All Forum Posts by: Reuben Gathright

@Samy Habib Appears you can definitely start notifications now... consider getting an attorney involved for advice please.

A quick search on Google provided some good information as shown below.  If you are very interested in the property and want to secure it fully then you need to look up the named owners and get good addresses for them.  If the owner(s) have passed away then you should take the time to notify their successors.  Finally, conduct a title search of county records on this property and include any lien holders in your notifications.  

After 12 months from the date of the tax sale, the purchaser can forever
bar redemption of the property by giving notice to the delinquent
taxpayer, the occupant, if any, and upon all persons having recorded any
right, title, interest in, or lien on the property in the county where
the land is located. The purchaser must write an original notice in
accordance with Georgia law, and deliver this notice, together with a
list of persons to be served, to the sheriff of the county in which the
real estate is located. The notice must be delivered not less than 45
days before the date set in the notice for termination of the right of
redemption.

SOURCE: https://gandglegal.com/redeem-...

In the real world, very few property tax sale investors would consider owning an apartment complex "tax title" for five years.  I suspect @Uri Pearl is discussing IRS taxes in respect to earnings on the apartment but still the thought of owning a tax title for 5 years is frightening to me.  :)

For any readers, this is why you make simple investment choices.  Don't let someone convince you that real estate options or short sales are a way to make quick cash.  The legal consultations and resulting fees must be weighed into your costs of ownership in these cases.

Do not cut the timber until you have a quiet title.

To be safe, assume timber has the same rights as a home. 

Timber law & theft are very strict in certain areas of the country. 

On the quiet title, have you tried calling and visiting the homes of the relatives of the former owner yet to establish a due process notification to attach to your suit?

@Peter Gaines Investing in real estate outside a 1 hour drive from your home puts you at greater financial liability for maintenance and repairs. 

Investing in out of state property can require you to make visits to the remote county for handling simple legal procedures from time to time.  If you do not have time to visit then a lawyer is needed which will further increase your financial liabilities.

Owning the property long-term is one of the best strategies for these tax properties because it takes the resale & title insurance issues off the table.

I always have the best luck calling ahead and asking questions to the county here is my list for your situation:

1) Can I purchase at your tax sale while living in Texas or do I need to be there in person?

2) What are your payment options (cashiers check, cash, personal check, credit card)?

You should now download and install Google Earth on your computer and look at the selection of older photos for the land you want to buy.  Screenshot and make a gallery of photos so you can quickly scroll and pinpoint potential issues.  Mineral rights on property in Colorado require a high amount of research.  Contacting the county assessor and asking if someone else is paying for mineral rights on the land is a good start.

Finally, always assume someone else wants that tax property you are looking at.  Have another one that you would want to bid on in-case the first gets taken.

Good luck, hope you share your results with us, we enjoy the experience!

@Robert Leonard Here is an example of a spit tax notice after property tax auction in Louisiana.  

Property was auctioned off for unpaid 2014 taxes:

100% Parcel 00100595A

The following tax notices for tax year 2015 were sent out to the original owner and new tax title percentage owner:

2% Parcel 00100595A

98% Parcel 00100595A

@Daryl L. You are only responsible for 1% of the yearly taxes on the property. 

A property goes to tax auction as 100% and bidders bid down to 1%.  The winning bidder is accepting the % they bid in exchange for all past due taxes that year. 

I know this from both experience in Louisiana property tax auctions and studying the state laws on the subject.

What has been done to ensure the former owners or their heirs have been given due process notification that you won their tax deed property?

Do you have a certified letter with their signature that contained a copy of the delinquent property tax notice?

If you have this then your quiet title will be much easier to obtain.

I would also suggest placing a sign on the property indicating you are the new property owner.  I place wildlife cameras on my tax deed properties to identify any former owners that may visit.

@Maugno M. LMAO here too.  

Using these forums to share and collect our experiences is the definition of collusion.

@Daryl L. In Louisiana, If the owner does not redeem their property by approximately October / November 2019 then you will get a tax bill for your 1% Tax title in the amount of 1% of the yearly taxes due on the property and the original owner will get a bill for 99% of the yearly taxes due.  The 1% taxes that you pay will begin bearing interest as well. 

The original owner / tax debtor has 3 years from the date of the recording of the tax title to redeem their property.  In Louisiana the expiration date of the tax title does not begin on the date that you won the auction. 

Next year as a good citizen, you should pursue purchase of the remainder 99% of the parcel in question at tax sale.