Finding Raw Land Deals

[Bradley Morrill]

Is anybody here on BP finding success in getting tax delinquent lists from the county before they go to auction? I'm interested in the strategy discussed by @Seth Williams and Jack Bosch for working raw land deals via these lists. Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks!

Brad

[Seth Williams]

Hi @Bradley Morrill - I've had some good success with it, but I realize you're probably looking for someone else's opinion. 

I will say that it can be challenging to get a delinquent tax list and the level of ease vs. difficulty usually depends on a few things:

• The county you're requesting it from.
• Your ability to find the right person at the county office who can provide it for you (it's usually NOT the first person to pick up the phone). 
• Your own knowledge of what you're asking for and your skill at communicating the request (many times you'll have to repeat, rephrase and reiterate what you're asking for - because it's a list that rarely gets requested from most counties and most county employees don't really understand what you want). 

The list always exists in some format, and it's usually available in most counties, but some counties will make it much harder than others to get your hands on it in the proper format.

This information is extremely valuable when you know what to do with it, but it's not for the person who likes to throw in the towel at the first sign of resistance.

All that said, if you're willing to put in the effort to get the list (and learn how to sort it correctly... that's the other crucial piece) - the hassle is worth it.