Real Estate Investor · Burlington, MA · Member since 2010 · 12 posts · 7 votes
I have a question about getting a list of tax delinquent properties. I am from the Boston area and I would like to do a direct mail campaign to people that are behind on their tax payments. Are there any list service companies that can provide this or do I need to go City Hall? Any suggestions would be appreciated!
Investor · Los Angeles, CA · Member since 2014 · 180 posts · 72 votes
10y
It's all county-dependent, but I had success filing a FOIA request. I paid a $20 fee and was able to receive 140,000+ properties in excel files. From there, narrow down to areas you want to focus on and hit 'em with that direct mail.
Lender · Tyngsboro, MA · Member since 2009 · 3k+ posts · 2k+ votes
12y
@David Briley , I understood you knew it was the town, I was really speaking to those from out of the area and those who might start trying to research counties based on the comments from those from other states.
Tax sales are auctions either online or at a designated location depending on the State/County...you first have to be the winning bidder and the starting bid on each property will always be the deliquent amount owed..So theres no way to negotiate the sale...All sales are final in any State/County...I buy tax defaulted properties here in CA you pay 100% of whats owed, non-negotiable.....and i I buy tax liens in Indiana and its the same concept there also, the starting bid will be exactly the tax amount owed on the property. However some counties (like in Indiana) have so many properties that dont sell the first time, so they have 2 or 3 more sales throughout the year and they wipe all the deliquent amounts off and every property starting bid is $300 no matter what they owe...
And this was old but whoesaling deliquent properties is a great way to go, i did really well in that area and made enough to purchase my first property all cash....
Thanks Alison and Michael. I was actually hoping to find people that are just a little behind on their tax payment but not yet at the point where there is a tax sale. I figured they would be good potential motivated sellers that I could send my direct mail to. Do you know if this is a list you can gain access to?
@John Hanley you are definitely on the right track. I do the same thing, and yes, I do spend time each month going after the properties coming up for the following months tax deed sale. (I like to pick at least one or two up before they hit the auction block)
The list you're looking for is going to be found by asking your local tax collector for the list that they provide for the tax certificate buyers. At least once a year they sell the unpaid tax certificates to investors who use these for high yield investments. But the second step is to look for the certificates with multiple years unpaid. (Many will only be 1-2 years unpaid) if this is the first year they haven't paid, yes there may be trouble brewing but many times, the issue just isn't ripe enough yet. Where this is the 2nd year or more narrows your list down significantly and provides you with a lot of good hunting ground.
Investor · Los Angeles, CA · Member since 2014 · 180 posts · 72 votes
10y
It's all county-dependent, but I had success filing a FOIA request. I paid a $20 fee and was able to receive 140,000+ properties in excel files. From there, narrow down to areas you want to focus on and hit 'em with that direct mail.
Realtor · Houston, TX · Member since 2011 · 916 posts · 296 votes
10y
@Samantha Cunha Have you tried calling them? Sometimes you have to go their in person. Check the public notice section of the newspaper. It could be hidden in there.
Center Valley, PA · Member since 2017 · 133 posts · 31 votes
9y
Some jurisdictions publish this information but It really depends on the county. If you are able to obtain a list my company has the ability to scrub the data and return the owners contact information.
Flipper/Rehabber · Springfield, MA · Member since 2016 · 641 posts · 204 votes
9y
Massachusetts is a tax deed state so I was wondering if anyone would know where I would be able to get a list of delinquent tax properties? Tax assessors office?
Lender · Tyngsboro, MA · Member since 2009 · 3k+ posts · 2k+ votes
9y
@Jose Castillo, MA taxes are assessed by towns, so you'll need to contact each tax collector in each town you are interested in. And then some may be willing, and some may not. But don't bother with the county, if you read my previous posts in this old thread.