All Forum Posts by: Valery Mora Kepley

I’m interested in this area as well. Is there erosion or other things to be aware of when assessing a property?

@John Underwood thank you for responding. So is there more legal action involved in the Fannie Mae, or is it something you would do again?

I’m finding it very time intensive to figure out if a lot that isn’t numbered is in a good build able location. 

You aren’t planning on York County, are you? I would love to tag along. 

Thanks @Tom Gimer! I was assuming properties with et al meant several, like heirs, but I see what you mean. If two people have different last names, I guess it would be too much for the field.

The lots with no street number are hard for me to research for this particular county, so I was assuming no street number means landlocked, but may just require more research in different venues on my part.

I am looking up information on preliminary tax lien sales.  I am able to see the person who owns the property, then I am looking at the GIS for information on assessment and property location. I am hoping to eliminate some of the properties I look up. Here are some questions I have.

I have heard not to mess with Life Estates.  Would an owner's name listing "et al" be the same?

What if a property is owned by Freddie Mack? Is the government not paying taxes? Is there a chance it will be redeemed?

What is up with HOA common areas not having taxes paid?

Also, are there issues with a lot that doesn't have a number address listed?

Thanks in advance!

@Ashley G. I'm interested that you mentioned the Virgin Islands. I lived in St. Croix for two years, and I think those islands are very volatile. Have you bought anything there?

@John Underwood Let me clarify. I thought the most interest you could get was 12% on the back taxes. Are you saying you can get interest up to back taxes? For $1000 in back taxed, I was assuming $120 was the most you could get. That puts a whole different spin on things....

I will go out of my way to find you in Greenville and take you to lunch...that is a generous offer!

@John Underwood Another great piece of advice.  I see one county is charging for a list.  Not sure about the others. I guess the best way to find out is to call someone up. Is there a particular person responsible, or someone in the register of deeds? I planned on doing preliminary online research and then doing a drive by. I've heard stories of not physically looking at a place. 

Another question-how much over starting do bids generally tend to go? Is it usually 10-50% or more? What is the purpose of overbidding? I believe you only get interest on the starting bid amount, so I would assume it is to procure the deed should it not be redeemed?

No bad stories to tell???

Thanks @Jeff Graves and @Jon Crosby!

I appreciate all the great advice!

Thanks again Andrew-also didn't think about the lot being worth more than the structure. I will have to look at the tax cards and see if depreciation makes sense.

Curtis, thank you. Can I ask what turned you off to the vacation rentals? Was it the maintenance costs? Any other cons?

Also, where are your year round rentals? I've been considering that, but I have been burnt with tenants trashing a place and having to evict them (without a PM company, so I understand the worth of having one for sure!). The rental property I had was near a college and I had a PM company find the tenants and do background check. The damage they did to the property and the months they stayed until eviction just killed me and make me leery of rentals now. I was thinking of renting in a good school district to a family, but the cashflow in the area I am looking at does not make much sense.  I'm afraid to go into lesser neighborhoods at this point. Your thoughts?

Thanks John! I was hoping you would reply! I don't know why I didn't think about multiple checks. That makes sense!

I have a few months to do more research before the counties I am interested in will be selling. Is it worthwhile to get the papers they advertise in? Are there any other things I should know that I didn't ask? I won't tell if you won't tell!