On the other hand, it's apparent in the county minutes that they're at a loss for what to do with the property or who would potentially want it given current condition and zoning.Does anyone have stories, tip, or tricks for buying properties from their county's "delinquent tax list," before they go to auction?

The HOA is well-funded, everything on the property has been recently renewed (roofs, roads, pools, gardening, etc).I am curious as to whether market conditions are shifting because of local short-term stay bans (which might have opened up a lot of housing stock), COVID, over-building, or any other factors.In a town of 20k people, apartments.com lists around 3800 available rental units.

I’ve taken conventional routes so far, so maybe the conditions allow for creative options.

I feel there is a bunch of risk with this and really just want to get it off my hands as cleanly as possible.I have a relative who owns a house free & clear 4br / 2.5ba house that is around ~250K fixed up but is currently in bad condition.  

@Edward R.If you purchase a property and it is vacant and there it is not in livable condition - you may not get the tax benefits that you are looking to achieve.

The house in relatively poor condition and has been vacant for some time.

You've got a good path forward planned out here.The one mindset thing I want to encourage you to tweak here is about the price/value of the home -- I see people making this assessment every day and it monolithic and rarely ever as simple as:  the home has been on the market longer than the average Days on Market so somethings wrong (price, terms, or condition).It MIGHT be true, but there are a dozen other things that might be true. 

There's an argument to be made for a sliding scale depending on the age of the home and the condition of the systems. 

He has quite a bit of experience in buying and selling real estate himself as well so he should have some professional/personal insight.Also at this stage we are having them uncover the tank to ensure it is still there and at least start assessing the condition.

With 6 people living in the apartment check with the local agencies about housing conditions.