Tips for Buying of the County's "Delinquent Tax List"

[Jordan P.]

Hi BP community,

I was recently driving for dollars when I went past an old church turned dance studio near our city's downtown area. It had obviously gone into bad disrepair, so I thought I'd do a little research on its current ownership. Turns out that the county had taken possession of it it for delinquent taxes, but, according to the county minutes, did not know what to do with it because 1) it's zoned R3 residential, two family and 2) it's in poor condition.

We live in a smaller county, population being only about 71,000, so I'm not dealing with an extremely busy county treasurer or clerk like in a large metropolitan area. I feel like this may play a factor in how willing the county is to just get the property "off their books." On the other hand, it's apparent in the county minutes that they're at a loss for what to do with the property or who would potentially want it given current condition and zoning.

Does anyone have stories, tip, or tricks for buying properties from their county's "delinquent tax list," before they go to auction?

Thanks!