ax lien certificates can So, what is an OTC certificate
make a great investment. If and how can you profit from it?
you are not familiar with An Over The Counter certificate
tax lien certificates, then see is one that did not sell at the
my article entitled "An live auction. In many states,
Introduction To Tax Lien when the certificate does not
Certificates." sell, it is "struck off" to the
county. The county simply has a
Many people want to invest in tax list in their office and you just
lien certificates but stop call them up and get it. Then,
themselves because they think you do some research, pick out
that they need to go to the live the ones you want and get the
auction to do it. Yes, it's lien without any traveling or
entirely true. The most common hassles.
place to invest in tax lien
certificates is at the live Just because you can buy tax
annual auction. The auction certificates Over The Counter,
varies by state and even county, should you? Well, maybe and maybe
so check with your local county not. Remember that in most cases,
tax collector to see when they Over The Counter certificates are
have their auction. liens that did not sell at the
regular tax sale. So, there are
Can I let you in on a little some precautions that you should
secret? I have been investing in take to make sure that you are
tax liens for several years now getting a good deal.
and have NEVER been to a live
auction. How can that be, you First of all, start with counties
ask? Easy! I invest in Over The that have websites. Luckily,
Counter certificates (OTC). nowadays it is very easy to find
a county with a good property
research website. Then, you
simply enter the parcel number Once, you find that out, then
into the website and it will tell copy down the legal description
you what is there, and how much and call the local Realtor. Tell
it's worth. Ideally, you want to them that you are planning on
find properties that have a investing in a certain property
structure already on them, but and may eventually need their
it's not always easy to find. services to resell it. I have
never had a Realtor not give me
Next, you need to see the total an honest opinion of an area.
taxes due from all years and Many times, they tell me NOT TO
compare that to the tax BUY there and that's ok too. It's
valuation. The reason you need to better to find out now than to
know this is that in the event of find out when it's too late.
a foreclosure, you will need to
pay off all the back taxes. The And there you have it! With
worst thing is to find out that proper planning, you too can be
there are more due in back taxes an armchair investor.
than the property is worth.
About the Author:
Carlos Scarpero is an experienced real estate investor who specializes in tax liens and deeds. Visit his tax lien and deed blog at http://www.scarpero.com/real_estate.
Read more articles by:
Carlos Scarpero
Article Source: www.iSnare.com 
