Tax Liens in Baltimore City

[Patrick G.]

Hello, I have a questions specifically to the tax lien sales in Baltimore City. (The auction is next week.)

To get right to the point. The question is can I purchase a tax lien certificate after the auction and subsequent “Assignment Sale”?

The longer version. The auction is held on-line on May 20th, 2013. Later in the week, the City attempts to sell the remaining tax liens through the Assignment Sale on May 23, 2013. According to data from previous years tax lien auction results and Assignment sale results, there have been left over tax liens, that do not sell. On Baltimore City’s frequently asked questions page #29 specifically states “Subsequent to the Tax Lien Certificate Sale and Tax Lien Certificate Assignment Sale, Tax Lien Certificates are assigned on a first come-first served basis and can be assigned over-the-counter directly from the City. They may also be assigned by mail. All certificates are freely assignable.”

I sent the auction help desk an email to inquire about this process, however, they only handle the auction and could not assist with what happens afterwards.

My hope is that I could purchase a single small tax lien certificate to get my feet wet, test the waters and learn the process. The main benefit to purchasing after the auction that I see is not having to pay the $100 application fee. (I would be too late even if I wanted to) The downside that I see is that I will only have all the left over options, but from what I can tell from past years the left overs seem to cover the whole spectrum.

Thanks for your time,

Patrick

[Ned Carey]

I only went once to the AA county sale. I got blown out and never went back.

Risks in tax sale
Bankruptcy - usually just ties up your money longer.
IRS lien - never happened to me, likely not a problem if it does show up.
Fire - Happened to me once but the property redeemed anyway.
Voided lien - In Baltimore you only get your principal back but no interest and you could be out attorneys fees.
City Screw ups - Perhaps the most likely risk is the city will screw up and you will have to take a lot of time to get the issue corrected.