Real Estate Tax Lien & Note Investing Forum

Winning the dirt but not the house — the manufactured-home trap
Tax Liens & Mortgage Notes
Winning the dirt but not the house — the manufactured-home trap

Here's a way to lose money at a tax sale that never shows up on anybody's lien checklist: you win the land, and somebody else still owns the house sitting on it. A manufactured or mobile home starts life as personal property. It carries its own title, the same way a car does — issued by the state...

How do you guys do due diligence before bidding at tax deed / foreclosure auctions?
Tax Liens & Mortgage Notes
How do you guys do due diligence before bidding at tax deed / foreclosure auctions?

Hi everyone, I’ve been spending more time looking at tax deed and foreclosure auctions, and one thing that always worries me is making sure I’m not missing something during due diligence. Before bidding on a property, I usually try to check as much as possible, such as: unpaid property taxes lien...

Arkansas sells a $149k-value parcel for $3,048 next month. I read the record — three
Tax Liens & Mortgage Notes
Arkansas sells a $149k-value parcel for $3,048 next month. I read the record — three

The Commissioner of State Lands auctions Fulton County, Arkansas on September 17. One line in the catalog looks like the deal of the year: Sale #9313, 3.65 acres, $3,048.15 owed. The county's own property card puts market value at $149,450 — two homes, decks, porches, outbuildings. The owners of ...

What do I need to know about buying tax lien properties?
Tax Liens & Mortgage Notes
What do I need to know about buying tax lien properties?

Hello everyone! I am planning on buying a 3 bed 1 bath house from a tax lien/sheriffs sale and I was just wondering if anyone had and tips I should know about before going through with this? I understand I will need to have the cash readily available and pretty much all you get to look at is the ...

Tax delinquent deals — worth the extra diligence?
Tax Liens & Mortgage Notes
Tax delinquent deals — worth the extra diligence?

For those who've closed on tax delinquent properties, was the extra legwork worth it compared to a normal MLS or off-market deal? Curious what surprised you most.

Ask me anything - note investing
Tax Liens & Mortgage Notes
Ask me anything - note investing

i have been very fortunate during my career to have been able to acquire and dispose of what i would consider a decent amount of mortgage notes. many of those that we invested in were non-performing loans and while i like to say we believe we have pretty much seen everything, we know that is not ...

Note Holders: How Long Do You Plan to Keep Your Notes?
Tax Liens & Mortgage Notes
Note Holders: How Long Do You Plan to Keep Your Notes?

If you own a mortgage note, do you view it as a long-term investment that you plan to hold until maturity, or would you consider selling it if the right opportunity came along? What would influence your decision most—your current cash flow, the remaining term of the note, your need for liquidity,...

Tax Lien Expert across multiple states
Tax Liens & Mortgage Notes
Washington, District of Columbia
Tax Lien Expert across multiple states

Hi guys, I'm Chris and I'm excited to join BiggerPockets. I invest in and educate on Tax liens and deeds. I'm happy to contribute to conversations related to this topic. :)

Would You Sell Your Note for a Lump Sum?
Tax Liens & Mortgage Notes
Would You Sell Your Note for a Lump Sum?

For those currently holding mortgage or real estate notes, what would make you consider selling rather than continuing to collect monthly payments? Would your decision be influenced more by the offer price, access to immediate capital, portfolio diversification, or simply wanting to move on from ...

People know how important Title Insurance is, but don’t realize how important it is
Tax Liens & Mortgage Notes
Albany, New York
People know how important Title Insurance is, but don’t realize how important it is

Had a interesting story last week That I would like to share with the BiggerPockets audience we had a 2 unit duplex I was about to close that week title was clear Everything Looked pretty fine and then at the final review ( This was a cash deal, needed some renovations, and I plan to refinance it...

Rhode Island working to ban online tax sales and return to in-person sales only.
Tax Liens & Mortgage Notes
Providence, Rhode Island
Rhode Island working to ban online tax sales and return to in-person sales only.

Not everything online works the way you think it might. While I expect the bids might be higher and more profitable for the taxing entities, sometimes having lots of out of state investor owners does not do well for the property maintenance and upkeep. Guess they have now figured that out and rev...

Cook County will begin transitioning away from private tax buyers.
Tax Liens & Mortgage Notes
Chicago, Illinois
Cook County will begin transitioning away from private tax buyers.

The legislation establishes a six-year pilot program in which the county purchases delinquent tax debts itself. After six additional tax sales (anticipated through 2030), private tax buyers would no longer participate in Cook County's annual tax sales under the current model. This just sounds lik...

Need attorney in Pinellas County FL
Tax Liens & Mortgage Notes
St. Petersburg, Florida
Need attorney in Pinellas County FL

Need an reference for a good attorney, in the Pinellas County, FL, to file a suit and get an uncontested judgment for me. It's for a note owed to me from a property that was flooded and went down in value. I don't believe the creditor will fight it. Thanks, Steve

OR Offering Tax Deed Properties for Sale Through Realtors®
Tax Liens & Mortgage Notes
OR Offering Tax Deed Properties for Sale Through Realtors®

With Hennepin vs. Tyler settling what happens to tax deed auction overages, the State of Oregon is changing how some properties are sold to the public. Previously, all properties went to a tax sale and were sold to the highest bidder. Now that counties can no longer hold on to the overbid amounts...

Is a Quiet Title Action needed for Title Insurance
Tax Liens & Mortgage Notes
Phoenix, Arizona
Is a Quiet Title Action needed for Title Insurance

Let's say I acquire a house in Arizona through foreclosure of a tax lien certificate. Let's say the foreclosure was on the deadbeat homeowner who was served in person, and on a private deed of trust holder who was served by publication. There is always the risk that the foreclosed deed of trust o...

The most expensive underwriting mistake in Detroit
Tax Liens & Mortgage Notes
Detroit, Michigan
The most expensive underwriting mistake in Detroit

The most expensive underwriting mistake in Detroit is using the seller's tax bill. Proposal A caps annual taxable value growth at inflation or 5%, whichever is lower. For 2026 the State Tax Commission set it at 2.7%. Hold fifteen years and taxable value drifts far below what the place is worth. T...

Method of receiving assignment fee
Tax Liens & Mortgage Notes
Method of receiving assignment fee

Hello everyone as a beginner wholesaler I just wanted to confirm whether I could use either my sibling's or real estate agent's account to receive my assignment fee because mine is having some issues and I don't know when it would be resolved?

Milwaukee County, WI Sheriff's Sale August 3, 2026
Tax Liens & Mortgage Notes
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Milwaukee County, WI Sheriff's Sale August 3, 2026

Online...looks like 4 properties currently scheduled for sale. Checkout ********** website for the list of properties. Good luck and best wishes.

Bethel, CT tax deed auction
Tax Liens & Mortgage Notes
Hartford, Connecticut
Bethel, CT tax deed auction

Bethel tax deed auction is Aug 5. Four parcels: 10 South Street, 74 Benedict Road, 12 Highland Ave, 12 Maple Ave. Four, not five. One came off the list last week, paid or bankruptcy. Worth flagging because these lists move constantly. If you're working off anything you pulled more than a few days...

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What survives the deed at a CT tax sale (and what doesn't)
Tax Liens & Mortgage Notes
What survives the deed at a CT tax sale (and what doesn't)

Watching two CT tax sales this month, Bethel Aug 5 and Stafford Aug 11, and they're a good reminder that the winning bid is the easy part. What kills people is what survives the deed. CT municipal tax sales run under CGS 12-157. Sale extinguishes most junior encumbrances after the six-month redem...

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The CT tax sale minimum bid is not a fixed number, and most bidders don't know it
Tax Liens & Mortgage Notes
The CT tax sale minimum bid is not a fixed number, and most bidders don't know it

Connecticut runs non-judicial tax sales under CGS 12-157. Town tax collectors run them, not counties. Connecticut abolished county government in 1960 and there is no county recorder here, only town clerks. If someone is selling you a county tax lien list for Connecticut, they have never worked a ...

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Any experience with having the IRS lien moving to 2nd position?
Tax Liens & Mortgage Notes
Any experience with having the IRS lien moving to 2nd position?

I have a client that has an IRS tax lien. He is going to negotiate a partial payment with the IRS, as part of the deal the IRS will (supposedly) agree to move their lien into 2nd position. I have a lender that said that will still allow financing if the IRS moves to 2nd position (non qm of course...

Alabama Tax Deed- occupied property
Tax Liens & Mortgage Notes
Alabama Tax Deed- occupied property

I recently obtained possession of a property that is currently occupied. The owner reached out to me saying that he wants to keep his house. However, he hadn’t paid the taxes since 2011. 1. What can I do? I would like collect monthly rent from him. I sent him a certified letter on yesterday advis...

Real Estate Investors: What Tax Topics Do You Actually Want Explained?
Tax Liens & Mortgage Notes
Real Estate Investors: What Tax Topics Do You Actually Want Explained?

I'm planning a series of webinars focused exclusively on tax and accounting for real estate investors, and I'd rather answer the questions you're actually asking than guess. What tax or accounting topics would you like to learn more about? Some ideas: Cost segregation: when does it actually make ...

New Fairfield tax sale postponed yesterday, registry still says otherwise
Tax Liens & Mortgage Notes
New Fairfield tax sale postponed yesterday, registry still says otherwise

New Fairfield’s tax sale was scheduled for yesterday, July 15, 11 AM. It didn’t happen. Postponed, and per the tax collector’s office there’s no new date. The state’s primary tax sale registry still lists it as upcoming. That site says it updates within minutes of any change. It’s been wrong for ...

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