Buying at tax foreclosure auctions

[Carl Schmitt]

I was just looking on the city's website at the tax sale auction details. I read through the rules and one that I thought was odd was this... They require any buyer to live in the property for the next 3 years. They will make an exception if you rehab and resell, but the 3 year minimum is then transferred to the end buyer. Has anyone heard of this before? If you're flipping, It seems like it would limit your end buyer pool by having that restriction. This is in Massachusetts, if that makes any difference.