All Forum Posts by: Blaine Alger

I don't know if I would go as far to call it a conspiracy.

I realize what the law states but their dad has been dead for 3 years and they have yet to claim any of the assets.

If the brother has been the one who has been taking care of the property since his brother passed, then in my eyes he deserves to control that asset. So if I can figure out a way to allow him to sell it,  thats what i'll do. 

@Lynnette E.

Good point. I have not thought about that, but i will be sure to check it out.

Has anyone heard of neighbor storage ( https://www.neighbor.com/)? 

It is like AirBnb but for self storage. I thought it was an interesting concept and was curious to see if anyone has had any experience with it?

@Greg H.

The brother did not even know the daughters last name and said that she and her father were not close.

I told him to try to talk to some relatives and get some more info for when I call him back.

Can you think of any other options when you are unable to get in contact with the heirs?

@Account Closed

Thank you for the options.

I am not that familiar with the probate process but I know that it is lengthy and most likely something I want to deal with for a year. Not sure if it changes things but the brother lives in the deceased owners primary residence too so maybe that would help the attorney prove he has standing. 

Only reason that I am looking into this deal is because the brother has serious motivation to sell (property has been vacant for years and he can't afford the taxes) if only he is able to obtain title.  

Would there be any way I could just tell the brother to stop paying the taxes and then i could pick it up for the before it went to the tax sale auction?

@Wayne Brooks

Maybe my wording was a little off.

I realize that the owners heirs have the best claim to the property but given that they are out of the picture , I figure that the brother at least has the chance to obtain ownership one way or another. I would guess some type of legal action would be necessary to achieve this.

How would you suggest I go about this situation?

I have spent a good amount of time in AK over the years but I am an out of stater and don't have a fully comprehensive understanding of the market, so keep that in mind. 

From my perspective, i think there is a lot of untapped potential in the area for someone who knows what they are doing and you won't have to deal with as much competition as you would in other markets. However, AK is not for everyone and there isn't necessarily a huge influx of people moving into the state. Also, the prices are fairly expensive and you have to deal with an extreme climate which will cut into your bottom line. I would feel more comfortable investing down south where I don't have to worry about an earthquake dropping my foundation 2 feet or a pipe busting in -30 degree temps. 

I think there are still opportunities to be had but you just have to know where to look. Personally, I am more interested in the STR game up there and would try looking more into that opposed to your traditional rental. I know someone who has a duplex with a back house (somewhere in Anchorage but not sure where) and they rent out the back house on Airbnb and do really well.

Would love to hear some counter arguments to my opinion from some locals. 

@Jerel Ehlert

Good to hear the input from the legal side.

So sounds like my best chance of pursuing this property is to have the brother claim ownership through a lawsuit unless I can somehow get in contact with the two kids to have them sign over their rights to the property. 

Thanks for jumping in.

So the Owner has been dead for 3 years and and did not have a will. The brother (who i spoke with) has been paying the property taxes for the last 3 years.

The deceased owner has a daughter who he didn't have a relation with and a son in Mexico

1)Would the brother be able to claim the property since he has been paying the taxes for the past 3 years? (The property is in Texas)

Any other suggestions would be appreciated.

@Chris Freeburg makes a great point. You can spend a lot of effort trying to predict where the next emerging city will develop or you can take that same effort and just become an expert in your local market. Get to know every street, neighborhood, zip code and connect with every single investor, agent and RE professional in your area. This will give you the ability  to see what direction your area is heading and the knowledge to recognize a good deal.

But for the sake of the question:

I like Boise and the surrounding area (California's are moving to Idaho like crazy).

New Bruanfels is an awesome area and close proximity to Austin so good things are bound to happen. Homes aren't dirt cheap but you can still find a deal compared to the prices of Austin homes.

Check out all of the tertiary markets that are within an hour or so drives of these booming towns. People will eventually get priced out and will look for other opportunities outside of the city.