All Forum Posts by: Richard D.

@Robert Steele There are attorneys who also act as If you find ones who have worked in the field, you will need to look. The majority of title companies out there are unlikely to put forth the effort since they maintain a "Corporate" attitude. Make money, a tax sale increases a likelihood of a claim if by chance a  buyer of a property that was originally obtained by tax sale files a claim since the property could be redeemed. This could result in hundreds of thousands of dollars in a single claim. That could in theory close smaller operations, and hurt the bottom line of mid size ones to make profits slim, and risk their licensing with their franchise. 

There are several types of laws that affect properties in Texas. From the Tax Code, Tax Laws, and Occupational Code all the way to national bankruptcy laws. Depending on each INDIVIDUAL circumstance will determine which law should be used within the context of a single property. One must also consider the interpretation of those laws on a local, state, and federal level. If you deal with an office that has 10 employees, how can you expect that office to be knowledgeable in the laws that effect a single property? The reality is you cannot. Therefore, if you can find a company that will research the laws pertaining to a single property; you will be better served. 

So when you search for your title company, you need to begin by looking at law offices. Eliminate franchises that are not lawyers, immediately. 

Do you think there would be investors in the business of buying tax deed property if they knew absolutely that they would have to wait two years before they could "do anything."  I wouldn't want to wait that long to obtain the return on my investment, unless I absolutely knew it would be more profitable. With an track record that real estate has, two years may result in a large loss in the profits column. 

@Kurt Walker want to help @Andrew Johnson find what he is looking for???

@Robert Steele a title company is hired to do it's due diligence. If they do properly research the laws (the vast majority don't), then they will be able to determine that the property is homesteaded or not. I have seen where a company called Homestead Exemption Service will file documentation for a poor unsuspecting home owner to claim homestead, charging upwards of $149.00 for a $16 filing fee. This document is nothing more than a glorified official statement meant for bankruptcy court. It technically is not even the documents the court uses in BK proceedings. But a title company sees these documents and won't issue a policy for years on the property in question. 

If you find the right title company that knows that these documents are not legally binding, then they will in fact continue to research the title. What I have witnessed in my many years dealing with these companies, they look for any reason to deny title insurance because they do not want a claim filed against them. You may start asking if they will offer title insurance if you sold the property with a special warranty deed. This means they only insure the period of time that you owned the property from liens and encumbrances.

I did not build this container home, but I am using the information from the builder to build my home out of containers. This isn't the only home in Fort Worth, Texas built from containers, it is just the one I drive past daily and I use as inspiration for my project.

 @Felipe Lois Affini Unincorporated areas are your best option for getting around the minimum building size requirements. In the photos I posted, the home has a four foot (upper level) and eight foot (lower level) gap between the containers to add square footage to meet city requirements. So the buildings footprint is 20 by 40 or takes up 800 square feet. Cities don't care if you build up to reach the size requirements as long as the building is structurally sound.  Building up was the only option for this container because the lot was zoned as a multiuse structured (previously was a garage apartment).

Most municipalities in the US are using 1200 square feet as the minimum standard size for new constructions. It would take adding additional features for just two containers in most cities. For example the City of Fort Worth has this minimum, but does count multilevel additions.

@Andrew Erickson The city of Fort Worth Texas allows shipping container homes on foundation, and I am in talks with TXDMV to determine licensing requirements to build container homes on trailers. I am targeting 20' container builds which causes the authoritative jurisdiction to change in Texas for licensing procedures. Mobile homes or manufactured homes in Texas are not required to be built here. While it is harder to title a  manufactured home from outside the state, it is possible. 

@Walter Roby jr The fastest growing user demographic for Facebook is the 65+ crowd. They are retiring and are beginning to explore the world of social media since they have time to spare. While the exact opposite is happening for those under 25, they are using Facebook less and less.

@Felipe Lois Affini 30K may or may not get you what you want, depending on turn out and bidding. I know in Tarrant County, most homes that are the type you are looking for get close to market value at auction, largely caused by investors who do not understand what they are buying or who they are bidding against. Attending Harris County auction is a whole different experience than any other county in Texas. Typically, Harris County sells three to four times the number of properties then the next closest counties, Dallas and Tarrant. In Harris County, there are as many as eight different sales going on at one time (one for each precinct). This isn't the case in Tarrant county, where they hold one sale; which you must register and sign in before 10am or they do not allow you to participate. This is also different from Collin county which holds the sales on the courthouse steps at the precinct courthouse. This is different from Dallas, that does not hold the sale in the same location every time depending on the issues within the county building the sale is held.

$30K can get you a property in a C or D area most certainly, but for a B or A area you will want to triple your auction money. Looking at the current list, there are a lot of C neighborhoods available, Hunter's Creek in south Fort Worth is in a solid B borderline A area ( I expect this one to get pulled from the sale). If this property does make the sale, you can expect it to sell for about $70,000+

Yet you can bid and get some great deals too. You must first do your homework on the properties that you are going to bid on to have the best chance.  I have written several blog post here on BP about the topic, best of luck and maybe I will see you on the 6th.

Easiest way is to contact the attorney, sheriff or constable that conducted the sale. The next easiest way is to contact the Tax Assessor Collector for the property about 30 days after the sale. That gives them enough time to receive and enter the money into the payment system. Larger counties like Harris, Tarrant, Dallas, and Bexar take a couple of months for the data to get loaded and payments made. The final option is to keep checking the county clerks office for the sheriffs deed filing. You will need to have the legal description of the property, and possibly some money to pay for a copy of that deed. This may be available as early as 3 business days after the sale depending on the county.

Being in Fort Bend County, check with or If you call the attorney's you will need either the property tax account number or the case number from the lawsuit.

Good Luck on finding the information that you are looking for. 

@Richard Ibeh Do you have plans to expand beyond the 20 current properties beyond the 8 units on the beach? If so, you will want a dedicated server to host your website. WordPress can handle what you are looking for fairly easily, and is very customizable. It also gives you the ability to terminate your developer and keep your website. Going this route would be less costly in the long run, and you will be able to adapt easily. 

It sounds like you biggest issue is going to be your hosting and security. If you plan on expanding your holdings, which I imagine is the plan, you will want a dedicated host with unlimited band width and possibly the ability to handle multiple sites while keeping your data and your clients data secure.