Clearing title after tax sale in Louisiana

[Jordan Clayson]

My mom owns 50% of my grandfather's estate.   The other 50% was inherited by my mom's step-nephew after my mom's brother passed away.  My mom's step nephew stopped paying the taxes and his 50% was sold to me at a tax sale.  I was told by the clerk in the courthouse to pay taxes on it for five year and that portion of the property would be mine.  

My mom and I both want to sell the property.   We were concerned with clearing the title on the 50% that I acquired through the tax sale. We spoke to two different real estate attorneys.  One stated that the easiest way would be to get a straw buyer.  The other said that we needed to quiet the title.  He stated that quieting the title can be expensive and he would need a $5,000 retainer just to get started, and that it could take months and potentially cost much more than that.  The property is in rural Louisiana only worth about $60,000.

We do not know where the step nephew lives or how to contact him.  Last we heard was that he moved to Texas.  This makes a straw buyer or quieting the title more complicated.  What options do I really have?  Ideally I would want the title cleared without costing an arm and a leg.

[Robert Leonard]

Locating the owner is your absolute best option. Then you are no longer quieting title. He now owes you for the back taxes and interest earned. You need him to obtain a clear title. You can do the legwork of finding him, but complete the process through the attorney. With the owner's involvement and cooperation, it allows you to avoid the whole tax title issue.  The guy who can really tell you how this works is @Chance Delome