BUYING A OCCUPIED PROPERTY AT A TAX DEED SALE ... WHAT NEXT ?

[Cathy M.]

Hi,

I am looking to buy a property for sale in a forthcoming Florida tax deed auction ( Manatee county ). I have bought several houses in Florida before at tax deed sales but they have all been unoccupied and I have taken possession that day after the sale and either requested a quiet title or waited 3 years for the title to become mine as no challenges to title were made.

The question I have is that the house I am looking to bid on at the tax deed auction is still occupied by the owners. 

The owners have been contesting a foreclosure for several years and this is still in effect.

If I am the highest bidder at the tax deed auction do I get immediate possession ?

Will the tax deed sale wipe out the mortgage ?

What strategies could I use if the owners refuse to move out ?

Note : I have considered using cash for keys in the first instance and failing that a quiet title search followed by an ejectment. 

Does anyone have any experience of carrying out an ejectment of the owners in Sarasota, Florida as to approximate costs and timescales if a ejectment is followed through.

Also do you have a good attorney that you can recommend to do this.

Many Thanks

Cathy