What Is A State Tax Lien Certificate?
A State Tax Lien Certificate - every state has its own set of taxes due to help
pay for community services such as public schools, roads, state parks, police,
fire and other emergency type services. State taxes may be in the form of individual
income tax; business tax; or real estate tax. When these go unpaid, the state
government is forced to go into debt, or cancel much-needed services and programs.
That's why it is important for them to recoup lost revenue from unpaid taxes as
quickly and easily as possible.
While it may be more profitable to repossess a taxpayer's personal property,
or home, and sell it on the open real estate market, most governments are not
equipped for such investment opportunities. Instead, most opt to sell the right
to the property by offering tax lien certificates, which give them the debt
owed without the hassle of repossession and selling a house or land parcel.
State tax lien certificates also give the state government the option of liening
other personal property such as boats, cars, RV's, jewelry, and more, in addition
to personal real estate holdings. But, these are normally sold outright at auction,
compared to the tax lien certificate sale for larger real estate parcels.
When an investor purchases a tax lien certificate, he/she is basically agreeing
to loan the delinquent taxpayer the money due for the taxes for a set period
of time. Interest rates - which can be astronomically high -- are set during
the bidding process. In some states, paying off a state tax lien certificate
quickly (usually within a month), can yield profits of 200 to 300% in interest
alone! Full term tax lien certificates generally yield interest profit between
15 and 50% in most states within the first year.
In the event a taxpayer fails to pay the tax lien certificate debt in full
by the deadline, the deed to the property is then transferred to the certificate
holder, and full ownership rights revert to the investor. This can yield unbelievable
profits for the investor since he is now free to sell the property on the open
real estate market at full value. Since tax liens usually only costs a fraction
of a home or land parcels worth (sometimes as little as 5 or 10% of market value),
profit can high on the investment. The key here, is to find tax lien certificates
on properties with a high potential for resale either as-is, or with little
renovation.
Most states either sell tax lien certificates at large state-run auctions on
a monthly or quarterly basis, or rely on individual counties to handle the sales
for properties within their own jurisdictions. A trip to the state or county
tax office can yield a complete list of available properties. Some municipalities
also offer internet services which supply the list either free, or for a small
charge. There are other more in depth national listing also available for purchase
by some larger database companies.
From time to time it is also possible to purchase state tax lien certificates
"over the counter," by bypassing the public auction method of sale.
This is usually allowed in counties or states with few properties available;
in locations where auctions have not been profitable in the past; or for properties
that have already been offered at auction without interest. Off the shelf sales
allow investors to purchase tax liens straight from the taxing office without
bidding against other buyers for the price of the overdue taxes.
No matter how an investor purchases a tax lien certificate, the rules regarding
the sale and final acquisition of the property remain the same.
County Tax Liens
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