Florida Mobile Home with Land Deal - Input Please

[Mike Gracey]

Good morning,

A little background on my real estate investing to give an overview of my experience level:

1. Live in flip
2. Waterfront lot flip
3. Infill Lot flip sold via owner finance

I have a goal to take my investing more seriously in 2026 and I would like some input on a deal I am currently working.

I am contracted to buy 50% of a mobile home with land in Florida on Friday for $15K. I believe the property in its current state is worth ~$50K and ARV completely renovated around ~$125K. The parcel is owned equally by a pair of siblings. One sibling (we will call him Sibling 2) is currently homeless somewhere and difficult to get in touch with (I am contracted to buy the other 50%). The property is due for tax sale in Q1 2026. My goal is to get complete ownership prior to the tax sale and then use it as a rental. The following are my potential strategies/exits:

1. Find Sibling 2 and buy his portion of the property
2. Buy the property at tax sale
3. Let the property go at tax sale
4. Pay off the tax lien and continue searching for Sibling 2
5. Pay off the tax lien and use property as a rental

Of course, option 1 is the preferred path forward; however, I need to prepare for the chance that I cannot locate him in time, or he is not willing to play ball.

I have the following questions for each strategy noted above: 

2. Am I allowed to buy my own property via tax sale (google says yes, but I would like someone with real world experience to chime in). If not, can I do it through an LLC? What about a family member?

       3. My understanding is that I would be entitled to have of the excess proceeds from the sale. Does anyone know anything that would  suggest otherwise.

I will be calling the county to ask these questions today, but would appreciate any feedback this group has.

Questions on 4/5:

      4. If I pay off tax lien, I would want to put a new roof on the property almost immediately. I would also want to address windows a few                minor leaks related to window units. In the event of a partition sale would repairs be considered in divvying up the proceeds?

      5. Could I use the mobile home as a rental without the consent of Sibling 2? What are the legal ramifications if I pursue this option?

I appreciate any feedback or experience that you have!

Please no neigh-sayers, I know this is a mess and that mobile homes can be costly to repair. I have access to family equipment to demolish the home if necessary and I think I could get ~$60K by subdividing the lot and selling as 3 individual lots so I really want to focus this conversation on points 4 and 5.

Thank you all!