Tax Lien Expert across multiple states
Member since 2026 · 6 posts · 2 votes
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. :)
That's the right read on the repository lists. The junk is sort of the point. It's junk to a general buyer, not necessarily to the one person it borders.
The thing worth screening before you bid on a landlocked or sliver parcel is who owns the abutting lot and whether the parcel actually cures something for them. Frontage, a setback problem, a driveway, an encroachment. If their fence or shed is already sitting on it, that's your buyer and you basically know the exit before you bid. If the neighbor is an absentee LLC that's never touched it, the same parcel is a much harder conversation.
Owner-occupancy and length of ownership on the adjacent parcel are usually both sitting in the assessment records, so you can do that filtering before you place a bid instead of after you own it.
Me, I'm more on the research side than bidding right now. Most of my time goes into how different counties publish their sale information, which is why the county-behavior thing is a bit of an obsession for me.
For WV on 9/1, are you working straight off the Auditor's lists, or cross-checking against county assessment data first?
Welcome to the form.
There are several experts on the forum, but most are experts in 1 or 2 states only. Not a lot of activity lately for tax deeds and liens. Right now I think we have good knowledgeable active investors in MD, SC, LA, CO, TX, AL, maybe a handful of other states.
What is your expertise? Where are you buying? Are you still active?
Hi Bruce,
Thanks for reaching out. Expertise is in PA and WV. Currently looking at OTCs. Yup, I'm active. 10 to 20 cents on the dollar is what I'm aiming for. I'm not shying away from other states because I just need to learn the State/county rules.
Welcome, Chris. PA and WV is an interesting pair to run together. WV routes so much through the State Auditor's office, and PA's upset / judicial / repository ladder means the same parcel can be three different deals depending on which stage you catch it at.
On expanding, the statute is usually the easy part. What eats time is that two counties under the same code will publish completely differently. One posts a clean list months out, the next posts a scan a week before and amends it without telling anyone. So learning the rules ends up being half law and half figuring out how each county actually behaves.
Since you're on OTC right now, are you finding the leftover lists are actually leftovers, or mostly parcels that got passed over for a reason?
Welcome, Chris. PA and WV is an interesting pair to run together. WV routes so much through the State Auditor's office, and PA's upset / judicial / repository ladder means the same parcel can be three different deals depending on which stage you catch it at.
On expanding, the statute is usually the easy part. What eats time is that two counties under the same code will publish completely differently. One posts a clean list months out, the next posts a scan a week before and amends it without telling anyone. So learning the rules ends up being half law and half figuring out how each county actually behaves.
Since you're on OTC right now, are you finding the leftover lists are actually leftovers, or mostly parcels that got passed over for a reason?
Hello Zuriel,
Thanks for chiming in and for welcoming me.
Yup! I'm with you on researching and understanding how each county behaves.
Most of the parcels are junk on the repository list( land-locked, slivers, no recent comps-6 months, etc) but I still find a few deals with creative exit strategies such as selling the parcel(land) to the adjacent neighbor.As they say, one man's trash is another man's treasure. :)
I'm actually actively researching WV now through the state Auditor's office in preparation for 9/1 when bidding reopens. Still digging....
What are you currently working on and are you finding good deals that meet your preferred exit strategy?
That's the right read on the repository lists. The junk is sort of the point. It's junk to a general buyer, not necessarily to the one person it borders.
The thing worth screening before you bid on a landlocked or sliver parcel is who owns the abutting lot and whether the parcel actually cures something for them. Frontage, a setback problem, a driveway, an encroachment. If their fence or shed is already sitting on it, that's your buyer and you basically know the exit before you bid. If the neighbor is an absentee LLC that's never touched it, the same parcel is a much harder conversation.
Owner-occupancy and length of ownership on the adjacent parcel are usually both sitting in the assessment records, so you can do that filtering before you place a bid instead of after you own it.
Me, I'm more on the research side than bidding right now. Most of my time goes into how different counties publish their sale information, which is why the county-behavior thing is a bit of an obsession for me.
For WV on 9/1, are you working straight off the Auditor's lists, or cross-checking against county assessment data first?
If https://www.mapwv.gov/parcel/ is the county assessment data then yes, I pulled up the parcel here using details from the State Auditors website, and check the current assessment, flood risk and other details that help me make a pass or keep for more in-depth research
That's the one. It pulls from the county assessors, so it's the right cross-check. Two things I'd watch with it.
It's a periodic snapshot rather than live, so on a parcel that's been delinquent for years the record can be describing a structure that isn't standing anymore. The imagery date is usually a better tell than the assessed value.
The bigger WV-specific one is that a lot of what lands on those lists is a mineral interest rather than the surface, sometimes a fractional one. The description reads like a tract and the acreage looks normal, but there are no surface rights attached. The Auditor's listing usually tells you if you read the description closely, and the parcel viewer will show you whether a matching surface parcel exists. Those stay cheap for a reason.
Are you filtering minerals out before 9/1, or are some of those actually interesting to you?
Oh yeah! Minerals( sometime coal in the description) and fractional interests are amongst the things I check to eliminate parcels for further due diligence.
Good, that's the filter that saves the most money in WV.
Since you're gearing up for 9/1, the other thing worth having straight before you buy rather than after is the notice to redeem process. In WV the certificate doesn't ripen on its own. The purchaser has to come back inside a statutory window, submit a title examination identifying everyone entitled to notice, and pay the Auditor to serve them. Miss that window and what comes back is your money rather than the parcel. Anyone with a title interest you failed to identify can also unwind it after the fact.
That one catches people used to states where you wait out the redemption period and then file. In WV the clock is on the buyer, and it starts the day you win.
Two practical implications. Put the deadline in the calendar the day you buy, not later when everyone remembers at once. And budget the title exam per parcel, because on a $300 sliver that cost can be most of the deal. It's a real argument for bidding on fewer, better parcels rather than spraying.
Worth setting expectations on the exit too. A meaningful share of WV certificates just redeem, so a lot of the time the return is the interest rather than the property. If the model is the adjacent-neighbor sale, you may need to win more parcels than you'd expect to land the few that actually go to deed.
Are you sizing the 9/1 list assuming most redeem, or weighting toward the ones where the owner looks genuinely gone?
Great insights. Thanks. Weighting towards the one the owner looks genuinely gone. Goal for me and my partners/clients is to own RE.
Welcome to BiggerPockets, Chris!
It's great to have a multi-state tax lien and deed expert jumping into the community. With redemption laws, bidding formats, and over-the-counter processes varying wildly from one state (and county) to the next, having someone who knows how to navigate those cross-border nuances is a massive asset.
Looking forward to seeing your insights pop up around the forums—jump right in!
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. :)
Welcome to BP @Christus Wysenyuy! I like that you’re looking at this county by county because I’ve seen how quickly a property that looks cheap on paper can become much less attractive once you get into the title and the actual rights that come with it.
From the real estate and title side, I usually want to know what happens after the purchase, not just whether the bid looks good. Can the title eventually be cleared and insured? Is there legal access? Are there other interests attached to the property? And is there a realistic buyer or use for it once you own it? Those are the things I’ve seen change the value of a deal pretty quickly.
I’d be glad to stay connected. Tax lien and deed investing crosses into title and real estate law in so many ways, so I always enjoy connecting with people who are active in that space.