Do you have time to put into researching properties?

It can take several hours to do proper research for one property.  Are you committed to spending that much time finding, researching, and purchasing properties at tax auctions?  Not all properties will take hours depending on availability of the information.  If you can find all the information on the Internet then the time could be cut significantly.

Along with the time it will require to research the properties comes the time it will take to make money from the property.  If you are purchasing a tax deed, you will need to sell the property or rent it before you make money.  If you are buying a tax lien, the owner has to pay off the lien or you have to foreclose before you make money.  It will take patience and doesn’t happen overnight.  This is not a get rich quick strategy.

Do you have the necessary funds?

Purchasing tax deeds or tax liens requires money.  Do you have the money you need not only to pay your bid amount, but also transfer fees and any other fees the auction requires?  If you plan to travel you will also need funds set aside for airfare, car rental, food, etc.  If there are association fees or you are borrowing money, you will need to have funds to cover carrying costs if applicable.

What is your exit strategy?

Before you purchase a property you will need to know what you will do with it.  You always need an exit strategy before you enter.  It is similar to a maze. If you are trying to find your way through a maze, you need to know where the exit is located so you can better make your way in that direction.

And the most important question…

Why do you want to invest in Tax Properties?

This question is important, because if the answer is “because I want to make a lot of money”  you probably won’t succeed with tax sales.  If you want to have the freedom to spend more time with your family or you want a better life than you have now, you might do well with tax sales.  It all depends on how bad you want it and why you want it.

Answer these questions and see if it is something you can do.  It is possible for you to do it, but are you truly willing to put in the time and money it will take to be successful.

To learn more about investing in tax delinquent properties visit http://BankREOTraining.com

How much money do counties make at tax auctions?

The amount of money counties make at a single auction depend on the number of properties and the number of bidders.  When counties publish a press release about home much money the will raise at a tax auction, the numbers are usually based on every property selling for the minimum bid.

Every property certainly can sell at an auction, but it is optimistic to think that over 3,000 properties will go.

On October 5, Beaufort County, SC will hold its tax sale.  They have about 3,600 properties as of today and stand to make $5 million if they all sell.  That is a lot of money the county is missing out on in delinquent property taxes.  They probably will not sell them all because of the number available, but they will recoup a lot of the delinquent tax money from the sale.

Cass County, MI just held one of two tax auctions and sold all 26 properties and made $247,500 with 17 more properties coming up for sale in about a week.

The money doesn’t always go directly to the county directly.  The money is often divided up between the  school district, municipalities, and the county.  They all use the property tax money to function so the tax sales are important to them.

How much money counties make at tax sales is far less than if each property sold at market value, but they would rather sell it quick for what is owed rather then spend six months or more trying to sell each property individually for more money.  They want the property back on the tax roll.

To learn how you can invest in tax sales visit http://BankREOTraining.com

The first step is learning where to look for tax lien certificates.  There are two types of tax lien certificates available for investors to purchase.  The first type is through a tax lien auction.

Tax lien auctions are usually held once a year in a particular county.  The auctions are advertised in the local newspaper and on the county website if the county has a website.  If you are unsure where to look for the list of upcoming tax certificates, contact the county tax collector or county treasurer and they should be able to tell you where you can find the list.

More and more counties are choosing to hold online tax auctions rather than physical auctions at the courthouse.  This means that more investors have the opportunity to invest in tax certificates across the country without leaving home.

The downside to online tax lien auctions is more investors turn out for the auctions making them competitive.  The interest rates are often bid down significantly.

The best deals can be found at live auctions where fewer investors are willing to travel and in counties that do not have a website.  Most investors pass on counties that do not have a website, because there are plenty of other counties that have websites to make research easier.  This means that you could potentially be the only investor at an auction if you travel to a physical auction.

Before bidding on an auction whether it be physical or virtual, always read the auction rules and requirements.  In some cases you will need a form signed by the county before you can bid.  This means you need to prepare well in advance.

Some auctions also require deposits for each lien you want to bid on before the auction begins.  It is important to know the rules before starting.  It is also a good idea to talk to the tax collector about the auction to be sure you know all the fees involved and the rules, even if it is printed online.

The other type of tax lien certificate available to purchase are the county held certificates.  These are liens that did not receive any bids during the auction.  They usually can be purchased for the cost of the lien and fees and you often will receive  the maximum interest return.

The reason the certificates did not receive any bids could be for a number of reasons.  The county may have held a physical auction and didn’t have a large turn out. Or the lien may be for vacant land which has a lower possibility of redemption than a home would have.  What ever the case may be, you would still want to do your before buying the lien.

Learning how to purchase tax lien certificates can be fun and rewarding.  There is no other investment like it that is virtually risk free.  To learn more about how to purchase tax lien certificates 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