You are not allowed to compound interest.If you bought the certificate from the state on a best price offer, you charge interest on your purchase price, not on the full amount of the taxes that were due, but were not paid by you when you purchased.After you obtained your tax deed, you are entitled to something called "mesne profits" if you file an ejectment lawsuit against the former owner and they redeem during that lawsuit.  

If your income grows faster than inflation, you'll have the $162 needed to purchase the basket.

Quote from @Juan Perez: Greetings,My first home was paid off over a year ago, and I am now living in my recently purchased 2nd home.

Do you have a track record of purchasing and operating real estate on your own?

Or buy something that needs some love and some hard money lenders will fund up to 90-100% of the purchase and rehab.

If your mother does not want to carry the note long term, there are GSE renovation loans that can be used for both purchase, rehab, and permanent financing all in one loan.

To defer all tax you must purchase in total at least as much as your net sale.

Yes quite a few of our 5,000 options have rate and term or purchase!

You could house hack by purchasing a small multifamily with an FHA or conventional loan, reducing your living expenses while building equity.

I've got about $525K in equity in the property, but lenders have told me that I cannot get a HELOC to access that equity for additional purchases because the duplex was financed as an investment - they have said TX law dictates that HELOC can only be used on primary residences.