(http://blueprint-ventures.com)The whole tax lien market is about $15B per year, but I actually think smaller funds have the ability to get better returns than larger funds because they can be more selective and don't have the pressure to constantly put their money into something.

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I plan on creating an additional arm of marketing to a few selected areas with these sort of properties, to feel out the market for motivated sellers.  

I have extensive experiencewith hubzu.com/Altisource/Ocwen et al and I am not aware of an alternative to the auction process with the exception of a bulk sale whereby the property is offered to select investors along with a large group of properties.

Expertise and quality of service will definitely trump geography when it comes to selecting a provider of self directed plans.

Since I am a long term hold investor the slight benefit of having the 'first' tenant in place isn't that big, and I actually prefer to select the tenant.  

Nearest to you New York and Illinois seemed to have the best selection of properties on the market, but I'm staying out here because my attorney/co-investor is going to stay in Ca while I'm in Nevada or Az which is driving distance or cheap flying, so I figure I'd rather keep him on board to help with paper battles, instead of go to the best states which I think would be Texas or Florida for the weather and the opportunities.  

Meeting with a title rep that is well known with my brokerage today to get the data needed to feel a little proactive with my farm selection.

You only have the mortgage/note.Also, some counties make you start at a certain percentage of a price they select.

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