Tax Liens Sales

What are the risks in investing in tax lien certificates?

Public Comments

1. If you pay the tax lien, the owner has to pay you the specified interest in order to get the title to the real estate back. If he fails to pay you the amount you paid of on the tax lien, plus interest, I believe you would then be the owner by default. If the house and been let go into disrepair, it may need a lot of money to make it livable again, which could be more than the amount you have gained by assuming the unpaid taxes, and the high rate of interest (that would have to be paid by the owner to regain possession). On the other hand, if you have time to visit the properties, you could find a good piece of real estate where someone has defaulted on taxes due to loss of job, health problems, legal problems, etc. You have to do your research. Usually the attorneys have law clerks they can send to the court house, or visit the property to see what the story is. I would say it's fairly competitive to get the good deals.
2. The first answer is good. The other thing that can happen is that at the last minute the owner pays it off, so you think you're gonna make a killing and you really don't.
3. The risks are minimal. Perhaps the greatest risk might be part of the best case scenario. If the owner is unable or unwilling to pay off the lien, then you have to opportunity to obtain that property. The risk is that the final costs to obtain the property from legal and court fees might be too substantial for you come up with. However, if there is a lot of equity in the property you may be able to get a loan against it. Check with the county or state treasurer (who ever is selling the lien) to figure out the final costs to close the deal.