The interest rate in IL is very good if you acquired the liens at 18% it becomes a penalty and is accrued every 6 months which could be up to 36% which would make a very nice return. 

Check status of lien foreclosure fees so you know if additional charges have accrued.

The deal is still just a little out of the price range I was considering - I was just kind of asking out of curiosity. 

Out of curiosity, what country is this in?

They're not going to take a haircut for you, but you can get it very close to what they paid, their legal fees and all accrued interest.The high bid premium is a circuit breaker to make sure the tax sale process rewards investors and penalized tax scofflaws, but stops short of the taxpayer being robbed of their property.

You won't have any of the benefits, but you won't accrue fees either and you could use the time to build your network. 

If you have any questions... even if they are just "curiosity-type"questions, feel free to reach out.  

Out of curiosity, I reached out to the lender who helped with my first property, and now I have a pre-qualification letter in hand at 25% down, 4.75% interest, total estimated monthly payments of $575.

Just out of curiosity, how did you come up with your offer price?

I still look at it, mostly out of curiosity and sometimes out of fascination at just how badly dilapidated some buildings can get and still be "occupied".Seriously though, what makes an apartment complex stand out to you as a possible deal using only the information you can get from Loop Net?