Jo Anne in Alabama, new member with questions
We started venturing into tax sales at the beginning of 2013. We lived in Cumming, GA and wanted a spread in the middle of no where, we were lucky enough to know someone who lived in Fruithurst and knew the property next to him was going to sale. At the time we knew nothing of doing property tax sales, and had no intention of getting into it as an investment opportunity. I began researching extensively how the process worked, how the previous owners debts were attached to the property, redemption periods and so on and so forth. I researched specific topics till I was blue in the face and all the answers I was getting were the same. We knew that if there was a mortgage, the mortgage company would pay the taxes, but could only find personal loans and credit card debts. I was able to find information about her bankruptcy on https://pacer.login.uscourts.gov. Here I read about all of her debts and began to search out if those debts were tied to the property in any way. All my answers were NO, once they go to tax sale all debts are forfeited if they do not pay the delinquent taxes. We went to the sale an won! Fast forward to 2017, we are trying to get a clear title on the house an apparently (per a very rude and not helpful attorney) the house still belongs to the heirs of the deceased (from what we know he did 10 years ago and the wife didn't want the property) and that there are judgements. From my research on pacer, there was no mortgage, but a personal loan of about $30K and some credit card debts of around $15K (from what I can remember). So my question is how do I get a clear title so we can either sell it or borrow against the house, or whatever we want to do with it? Even the tax commissioner said all judgements should have been erased after the deed was recorded in our name. I have reached out to local attorney's and no one seems to know anything or have any suggestions. I thought I was doing my due diligence before getting into this, but I fear a year after getting the deed and being told its ours now it looks as thought we took on her debts along with the house. I have researched quit claim deeds and quiet title claims, but am not sure if either of those will help us get a clear title.