Property Tax Sale - Any Lawyers Out There?

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Ethan N

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As far as the keys, I would want the locks changed immediately anyway, so seems to me the worst case is drill or break the locks, and have new ones to install. You could always have them re-keyed of course, if you don't have to break in so that would probably be better, but not by a lot.
Yeah I’d want to fully control the property and protect it as soon as possible. I don’t have a problem with physically getting past the lock, but if someone else has possession of the property, I can’t go in and lock them out just because I own it. I don’t think anyone else has possession, but I’m wondering if there’s some process or best practice for making sure and for dealing with the personal property inside the house.
 

okierider

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Ethan do you know anything structurally about a house? How about electric and plumbing? I ask all these questions because I spend a lot of time working on folks houses that had no clue what they were getting into. A great deal can turn into a black hole nightmare pretty quick!!
If you need help looking at the property shoot me a PM and I will help you with looking at it structurally and tell you if you need to have an electrician or plumber look into it. I am not looking for money , just would hate to see you get into a money pit!! Or if you have any questionable items that you could send me a picture on i can help that way as well.
 

Ethan N

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Ethan do you know anything structurally about a house? How about electric and plumbing? I ask all these questions because I spend a lot of time working on folks houses that had no clue what they were getting into. A great deal can turn into a black hole nightmare pretty quick!!
If you need help looking at the property shoot me a PM and I will help you with looking at it structurally and tell you if you need to have an electrician or plumber look into it. I am not looking for money , just would hate to see you get into a money pit!! Or if you have any questionable items that you could send me a picture on i can help that way as well.
Thanks! That’s very kind of you.

It’s tricky to evaluate because I don’t have access to the inside of the house (haven’t been able to contact the owner), so plumbing and electric are a crap-shoot. There’s a chance the house has frozen without the plumbing being winterized, and there are signs that some of the wiring may have been stolen.

I haven’t seen any obvious signs of structural issues, but I’m not a professional. The ridge lines look straight and everything looks square from the outside, but beyond that, I’m out of my depth. Your offer is too good to pass up. The more you know about a buyer beware sale the better. I’ll send you a PM.

It’s definitely a risky property, but I may be able to get it for a bid low enough that it’s commensurate with the risk that the house will be worthless. Admittedly, it would still be a sizable loss for me though.
 

mr ed

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1. Deed - who files it and pays the fees? I ask this because I've never bought a tax sale property.
However I buy houses at the Sheriff auction regularly and there it's up to me to file the deed and pay the fees after the Sheriff signs it and gives it to me.
2. I would do a quiet title suit before doing any improvements. It was sold for property taxes but federal and state taxes can still be lingering out there. They take first place and don't go away.
3. Carry a photo copy of the filed deed in your truck for when the cops come and they probably will.
Had that happen on the last 3 I bought. envious neighbors .
 

nemesis

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It’s tricky to evaluate ............... I’m not a professional................. It’s definitely a risky property

Homeowner and hobby remodeler here. Also was VP for family owned construction company for a number of years.

That said, with all due respect and no offense intended, don't do it. Unless you're going to hire all the requisite work out (and, that would completely eliminate any savings in buying such a property), you'll be working on this property for years. What's your time worth? No matter how easy a job seems to be in the concept phase, it's never that easy. And you'll be learning as you work. That process by itself multiplies the time factor substantially.

"Ok, I have to replace the fuse box with a circuit breaker box. Where's that youtube vid of the guy doing this.........?"

Also, buying a house owned by an ex con with his property still in the house, would be enough to dissuade me. My experience is that criminals are never particularly rational in the first place.

Either way, best of luck.
 

swampratt

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No keys from the june tax sales at all and they file the paperwork when you pay for the purchase.

June Tax sale is 4 year back taxes owed or more and usually no one lives there.
Kick the door in and replace locks.
During an eviction which is different you must keep the belongings for 30 days in well kept condition and send written notice to tennant of their belongings.

June tax sale the county owns it.
some reading .
https://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclop...lahoma-rules-landlords-property-managers.html
 

mr ed

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Up until the sheriff signs the deeds it still belongs to the property owner and they can pay one years taxes and have it removed from the sale. After the sale any unsold properties become county property. You can get a list of those next month and buy anytime.
Most of the left overs are junk nobody wants like a piece 8' wide and 50 yards long next to a ditch. or 5 acres landlocked in a 1000 acre tract on the side of a cliff. LOL!
 

Ethan N

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1. Deed - who files it and pays the fees? I ask this because I've never bought a tax sale property.
However I buy houses at the Sheriff auction regularly and there it's up to me to file the deed and pay the fees after the Sheriff signs it and gives it to me.
2. I would do a quiet title suit before doing any improvements. It was sold for property taxes but federal and state taxes can still be lingering out there. They take first place and don't go away.
3. Carry a photo copy of the filed deed in your truck for when the cops come and they probably will.
Had that happen on the last 3 I bought. envious neighbors .
In the county this house is in, the treasurer immediately deeds the property to the winner. The treasurer is done with it at that point and it’s up to you to have the deed filed.

If there are state or federal tax liens, won’t they show up in a search of the county clerk’s records? I believe there’s a state law that requires liens and tax warrants to be filed in the county a property is in for them to be valid against that property, but these days there are so many exceptions to everything I don’t know if that’s always how it’s done.
Homeowner and hobby remodeler here. Also was VP for family owned construction company for a number of years.

That said, with all due respect and no offense intended, don't do it. Unless you're going to hire all the requisite work out (and, that would completely eliminate any savings in buying such a property), you'll be working on this property for years. What's your time worth? No matter how easy a job seems to be in the concept phase, it's never that easy. And you'll be learning as you work. That process by itself multiplies the time factor substantially.

"Ok, I have to replace the fuse box with a circuit breaker box. Where's that youtube vid of the guy doing this.........?"

Also, buying a house owned by an ex con with his property still in the house, would be enough to dissuade me. My experience is that criminals are never particularly rational in the first place.

Either way, best of luck.
Thanks for the advice. I value it from anyone who has experience with this kind of thing.

I don’t think have any illusions about how much work it would be (though you don’t know what you don’t know). I usually double or triple any time estimate for any project, depending on unknowns and uncontrollable factors. I expected it to be a work in progress for years and learning along the way is part of the fun and value in it for me. The long-term plan is new construction done mostly myself, so I’m going to have to learn a lot of it sooner or later. I refuse to take out a mortgage and I’m never going to have the cash to pay someone else to build a house for me, so that’s the way it’s going to be.

Neighbors described the guy as a nice, peaceful person who just has addiction problems, but I’ve definitely had concerns about having any dealings with him or his property.
No keys from the june tax sales at all and they file the paperwork when you pay for the purchase.

June Tax sale is 4 year back taxes owed or more and usually no one lives there.
Kick the door in and replace locks.
During an eviction which is different you must keep the belongings for 30 days in well kept condition and send written notice to tennant of their belongings.

June tax sale the county owns it.
some reading .
https://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclop...lahoma-rules-landlords-property-managers.html
Awesome. That’s some good information. I think what I was curious about in this case was how to be sure if there actually is a tenant or not, legally. I would guess the house being boarded up for the last couple of years is pretty good evidence there’s no tenant though.
 

Ethan N

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After some very helpful conversations with y’all and doing some more due diligence, I’ve decided this isn’t the right property for me. I’m considering a couple other houses in another county. If you pray, please pray that God will give me wisdom and clarity in this. It’s a significant investment.

Thanks for all your help!
 

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