I'm starting to research tax lien investing. Given the state of the stock market over the last few years, I'm looking for a way to invest in certificates to gain an interest rate higher than what banks are offering and returns that higher than the stock market right now.

I listened to a few podcasts from Advanta on how to invest in tax liens in a self-directed IRA, however the management fees charged by Advanta are rather large compared to other retirement fund options...

I also found a few audiobooks from the library and listened to them:

Brian Mahoney - Tax Lien Certificates Property Investing.

C.R. Wesley - Understanding Tax Lien and Tax Deed Investing

Thomas C. Lee - How to Make Money in Real Estate Tax Liens

Problem is they're all fairly generalized and talk about the basics from a global/overview perspective, whereas Tax lien certificates are all county-specific and are based on local and state rules and regulations. It's like trying to find a needle in a haystack to find a county close to me that engages in this process. Google searching isn't really finding anything either.

I live in Northwestern Pennsylvania (PA is a tax deed state, and my local county does not do tax lien certificates, they do property auctions to recollect taxes). At this point in my career, I'm not looking to purchase more properties, but would like to invest in real estate via tax liens. Ohio, however is a hybrid state offering tax deeds and certificates (I saw online that only the counties with populations > 200,000 offer the lien certificates).

So, my question is: Does any one know of any resources that are more specific than what I've come across...that provide detailed information of specific counties or states (as opposed to just general information, or sales pitches for classes that cost $1000's)?

It seems like this is highly shark-infested waters, with lots of scams and scammers, and the actual information is difficult to obtain...

--Sean

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

2 Votes