There may be other angles to take, like buying the rights to any surplus at the tax sale.  

Our purposes are mainly to revitalize New Orleans neighborhood communities by tackling the surplus of vacant housing and open up more opportunities for family home ownership.

So if you move in that direction, have a LARGE surplus fund available and be ready to spend it.Do the same math that Sergey suggested, but use a number like $200,000.

Hello BP:This is my first post on BP and am looking forward to gaining some valuable insight from the community.We recently purchased our primary residence with a HELOC and wanted feedback on how to invest surplus cash (~$1100 per month).Should we focus on paying down the HELOC or invest in aggressive funds or real estate rentals?

However, for myself personally, I love the City and wouldn't want to trade my career in tech as well as City living to move to Sacramento and instead continue to rent while using the surpluses to continue to invest elsewhere (helping to offset the cost of living here).  

Sounds like a big surplus at saleone more possibility, it is in probate and the executor is looking for cash to mess. 

Then take the surplus cash and throw it at the nest highest.

If the property sold for more than owed At The Foreclosure auction, then the owner would be due the surplus.  

They auction off surplus land.

Do a $2000 (surplus) paid to the mortgage using funds from the HELOC.