Property and prisoners

[Michael Camp]

I have an ex brother in law in Fla. that has been in prison for the last 3 years. His property is payed off, so he's told me. The taxes are behind and he's selling it to me for 15k and the back taxes. He has made me power of attorney to transfer the deed. I am in Michigan and I can pay the taxes up online and they're not much.

My goal is to fix it up and take out a heloc to buy more properties. I want to keep it as a vacation home, but possibly rent it out for a few years at first.

How do I verify the title is clear before I go paying the taxes up? Can I transfer this property without leaving state? How do I go about doing this?