County Tax Sales: How To Speak With Owners

[Michael Glaser]

I've noticed that a tax sale in a particular county I invest in has hundreds of properties listed on the county site. Weeks before this number starts to drop. The week of only a fraction of these homes are still on the list. 

I attribute this to a couple of things, but I could be wrong:

1. People pay their bills

2. Investors scrub the lists, make contact with the owners and make a play to purchase the property before the tax sale.

If the 2nd is true, does anyone have a success rate or strategy they like for acquiring these delinquent property owners? (I'm looking at you @Ethan Summers )