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Updated 5 months ago on . Most recent reply

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13
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Bridget Grant
4
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13
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Help, I think I made a big mistake with tax sale properties

Bridget Grant
Posted

I am hoping someone can help. I am new to tax sale investing. I am afraid I made a great mistake. I recently bought 2 properties. One is a house, the other is a piece of land that has a condemned trailer on it. (I bought it for the land with intentions of removing the trailer and building tiny homes on it to air bnb) I understood that I was responsible for any back bills or liens associated with the properties, I was ok with that. Mainly because I "assumed" how long could utilities such as water ,trash and electric really get backed up without getting shut off. The house has a water bill for $1,300 which I am ok with. The property with the trailer has a water bill of about $1,200. again understood. However it has a trash bill due from 2006 to current that is $4,700 ...mind you , this property has been sitting vacant for many years not receiving any trash services but getting charged for a lot of empty land. I was told by the city it doesn't matter it still has to have a trash bill vacant or not. I actually wish this was the worst of the problems, it is only the tip of the ice burg!

The house has 4...yes 4! mortgages on it, which I don't understand how this house was not foreclosed on long ago. The other property that has 2 mortgages on it. Both properties have mortgages more than doubling the value of the property. When I did my research on the owners names , I saw there was mortgages in their names but assumed since they were so old they were paid off. Also from researching I was told if there are mortgages on a property at a tax sale the bank would step in to protect their investment and pay the taxes to get the property. I bought both of them cash money and should be receiving the deed in February because it takes a while to process. 

My concern is can they foreclose on these properties now that I own them even though the mortgage contract was in the old owners name?

Am I going to have to take over the Mortgage payments?

Or will I get the deed but just not be able to resell due the them having an interest in the deed as well?

I have googled so much and I am getting mixed answers on everything. Some says I am 100% responsible for everything, others say I wont owe the mortgages. I will just not have a clear title to resell, also read there is a 4 year statute of limitations on utility bills so they cant make me pay dates back to 2006. 

If there is ANYONE familiar with something like this , I would be very grateful to get some insight because I am panicking.

I literally saved money for so many years for this and I hope I didn't just lose it all.

I don't know if it matters but this happened in Lancaster Pa, and they were purchased in a business name not my personal name. Thank you in advance for any information anyone gives!

Bridget Grant

Most Popular Reply

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375
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217
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Michael Gessner
  • Pomona, NY
217
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375
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Michael Gessner
  • Pomona, NY
Replied

@Bridget Grant for one, your biggest and absolute mistake was not having a title company run title on it. Never assume nothing in life let alone real estate. A may be wrong but I don't see how you can get a clear title on either of the properties with mortgages attached. Do you know have a real estate attorney ? These are questions you should be asking your attorney asap

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