Florida Tax Deed Investing

[Jane W.]

Hi everyone!

I'm located in lee county Fl, and have some questions about tax deed sales in this area. I saw some other posts about tax deed investing here (very helpful!) so I hope to find some answers to my questions. Here it goes:

If I buy tax deed property in Florida and public records show that the previous owner has a judgment recorded but not a lien against the property yet, can this judgement later on still get converted to a judgment lien against the property although it changed possession? Or would the creditor have to file for a lien attachment prior to the sale to be valid? In my understanding this can happen with municipal debts only, but not credit cards for example. Am I correct?

I also heard something about cross collateralization, so I wonder if it's true that if a person has liens recorded and owns several properties, those liens attach to all of the properties automatically, even the ones that directly effect only one specific property - for example a code violation. Anyone knows if that's the case? And if it's true, does this pertain only to liens recorded after the purchase of a property or can even older liens that were recorded prior to the purchase of a property affect it?

I see the city listed as an interested party in tax deed sale documents, but when I search public records I don't find any liens or judgments recorded. Is this an indication of encumbrances too, or is the city always listed even if there are no code violations or any other outstanding issues? I'm wondering, because the city is listed in every single tax deed document I have seen.

Is it true that in the state of Florida the clerk of court is not obligated to locate the owners new address even in the event of returned mail? Let's say the owner lives abroad. 

What in your experience is the easiest, fastest, and most affordable way to clear title? Someone told me you can get title insurance if you get a quit claim deed from all interested parties without having to file for quiet title action. Has anyone of you done this before?

And finally, can anyone recommend a Florida title company who insures tax deeds for a higher premium?

Sorry this post got so long. Hopefully others are looking for the same answers and it will help them too. Thank you!