How can I find out if taxes were paid via a tax lien sale?

[Sandy Uhlmann]

I am considering purchasing a performing first lien.  When researching if the taxes are paid, how do I know if the taxes were paid for by the property owners or if they were paid via a tax lien sale?  Can I use a Title Company such a Pro-title or others to find out this info?  If so, which report do I order from a title company? Does and O & E report cover this? If I call the courthouse will they give me information on who paid the taxes?

In addition to looking for unpaid taxes, tax liens and other liens, I plan on researching the payment history and researching the FMV. Am I missing anything?

Thanks

[Mike Hartzog]

Hi Sandy - Sometimes this type of information is provided by the county website, but for final DD I typically I use the low tech approach of calling the county tax office and asking them directly.  Sometimes taxes paid via lien are called out as "Paid" on these sites.  So specifically asking for the total due and whether or not there are any unredeemed liens get me the information I am looking for.  It is helpful if you can provide a parcel ID or tax account ID, but if you don't have that, they can look it up via address.