All Forum Posts by: Claudette Attride

Yes, and in South Florida – Broward county has one of the largest ‘retired’ populations in the country, and these 'Baby Boomers' are now between mid-50s and 60's many of them were  post war- post depression raised children and investors, they have equity in their homes and after they pass, these properties can be gems.  So, this also is a fact north in NJ, so you can still look into it there.

Claudette

Hello Jason:

This can be a great deal, however, by the time a property reaches auction for deliquent taxes, there are usually other financial matters for you be concerned about, which if you buy the property BEFORE the county tax auction will become your problem.   A County tax auction takes care of debts like mortgages and some other liens- so do your due diligence to find out what other debts are leaning on the property ( yeah, that's why they call it a lien!) and the condition of the house:  visit with them,  ask to use the restroom etc - ask for a cup of coffee to see the kitchen etc- use your eyes first, them if you need talk to a GC with a discussion of what you have seen- do your due diligence before you EVEN think of a Quit Claim deed.  On the other hand- a QC deed can also net you overages- just to let you know if you don't want the landlord thing.    Good luck

Claudette

So many times I see investors asking where to find deals, that its becoming harder to find deals on the MLS, why not look into probates to find properties that may have to be sold to allow distribution to heirs. Most Personal Representatives (that’s the person in charge of distributing the properties of the deceased person) in charge of the estate are looking to sell and may need your help at a time when they may be overwhelmed in dealing with managing this new house. You can be that solution, so make your offer. South Florida has a high percentage of senior living with relatives out of state, and with senior living the property is usually very well maintained. So, especially new investors, GO FOR IT! 

Hello Marco:

In addition to the great advice already submitted, here’s a suggestion: Since you are familiar with the courthouse, I suggest you make a visit to the probate division with that case in mind. When looking at the file, here are a few things to look out for: The Petition will show the name and address of the person applying to be Personal Representative- that’s your contact person, not the heirs. The PR will be eventually given an Order authorizing him/her to dispose (sell) the property. That’s your new best friend! Now look to see where did the owner die, i.e. in what state?; that will determine where the first application for probate is made. Since you mentioned that the owner had properties in other states, that process slows the pace for the estate to be settled as the settlement process goes through each state beginning with the state in which the owner died and or was domiciled. However, that ‘slow process’ can sometimes push the Personal Representative to become motivated to sell the properties to be able to settle debts that an estate incurs while decisions are being made for its legal disposition. It is very important that you reach out to the PR after you read the court documents to see like I said where the first probate application will be made. Many Florida properties have out of state owners, and some of these Florida properties carry on-going HOA fees etc. so prepare an ‘elevator pitch’ speech to explain to the PR that it would be a great idea to ask the court for an early order to sell the Florida property to avoid ‘financial bleeding’ like HOA fees and taxes etc. In other words, find reasons to show the PR why it is necessary –NECESSARY- not better to sell the property sooner than later. Good luck, also quick note, an intestate estate (without a will) that has more than one property and several heirs usually has to be liquidated to be able to divide/allocate to heirs- it is just easier to deal out cash than properties.

OK: Here it comes.. I am not an attorney, so this is not legal advice. When you look at the court documents also make a note of the PR’s lead attorney’s name and address for you to contact also. It appears in the files under “Denotes lead attorney”. Good luck.

Claudette

Hello and welcome as a new member to Bigger Pckets.  SoFlo has quite a few investment groups that networking can help you identify properties and help with help in things like this.  Good luck.

Hello:

I am not an attorney, so this is not legal advie.. that out of the way..Nick, remember a will outlines with wishes of the deceased person not the wishes of the surviving relatives, you say they are 'listed in the will' but not what that means.  You can look at a copy of the deed for youself at the appraiser's website or records site to see how it was held-  you also need to know what the decedent said about the property in the will..  It is not all bad, in the meatime, the relatives can go to the Court's Probate section - get application forms - and apply to be a personal representative for the estate, also they should prepare a document to show bills that have been paid on behalf of the estate -eg funeral bills etc., that cause the relatives to be 'out of pocket' which they now want to recover  so that an expited sale of the property would allow them 'to become whole'.  This application should also state that they have a buyer, document to show appraised and comps for the sale of the property and wait for the order from the court to authorize sale.    Hey Nick, get a solid agreement fron them to sell to YOU.  Good luck...  PS, some real estate agents are very knowledgable in probates and can assist you also for a commission which is sometimes lower that attorney's fees..  I am not a real estate agent or attorney..

@Jose Hooker:

Adding to the ( great)replies  above:   Also remember to do extensive research. With this one-. You can start here: OSCEOLA COUNTY CODE ENFORCEMENT BOARD . Don’t let things like this come to bite you: Liens –: re inspecting and/or mowing extensive growth on the property – these fines add up and are not usually removed at a Tax deed sale!

Good luck..

Claudette

@ Josh Darville:  Yes I'm also in.  I'd like to add, that I'm a former administrative assistant so I can help with organizing and tracking emails, confirmations, reminders etc. 

You are in the right place.  Lots of information in the Fourm and on the Broward county website.

Claudette

Florida statute bars certain information from being available on the wewb- one probate information comes under that privacy law, so information as to the applicant and the decedent's address etc and not on that part of the site.  https://officialrecords.broward.org/oncoreV2/Searc... 

My method: I print my excel sheet, open the Property appraisers site to OWNER and put in mane by name. When I get a hit, I copy the mailing address,( I love out of town ones) and I check the deed - was it joint ownership, was there 'right of survivorship' etc - these notes help me to decide on which properties to chase,.  Then I go downtown to the court's registry and get data only on the ones I've selected.  I haven't done this in a while though.