Title Issue w/ DEA

[Alia Abbasi]

Last November, I was trying to buy a piece of land from an older couple. They had bought the land at a tax sale and never bothered with checking the title. So I gave them a deposit and the rest would be paid at closing, which was supposed to be before the end of the year. The title company found that the title was tied up by the DEA due to a seizure back in the early 90's. It was originally several hundred acres with an airstrip that was seized. After the drug dealer went to prison, the land was sold to someone who split it into smaller plots and created a residential airstrip community. For some reason, the lot I was trying to buy had never been released by the DEA and so it does not have a clear title (figures). I even contacted a real estate attorney and was told that wasn't their area of expertise. Finally after 6 months I ended up just asking for my deposit back because there was still no resolution.

Does anyone know a way to clear this? I did get my deposit back but I am still interested in this property.

[Wayne Brooks]

Find a RE attorney, that issues title insurance. They will be more used to curing these types of problems. If the lot was supposed to be released, it should be doable. I would think you can do most of the leg work yourself, and save some money.