge in this procedure of collecting the taxes. These property taxes that are collected are basically used for the betterment of the local communities. Actually there are 2 types of Government Tax sales that are used; they are Tax Lien Certificates and Tax Deed sales

The local government that is responsible will hold an auction called as Tax Sale for the Delinquent Tax properties. Normally the general bid will be the total sum of the taxes that is owned, any administrative charges and also the interest on the amount that is owed. The bidder who will bid for more at the tax lien auction will be awarded with the deed of the property. Please note that different set of rules are being followed by different states. The rules that are followed by the states will be regarding the restrictions on the possessions and also the time lapse that is required before a person is assigned with the absolute deeds.

The tax lien certificates will also be valued and auctioned at the amount of taxes that owed along with the interest and administrative charges, but this is the place where all the similarities will come to an end. In the cases Tax Lien Certificates, there will not be any transfer of the property deeds during the time of auction. Once if all these tax lien certificates are sold out, then the delinquent tax payer have to pay back the lien amount plus the interest charges that is occurred. Normally, about 16% to 18% will be paid back to the certificate owner.

In case if the delinquent tax payer fails due to pay the amount due to some reasons within the stipulated time that is fixed by the governing authority, then the tax lien certificate owner cane be awarded with the deed of the property only after the foreclosing on the lien in proper manner. So get to know prior information on tax liens, tax lien auctions, government tax liens and much more.

Do you need complete government listings for sales of liens, Tax lien auction, government tax liens, government tax sale properties and make profit from tax sales? Log on to http://www.taxsalelists.com and get all the useful information.

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.

What You Need To Know About Purchasing Government Tax Lien Foreclosure Homes

Thursday, January 7th, 2010

A tax lien is the lien placed on a homeowner’s property by the county or municipality in the intent to collect a debt. Specifically, it is the action taken by the government to satisfy delinquent real property taxes on real estate. The governmental agency authorizes the tax lien to collect any lien which consists of delinquent taxes, accrued interest, and the cost associated with the sales. In many jurisdictions, the tax lien is the initial lien on the property; thereby granting it permissible to be sold at a tax lien auction as a tax lien certificate.

After placing a successful bid, prospective investors at a tax lien auction would have purchased a governmental- issued tax lien certificate. Subsequently, a tax lien certificate allows the investor to obtain two (2) things; a state- mandated yield from the lien or title to the property. The yield from the lien commands that the delinquent taxpayer pays in order to release the lien. After a certain amount of time (set by the jurisdiction), the certificate guarantees you the title of the property if the delinquent taxes aren?t paid. As a tax lien certificate holder, your investment is generally safe. Occasionally, investors have lost money in such procedures; therefore it is wise to fully comprehend the rules and laws of the area that you are bidding in, and be cautious not to pay too much for the tax lien itself.

There are five (5) basic methods to invest in tax liens in the event that more than one investor seeks the same lien. The winner is dependant upon each state’s laws, of course. Firstly, the prospective investor can bid down the interest. With this method, a buyer can accept lower rates of return. The winner of the tax lien certificate is the buyer that has accepted the lower rates. The premium buying procedure suggests that the investor who is willing to pay the highest “premium” (or excess beyond the lien amount) is declared the winner. Unfortunately, the premium may or may not earn interest and the investor may or may not be reimbursed upon redemption of the lien. Some states awards tax lien certificates randomly by selecting bidder numbers for each of the real estate properties that are up for auction. This is significant in that the concept of public auctions is becoming more and more mainstream and popular with the general public. In fact, within large counties, there are substantially developed internet- based auctions allowing outside bidders to participate. Yet, another tax lien buying procedure is the rotational selection. The rotational selection gives the investor holding bidder number one the first lien offer, whom actually has the right of first refusal. However, if bidder number one chooses to refuse, he will not be offered another bid until his number appears again in rotation. The final method for purchasing tax lien certificates is to bid down the ownership. In most instances, the investor will avoid bidding on liens for less than full right to the property or sale proceeds. None-of- the- less, the bid down the ownership method allows the investor to purchase the lien for the lowest percentage of encumbrance on the property. If the investor is willing to accept that the original owner will own the remaining percentage, then he/she will be awarded the lien.

It is important that you conduct your due diligence prior to making a final decision as tax lien sales aren?t for everyone. Furthermore, there are prominent benefits as well as risk to tax lien investing. One particular benefit is that the maximum rate of return in a tax lien is much higher than other investments. Unfortunately, the payment is required at purchase and failure to pay the full amount results in the cancellation of all lien certificate purchases.

The wealthy have been buying tax lien certificatess for years and banks have also been very active in this market It’s realistically one of the most recession-proof investments out there because the returns(15-50%!) are guaranteed by the government. Visit http://www.NewHotBizOpportunity.com to get a free 7 day online course that will teach you exactly what you need to know about investing in this lucrative industry.

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!

Tax Liens vs Tax Deeds

Sunday, December 13th, 2009

Tax sale jargon can be extremely confusing. There are tax lien sales and tax deed sales. As if that wasn’t confusing enough, there are also hybrid sales called redeemable deed sales. Once you understand the differences, you can wade through this goldmine and make huge profits!

Tax liens are simply a lien on the property. From the homeowner’s perspective, you are simply a creditor, much like the mortgage company. Mortgages and liens are in what are called “positions.” The big loan that you got when you bought your house is the first mortgage, and usually has a very low interest rate. If you did an equity line or borrowed additional funds, then you also have a second mortgage. Second mortgages are always at a higher rate than the first mortgage because the lender takes more risk. In the event of foreclosure, the lienholders are paid off in the order of position, which means that the first mortgage holder is paid before the second mortgage holder.

So, what does this have to do with tax liens? The position of tax liens is even higher than mortgages. If the homeowner refinances, the tax lien must be paid. If the homeowner sells, the tax lien must be paid.

If you foreclose on your tax lien and the mortgage company does not pay off your lien, then you could wipe out the mortgage and own the property free and clear! Isn’t that great! On top of that, you are making an interest rate that is much higher (as much as 24%) than what the mortgage company is collecting.

Now that you understand the basics of tax liens, let’s review tax deeds. In the case of the tax deed, the county simply holds the lien for several years and does its own foreclosure. Then, they hold an auction and you buy the property. It’s very similar to a traditional mortgage foreclosure auction.

The third type of tax sale is called a redeemable deed sale. The most notorious redeemable deed state is Texas. In Texas, the investor buys the property at the tax sale, but the homeowner has a specified period of time (six months to two years, depending on the type of property) to buy back, or “redeem” their property. In the meantime, the investor can take possession of the property and even rent it out. In the event of a redemption, the investor gets a very nice 25% annual rate on their investment in Texas.

As you can see, tax liens and deeds vary greatly by state. Before making any kind of investment like this, proper research of state and local regulations is essential. With the proper tools, a massive goldmine awaits.

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.