How to Acquire Abandoned Property Before Auction

Question

Hello, new investor here (one rental two years in).

I came across an abandoned property last week and started to do a little research. GIS revealed the owner who may've been in AZ but is now deceased as of last year. I'm in VA, btw. I contacted a lady with taxing authority who stated the property is at around 10K in unpaid taxes (not paid since 2008), but I wouldn't have access until it went up for auction which could be several months from now. She said I could maybe circumvent the process by involving a real estate attorney. Is this accurate? What techniques have you all used to get a head start on a property? Thanks!

Ned Carey · Answer

@Tre Galloway you have to buy the property from the owner. If the person is deceased then the owner is the estate. If an estate has not been opened then you have to contract the heirs and open an estate. Bottom line first find if there are any heirs to the estate and then contact them to see if there is any interest.

Tre Galloway · Answer

@Ned Carey Thanks!

Ned Carey · Answer

@Tre Galloway you pay for a "Skip Trace". This is the industry term for finding people. Just Google People finder and lots of sites will come up. A good search will include neighbors, relatives etc. It takes some detective work. We sometimes pay private detectives to track people down.

Tre Galloway · Answer

Thanks @Ned. How would you suggest going about contacting possible heirs? I mean I could write to the address of owner. Other than that, I'm not sure where to start.