Getting a house with high taxes and and a lein?

[Richard Stackonis]

Hello everyone, Im brand new to real estate investing and have started searching for information on the matter. Reason being is because I have found myself in an odd situation and would like some feedback from some seasoned real estate investors!

Recently my uncle came to find out thay his ex-wife had signed the deed of her old house into his name. He found this out 10 years later(last month). Not wanting to have to deal with it, he told me that since Ive shown an interest in real estate, that he would sign the deed over to me for free.

Now this sounds like an amazing deal until I did a little research and found out that the taxes havent been paid in over 15 years and currently sit at around 27k with a tax lein attached as well. The house needs some serious repairs ie; new furnace and hvac work, new window, kitchen cabinets, and just a complete update as it hasnt been lived in in almost 16 years.

My question is that even though he is willing to give me a house for free, do the taxes and rehab costs make it worth it?

It does have a newer roof and siding, 2 bedrooms, basement, kitchen, and 1 and half baths. Its in a decent neighborhood and if I do accept I would repair and rent for a year or so before turning around and selling.

Is this something to go with or is the baggage to much to consider? Thanks for your help!

[Kevin Sobilo]

@Richard Stackonis, If you plan to sell instead of hold the property as a rental, contact a local agent and get them to provide comps (comparable sales) to show what the property should be worth when its rehabbed. 

Also, look into other possible liens such as for municipal utilities (which vary place to place). Sometimes municipalities provide sewer, water, garbage, or even electricity and if unpaid bills stack up their become liens as well.

Might be easier to spend $200-300 and have a title search done to see what you are facing. 

Develop a scope of work and estimate the cost yourself or get firm estimates from contractors. 

There is work to be done to make a deal like this come together. You have to dig into it more to see if its worthwhile.