subject: Buying Houses For Back Taxes Vs. Investing In Mortgage Foreclosures [print this page] If you're interested in foreclosure investing, you're on the right track. Foreclosures are at an all-time high due to the recent slump in the global economy, and the opportunity for huge gains has never before been quite what it is in this current financial climate. The question is, what road will you take - buying houses for back taxes, or by investing your money in mortgage foreclosures?
Buying houses for back taxes is your best bet every time. Here's why.
While investing in mortgage foreclosures used to be a lucrative business, current times are showing more and more homeowners upside-down in their mortgages. The equity these people had in their homes dropped along with their home values. Finding a mortgage foreclosure with any equity still left in the purse is virtually impossible at this time.
Buying houses with back taxes, on the other hand, usually never presents this problem. Back taxes houses almost never have a mortgage and still have a ton of equity left in them. Why? Because at tax foreclosure sales, mortgages are eliminated - mortgage companies ensure the payment of delinquent taxes on a property before it ever makes it to tax sale, leaving properties that have no mortgage on them by the time the sale comes around. Also, often times the back taxes owed are the only debt on these houses; properties without a mortgage are almost always free and clear.
So what do we do now? How do we get this property?
Most will likely have very little success at the tax deed/lien sale itself. A host of large tax property investment firms will have long done their due diligence and researched the top properties to invest in. They're willing to make a smaller return on their investment than you are - in other words, you'll likely be outbid. This shouldn't stop you from wanting to invest in tax property - you simply have to be a little more creative.
Why not try something along these lines. Purchase the home directly from the owner, and bypass the need for competitive auction bidding. Generally, these property owners are more than willing to rid themselves of their tax obligation and would rather see you with the property instead of losing it to the government. You'll often find that the majority of these owners have already accepted the loss of their homes and simply want to put the bad memories behind them. They are motivated to sell, and to sell for cheap.
Not only do you help someone in need, but you also make a wise investment move.
