Hello everyone,
This is my first post and a very general one at that. I do know there are many different ways of going about this issue. I'm looking for some information regarding removing liens from a property. This will be my first house that I purchase, so I'm not too familiar with the house buying process either.
The property is a up/down duplex that is paid off. This is also an off the market deal. The only people involved so far are the owner and I. However, there's a lien from unpaid taxes, water bills that Rhode Island housing were paying. The owner had a section 8 tenant. The owner also didn't file his personal income taxes since 2005 and owes the IRS money. So there's a lien for that too. After a few phone calls to several places, (City hall, Rhode Island housing, title company) it looks like he owes:
1. Rhode Island housing
2. The city of Providence
3. Federal - taxes
4. State - taxes
My questions are:
1. Where do I start?
2. Do I need a lawyer?
3. How much does this cost?
4. What other questions should I be asking the owner?
5. What other things should I look into?
I'll be buying this well below the value of the house, so I think all the footwork will be worth it in the end. The guy is very motivated to get rid of the house but doesn't really have a sense of direction. I promised him I'd take care of everything but I don't know what I'm doing either haha. I already got pre approved for the loan and had a general contractor come in and do an inspection of the house. Any feedback would be great! Thanks.
