Tax Sale – 3 Tips You Need to Know

When trying to buy a home, sometimes it may make more sense to purchase one through a tax sale. This method of buying property means you get to purchase a home much cheaper than if you went the traditional route. Basically, when homeowners have properties that they can no longer keep or pay taxes on, local governments will put the home up for auction. This means that as the purchaser, you agree to pay the remaining charges on the home that have not been paid by the property owner.

Types

There are two types of tax sales. One involves a lien and the other involves a deed. With the lien, governments have the option to put the lien on the property up for purchase by bidders. These bidders will take turns in offering money in exchange for the property. When this situation involves a deed, governments choose to go ahead and sell the property outright. Overall, regardless of the two types, the goal is to get the property out of the delinquent homeowner's hands and transferred over to someone that can pay for it as well as the taxes owed on it.

Benefits

Whether you’re the buyer or seller, you have the chance to make the best of a situation and come out on top. For a buyer, you’re getting a property at a fraction of the cost. Just imagine getting a custom property that contains all the bells and whistles you want without having to pay a huge sum. If you’re the seller, a tax sale is your chance to get out of a property you can no longer afford. Drowning in debt because of a huge mortgage is no fun and extremely stressful. In order to get peace of mind and save money, homeowners can put their homes up for auction and finally be free of the burden. Bottom line -- the real estate market is in a state of disarray, so offering a tax sale can offer a positive result for buyers and sellers.

Where They Are

There are various ways to find out where these events are held. For instance, you can start locally by contacting your county collector or the area’s treasurer. Also, you can do a local search on the Internet to help you find out when and where the next one will be held. You can even check with your town’s sheriff’s office, since sometimes these events are handled by their office. In addition, don’t overlook your daily newspaper. Oftentimes there are notices in the paper about properties that are going up for auction and that there is going to be a tax sale. Just be sure to keep your eye out for these notices since they do not run everyday. Usually, there’s a picture of the property included along with a listing so you'll be able to see what you’re planning to spend your money on. Furthermore, there are websites that offer lists that contain information on these events. You can find some information free, while others charge you a fee in exchange for the list.