Occupied Tax Lien Properties

[Jamie Watson]

I'm a newbie to tax lien auctions.  In my county (in Indiana) they have over 1000 properties going up for sale on Wednesday.  I drove around doing my due diligence on them and most of them are occupied.  I'm really not interested in going through the fore closure process so I think I'll stick to the ones that seem vacant.  However, I'm just curious...do most of these properties have to be paid off in order for the tax bills not to have been paid.  Most mortgage companies force you into escrow for property taxes.  Also, any other thoughts you have on the tax lien process would be welcome.  Thanks!