The answer to that question is simple,  but complex.   The simple answer is to contact the owner of the property and have them agree to sign the deed over to you in exchange for you paying off the taxes.  This can be done with a quitclaim deed. That sounds simple enough, right?

Before you decide to approach the owner of a property you need to know if there are any liens against the property that you will be responsible for.  If the property is sold at a tax auction, most liens will be removed, but if you buy the property outside of the auction all liens will stay with the property.

The county recorder will have the information you need about which liens, if any, are against the property you are interested in purchasing.  A title company will also be able to find this information for you and is often the best option since they research the properties chain of title to be sure which liens are there at the time of the title search.

If there are no liens against the property other than the taxes, you can pay to get the taxes current and file your Quitclaim deed for usually less than what you would have paid at the auction.

This process can be more time consuming than your regular research because of the time involved with contacting and negotiating with the current delinquent property owner.  I don’t recommend following this process unless there is a piece of property that is showing interest from multiple parties.

For more information on Tax deed sales and how to follow the process correctly, visit http://BankREOTraining.com

This would include IRS liens and government liens.  When investigating the property always check the current liens on the property before purchasing.    This doesn’t necessarily mean that all other liens will be erased at the time of purchase from the tax auction.

For example, in Pennsylvania any lien that is filed after the judicial sale is not removed when you purchase from the repository sale.  This means that a Property Owner’s Association may have a lien on the property that is removed, but they can file another lien once the tax foreclosure proceedings have begun that will stay through tax auction.

This is why it is important to call the county and the owner’s association if there is one on every property.  Be sure to write down the date, time, name of the person, and what was said.  It may be good to even record those conversations so you will have them as a reference.

In Arkansas I called with the same questions three times, spoke with two separate people, and received three different answers.   This is why it is  a good idea to take notes and call more than once.

To find out exactly which liens are removed at a tax sale, call the county and speak to the person that oversees tax auctions.  Don’t just call once, call at least twice on different days.

For quality education on tax foreclosure sales visit, http://BankREOTraining.com

There are a handful of companies that buy tax deed properties in bulk and sell them to investors way below market value.  This was a profitable venture when real estate prices where on the rise, but with the downturn in the economy properties aren’t selling as much as they were before.

The companies that would buy several tax deeds, or Land Banks,  would often sell on eBay or offer training on how to buy the properties, but the real goal is to sell land to investors.  There was a prominent company that followed this type of strategy.  They sold a training course that briefly went over the tax deed and tax lien process, but they didn’t teach a person how to find, research, buy, or sell tax properties. Their goal was to overwhelm the investor so they would buy land from the company rather than buy land from the tax auction.

If you purchase a tax lien there is more you can do than wait until it is redeemed or foreclose.  Those are the more obvious choices, but following the same principle as with tax deeds you can actually sell your lien to somebody else.

You can find tax liens for sale on eBay and other sites, but what a few investors will do is form investment clubs.  In these “clubs” they offer the members discounts on tax liens and sometimes tax deeds.  The club organizers will purchase the liens and then sell them to their members advertising risk free investing.

This strategy is transparent because the club members know the organizer buys the liens cheaper, but they do all the leg work.  In most cases, they aren’t trying to sell them education that is intended to overwhelm them so they will give up on learning to do it on their own and buy from the organizer.

If you are ambitious there is a lot of money to be made in reselling tax properties after you purchase them.  However, there is also a lot of money to be made by holding the liens you buy and waiting for them to be redeemed.

For education on how to really buy and sell tax deeds and tax liens visit http://BankREOTraining.com

There are some websites that manage the auctions for multiple counties.  The largest site is www.Bid4Assets.com.  They have auctions for many counties in California, Idaho, and other states.  Most counties have their own website that manages their own tax auctions.

www.Publicans.com is another website that handles many counties in Texas, Tennessee, and others.  They are a law firm so tax auctions isn’t all they do.

To find out if the county you are interested in has online auctions you will need to contact the appropriate party.  This could be the county treasurer, tax collector, or clerk of the courts.  If you look under one department and don’t see the information you are wanting, check the other departments also.  If you still can’t find what you are looking for, contact the Treasurer and they should know where to direct you.

Once you found the website for the online auctions you will need to read their terms.  Some counties require registration at least a day before the auction.  Others want it a week before or the day of the auction.  Online auctions often require a deposit prior to bidding.  This deposit may be required for each property you are interested in purchasing.  In this case one deposit for five properties will not be accepted.  You would need five deposits for five properties.

If the county does not offer online auctions, be sure you know the requirements before making the trip to the courthouse.  Physical auctions usually don’t require a deposit, but they want payment immediately after the auction.  The method of payment typically accepted is cash or certified check.  Rarely do the accept credit cards.

If you are flying in or driving long distances, determine what time you need to leave in order to arrive at least 30 minutes early.  Some auctions will not allow registration once the auction has begun.  Give yourself some time for heavy traffic and unforeseen events that could slow you down.

If you want to learn more about how to prepare to go to a tax auction then please visit http://BankREOTraining.com

A tax lien is backed by the real estate the lien is against.  If the property is not worth the amount of back taxes owed, it is less likely you will get your investment back.  When you research the property, find out what the tax assessed value is on the property.

The tax assessed value is not the same as the market value, but it can give you a good idea of whether or not the property is worth the amount owed.

The next step is find out what the approximate market value is of the property.  To do that you can call a real estate agent and ask them or you can search real estate listings in that area and see what comparable properties are selling for.

Your main goal for tax lien sales to get a property that will be redeemed.

Tax deed sale due diligence is the same as tax lien due diligence, but more.  In addition to determining the value, you also need to be aware of the liens on the property.  In most state, all liens, excluding federal liens, are erased at the tax auction.

Check with the local jurisdiction to find out what type of liens are erased and what stays.  This is very important to know.  If there is an IRS lien on the property and you buy, you are now responsible for that lien.

The counties are required to notify all lien holders prior to the auction.  If one party is not notified properly they may be able to buy the property from you or dispute the sale.

The condition of the property you are interested in buying is important to learn.  If you are buying land, is the lot buildable or a steep slope.  Is the land swamp land? Is there debris on the property that will need to be removed?

If you are interested in a home find out if the it is livable.  There have been homes sold at tax auctions that already had a demolition order.

The goal of a tax deed sale is to own the property.  Don’t take chances or you’ll lose your shirt.  If you want to learn more about tax sale due diligence visit http://BankREOTraining.com

First off, what is the outcome you would like to see from your investment?  Do you want the lien to be redeemed or do you want to own the property?

If you want to invest and get paid off, then a tax lien is the way to go.  You pay the taxes and then put a lien on the property.  After a pre-determined period of time if the lien is not paid off, you have the right to foreclose on the property.  Most of the liens with homes are redeemed so you probably won’t have to worry about the foreclosure process.

The interest rate on tax liens varies from state to state, but don’t think that just because one state has a higher rate than another that the higher rate will be more profitable.  At tax lien auctions investors bid down the rate rather than bid up the price.  If the rate is 18% to start, it could get bid down to 5%.  Always check the results from past auctions if available so you will have an idea of what to expect.  With more counties turning to online tax lien auctions there are more investors bidding because of the simplicity of the process.

If you want to own the property, then you will want to buy from a tax deed auction or a redeemable tax deed auction.  A regular tax deed auction will give you title with in 30 days in most cases.  The redeemable tax deed auction may take six months to two years before you obtain the title, but cause the owner has the right to pay off your investment plus interest.

When you are goal setting for tax foreclosure investing, always know what will be your purpose of the investment.  If you don’t want ownership, buy a lien. If you do want ownership, by a deed.

If you are interested in learning the tax foreclosure investing process step-by-step then visit http://BankREOTraining.com

• Alaska Tax Deeds
• Arkansas Tax Deeds
• California Tax Deeds
• Idaho Tax Deeds
• Kansas Tax Deeds
• Maine Tax Deeds
• Massachusetts Tax Deeds
• Michigan Tax Deeds
• Minnesota Tax Deeds
• New Hampshire Tax Deeds
• New Mexico Tax Deeds
• North Carolina Tax Deeds
• North Dakota Tax Deeds
• Oregon Tax Deeds
• Pennsylvania Tax Deeds
• Utah Tax Deeds
• Virginia Tax Deeds
• Washington Tax Deeds
• Wisconsin Tax Deeds

Just because the state isn’t listed in the tax deed states list, does not necessarily mean that you cannot buy tax deeds from that state.  Many states that are listed as Tax Lien States also offer tax deed sales under certain conditions.

Here is a list of the tax lien states:

• Alabama Tax Liens
• Arizona Tax Liens
• Colorado Tax Liens
• Florida Tax Liens
• Illinois Tax Liens
• Indiana Tax Liens
• Iowa Tax Liens
• Kentucky Tax Liens
• Louisiana Tax Liens
• Maryland Tax Liens
• Mississippi Tax Liens
• Missouri Tax Liens
• Montana Tax Liens
• Nebraska Tax Liens
• Nevada Tax Liens
• New Jersey Tax Liens
• New York Tax Liens
• Ohio Tax Liens
• Oklahoma Tax Liens
• South Carolina Tax Liens
• South Dakota Tax Liens
• Vermont Tax Liens
• Washington, D.C. Tax Liens
• West Virginia Tax Liens
• Wyoming Tax Liens

Several of the counties in the tax lien states also hold tax deed auctions.  Arizona, Colorado, Florida, and Oklahoma are just a few that offer tax deed sales.  The criteria for each county may be different so check with the individual county to find out if they offer tax deed sales and what the requirements are.

You may have noticed that there are some states missing from the two lists.  That is because there is a third category the tax investor should know about and that is the Redeemable Deed States.  In the redeemable deed states, if the investor wins the property at the auction, there is a set period of time where the owner may redeem the property by paying all fees and interest.

After the redemption period is over, investor takes ownership of the property.   There are only a handful of states that practice this method of tax auctions. They are:

• Connecticut redeemable deeds
• Delaware redeemable deeds
• Georgia redeemable deeds
• Hawaii redeemable deeds
• Rhode Island redeemable deeds
• Tennessee redeemable deeds
• Texas redeemable deeds

Knowing the tax deed states is only a small part of investing in tax deeds.  If you would like to learn the process and how to invest in tax deeds then I recommend http://BankREOTraining.com as the best source for tax sale training.

In the early days of the tax auctions, if you were interested in finding tax auctions  you would have to search the newspaper or call the newspaper in the area you are interested in and have them mail a paper to you.  That would be very time consuming and makes investing nationwide very difficult.

Today with the popularity of the Internet, investors are able to find tax auctions from the comfort of home.  Many counties now have websites that will list the upcoming tax auctions. Some of the counties will post information about each lot so that you will have an easier time researching the property before committing to bid on the property.

There are two primary methods I use when I am searching for tax sales. The first method is to use a search engine.  I just type in the county I am interested in and the website usually comes up.

For example, if I want to find the tax auctions in Lee County Florida, I will type Lee County Florida in the search engine and the first result is often the county website.  There will be times when the county does not have a website or a private individual has made a site about the county.

I have found that when counties do not have a website, the clerk or treasurer may.  In that case I would type in Lee County Florida clerk of the courts or Lee County Florida treasurer depending on which department I am looking for.

The other source I use to find tax auctions in Naco.org.  It is the National Association of Counties and lists most county websites and contact information.  I have gone through every county on their site and not all of the websites are correct.  If it doesn’t show a website the county may not have one, but search for one anyway because I have found a few that were not listed.

Once you find the county website, you can usually find the tax sale information on under the treasurer or tax collector.  That isn’t the case with every County so also check with the clerk. Most of the time you will not need to call, but some counties do not publish the tax properties online and require you to either buy a newspaper or send them some money to mail a list to you.  Those counties can often have good deals because fewer investors are willing to take the extra steps necessary to review the properties.

If you are interested in learning more about how to find tax auctions then please consider visiting the http://BankREOTraining.com.

First, from which state are you interested in buying?  Some states offer deeds, others only sell liens, and still others offer both and through separate sales.  Check with the state or visit your county website to find out which one they offer.

Second, determine how much money you can spend on purchasing the tax deed property from the government.  Once you know how much you can spend and before you start bidding, you need to determine what additional fees will be required.  Common fees may include a buyer’s fee, transfer tax, recording, etc.

Third, understand your market.  Are  you interested in land or a home?  Make the determination now before wasting your time.

Fourth, research properties that match your criteria.  Most information can be found at the county or on their website. Your criteria should include the type, price, in an owner’s association or not, and location.

Fifth, buy the property.  If you are bidding in person or over the Internet, be sure you know what your max price including fees will be before you buy.

Now you own the property.  At this point you can hold it for a future return or sell it now to make a small profit.  Learning how to buy tax deed properties from the government can take some time, but will pay off nicely if you put in the work.

With Internet tax auctions, most of the necessary research can be done from home either over the Internet or over the phone. Many counties offer property records access over the Internet and even satellite imagery for each lot.

Like live auction, Internet tax auctions have strict rules that must be followed in order to be eligible to purchase a property deed or lien.  Each county is different so it is important to check the the appropriate party for specifics, but generally registration is required before bidding and sometimes a week before.  A deposit is often required for each property you intend to bid on.  There may be additional fees such as a buyer’s fee, transfer tax, recording fee which can add up to a few hundred dollars more than your bid.

The list of counties that participate in Internet tax auctions is growing, but a few of the states where you will find counties that sell tax deed or tax liens over the Internet are:

• California
• Texas
• Ohio
• Florida
• Idaho
• and more

Each of the states have different rules and websites.  The counties in Florida that offer Internet tax auctions, each have their own individual website.  In Texas, there are websites that handle several counties at once.

Internet tax auctions make it possible to start investing from home and with less capital than before.  There is more information about Internet tax auctions available to help you start your journey investing in real estate on a budget today. Visit BankREOTraining.com for more information.