Tricks for Succeeding at a Tax Deed Auction

In recent years the prospects of investing in Tax Deed Auctions has started to attract professional investors.

Therefore competition for Tax Deeds particularly in metropolitan areas can sometimes be steep. But if you are a determined individual investor you don’t need to give up and instead can use some of the below creative techniques to still get the Property you set out to purchase.

First it needs to be mentioned that the above said institutional and professional investors mainly attend Tax Deed Auctions in metropolitan areas, where values of properties tends to be quite high and properties tend to move quicker, thus enabling the investors to quick flips. This makes sense for them because they don’t want to mess with Properties worth $5,000 to $30,000 in rural areas which using traditional sales methods might take a few months to sell.

Tax Lien Foreclosures

Almost everyone has heard about foreclosures but not too many have heard about tax lien foreclosures. This type of foreclosure results from non-payment of taxes due to property, income other taxes put against any type of property.

If foreclosure occurs, more likely than not the original property owner will not be able to bid on the property. The sale usually is held at the courthouse or the property being sold and notice of the sale is required.

Here is how this type foreclosure happens:

Tax Liens VS Tax Deeds – Which One Should You Invest In?

Because you’re reading this article I will assume you’re already somewhat familiar with tax liens and tax deeds. You also probably know that these are two of the most lucrative and rewarding investments available anywhere in the world. They’re in a class of their own.

The question is, which one takes the throne as the king of investments? Are tax liens better than deeds or is it the other way around? Let’s find out! But first, I need to ask you a couple of questions.

1. Are you willing to travel to invest or do you strictly want to invest from home?
2. Are you competent at selling a property?
3. Do you want a hands-off investment that requires little of your time, or are you willing to be more active with your investing?
4. Do you want to grow your wealth as quickly as possible, or are you ok with somewhat slower growth?

Investing In Tax Liens

Tax liens can be a relatively safe investment. A good return on your money is also possible. The catch? Everyone knows about this now, and the bids are pushing down rates of returns.

When we went to the local tax lien properties sale here in Fremont County Colorado, we were amazed that a little community like this could have so many investors wanting to buy tax liens. This is good for the county, but not for an investor.

Tax liens are handled a little differently in each state, but they are essentially the debt that a property owner owes for late taxes. Investors buy these, and to pay them off and so not lose their property, an owner must pay whatever fees and interest rate the law specifies. Here in Colorado, that is 15%. We liked the idea of a 15% return on our money.

The ABCs of Tax Lien Investing

Are you interested in yields of 6 percent to 50 percent on your money, secured by a property tax lien against real estate?

Author Joel S. Moskowitz explains how investors can buy little known tax lien certificates that pay high yields in his book, “The 16 Percent Solution”

As a bonus, although the author warns it rarely happens, the investor might get kicky and foreclose on the property. However, he cautions that property owners usually redeem, so investors must be content with just high yields.

3 Ways To Profit From Tax Lien Certificates

When you buy a tax deed there is really only one way that you can make a profitable return on investment and that is to sell or rent the property. However, when you purchase a tax lien certificate, there are three ways that you can profit from your investment. These three ways are summarized in this article. Read on to find out more about them.

The first and most obvious way to make a profit on tax lien certificates is with the redemption of the lien. The delinquent property owner redeems the lien and you, as the lien holder, will receive the certificate amount of the lien plus any interest and penalties that have accrued. Since an annualized rate of interest is offered in most states, you will earn more money the longer the lien is outstanding and before it is redeemed.

How Much Money Do You Need For Tax Lien Investing?

I am frequently asked, “How much money do I need to start investing in tax liens.” Well, that all depends on what your goal for investing is. If you’re using tax lien investing as a way to invest for the future, then you can get started with a couple of thousand dollars. But if you want to create an income from tax lien investing than you need to invest much more.

One thing that you have to remember is that tax lien investing is not a get rich quick scheme. It’s not like other types of real estate investing like buying and flipping properties, or owning rental properties. With foreclosure properties, you have an idea of when you’re going to cash out of your deal, and with rental properties you have a steady income. With tax liens, you don’t get paid until the delinquent taxpayer decides to redeem the lien or redeemable deed. This may not be until the redemption period is over and foreclosure notices are delivered.

Tax Lien Investing FAQs

Recently I sent an e-mail out to my subscribers asking them some questions. I wanted to find out what it is that most people want to know about tax lien investing. I got a lot of good questions and I won’t be able to answer them all in this article, but I want to try to answer those that were asked most often and that weren’t answered in my new free video course.

I especially like to answer questions that start out with the words “How do I…” or “How can I…” This type of question shows me that someone is really interested and is ready to take action. So let’s answer some of these types of questions that are not answered in my video series. So here are some frequently asked questions about tax lien investing.

Tax Lien Certificates – The Hidden Investment Secret

How would you like to gain 16%…18%…24%…even up to 50% on your investment? The government, irrespective of what goes on with the stock market, rising prices, recession or bank rates of interest, securitizes & guarantees the extremely favorable rates of return of tax lien certificates.

This little-known secret is often referred to as the “wealth maker”, and very few people recognize or take advantage of their benefits. Introducing the Tax Lien Certificate. In many counties throughout the U.S., local governments are owed millions of dollars in outstanding and delinquent property taxes.

How To Obtain Funding For A Tax Deed Auction

Like in any market, Tax Deed have their share of problems. For example there is competition. Excessive competition during tax deed auctions auctions will affect the prices drive them up closer to the true market value. However in the Tax Deed arena has some ways to circumvent the number of problems I am listing below;

In this publication I am focusing on the most drastic problem investors face when attending Tax Deed auctions, particularly when targeting higher value properties.

The problem is that Tax Deed Sales are usually a Cash affair. That means you can’t come to an auction with $500.00 in your pocket expecting to be able to buy a $100,000 property and then spend the next few weeks qualifying for financing, like it happens in the regular market for residential homes. Instead most counties have regulations expecting any winning bidder to come up with the full cash within somewhere between 24 and 48 hours from the sale.