Buying Tax Delinquent Property Owned by State

[Jamie Psmith]

Hi. I'm looking at buying a tax delinquent property listed on the Alabama revenue website.The owner is listed as a person on the state transcript of tax delinquent property list, but when I go to the county revenue website, it says the owner is the State of Al. Does that mean the owner died and the property went to the state? Would I still need to wait 3 yrs to get the deed? Could I make improvements on the property and start renting it out before the 3 years are over? Thx for your help!