Winston Salem, NC · Member since 2015 · 52 posts · 5 votes
I currently have my eye on a vacant 5 unit apartment that I hold like to fix and rent. It has been vacant for several years due to the untimely demise of the owner. The property is behind a couple years in taxes. I have contacted family members of property but have been unable to locate the deed holder. Family members have informed me that the person believed to have inherited the property (previous owner daughter) is unable to Manage and/or keep property up. I have tried direct mail and code calling and have been unsuccessful in making contact with daughter because the property she was living in has been condemned by the city and this is her mailing address. The county tax office still has property listed with deasesed and there is no deed on file. I thought about paying the taxes but I am not familiar enough with process. In short I am looking for any strategy that can put me in position to acquire this property. All input is appreciated.
1) Confirm with the tax office when it will get auctioned off to make sure you still have time to work
2) If you do have time to work, since you made contact with the family members and you have the previous owner's daughter's name, you can hire a private detective to locate her.
Before doing step 2 though, it may be easier to offer an incentive to any family member that will setup a meeting between you and her for a finder's fee
I've never hired a private detective but read on the forum that other people have done so successfully to close deals