This guide will assume that the person reading is familiar with what a tax sale is and is not and how it operates from a lien sale to a deed sale.If you do not know this information,then I encourage you to view my other guide entitled , How to buy Tax Sale Foreclosures ,  which discusses these issues in depth.

This  guide will discuss important tips and tricks that I have learned along the way in my own journey of doing these deals  since 2004.Since my exerpertise in tax sales investing concerns just liens , that is what I will discuss.I have never personally bought a tax sale deed.There is 2  very important reasons for that too.

Number 1 ,  It is a widely known fact that buying a lien on a property is a better way (than buying deeds)to obtain real estate  for pennies on the dollar.

Number 2 , I like to buy properties with less competition.

When I decided where to invest and how I would invest , I also decided simultaneously that I wanted to buy in situations that offered little competition.Tax sale deeds are generally sold at public auctions in deed sale states and as such , can be much more expensive than buying a lien , say over the counter , internet sales or the like.Certain states do offer deeds over the counter as well , however.(florida and arkansas come to mind).

Another important lesson I have learned along the way is NEVER BUY A TAX SALE LIEN WITHOUT FIRST DOING YOUR RESEARCH !!!! I have been at tax sale lien sales and encountered other bidders who are just picking up the sale brochure and bidding without doing any research(looking at the property,location on parcel maps,title work) at all.At a minimum , I always look at the property to determine if its something I really want or not.

It;'s really true that County lien sales do offer great opportunities to buy a property(after the redemption period) , unfortunately , it's also true that those same sales offer a great opportunity to buy a lien on a totally worthless property too.Need I say more.The only time I would buy a lien without first doing some research is if I know the area well where the property is actually at.

Here's a situation I often get asked about with respect to buying a lien.How do you know whether a lien may get redeemed or not?? First , I would say look at the overall situation at the courthouse.In other words,get the map and parcel card of the property and find out on the card where the current owner lives.If he/she lives out of the state the odds are that they will not redeem.Also,see how the current owner actually bought the property.If the current owner was willed the property,that's another sign that the lien may not be redeemed , either.Another sign to look for is the death records,oftentime,a delinquent property owner has died and left no heirs to pay the taxes or take care of the  property. Once you know the current owner,check those death records.If there's no heirs,that would be a lien to buy for sure.Marriage records are fertlie ground to find a lien deal also.If a divorce has taken place before  the lien is offered at sale, that would be a lien to pursue too.

I hope this information helps you in your pursuit of financial freedom and Happiness.Thanks for reading.