I'll bet you know a good lawn service who would work with you and do it for free or greatly reduced in exchange for the chance to get a long term client.  

Hello I am fairly new to wholesaling and i have a potential deal that has back taxes owed on it, however since i know that the buyer may be able to talk to the city and get the taxes reduced should i just write the contract to the seller for the difference, then market the deal to a buyer with the lien included in the purchase price and making note of it in the break down that the extra amount is due to the back taxes on the property and if they call city hall they may be able to get them reduced?

You then would have a reason to give for reducing your offer.

If I buy a fixer upper, I flip to increase the rent, attract a better tenant, and reduce the maintenace costs.  

This should reduce the risk somewhat. 

Loan limits can increase by a factor of 3-5 in many of these cases, but this comes with a major tradeoff of 3-5 percent "compensating balances" (read more collateral via covenants or less money loaned in effect)Item 2 is desirable from the perspective of reducing brain damage and consolidating relationships.  

You may be able to reduce costs by installing a roofing system over top of the existing system. 

I've found since 2014 Columbia has really reduced property taxes in certain areas (Richland Cty) and by buying low the beginning tax value is low.

My goal is to reduce my tax bill for 2014 if that helps. 

To help educate the public about the dangers of unlicensed activity, be proactive and encourage your clients to verify your real estate license.