One of the most frequent questions that a get about investing in tax liens and tax deeds is “How do I find out about tax sales?”
In other words how to you know what tax sales are coming up, where they are held, and how do you get the tax sale information, including the list of properties in the sale.
Tax sales, whether for tax liens or tax deeds are usually conducted as auctions. They are usually held by the county, but sometimes by the municipality (in the Northeast), or a law firm (in Texas). One way to find these sales is to search the county website. If you would like to have your work made easier for you and be able to find out what tax sales are coming up and where they are held, without having to check every county that you want to invest in, then you may want to pay for a service that lets you do this.
The Resource I Use to Find Out About Tax Sales
The resource I use to find out what tax sales are coming up across the country and get the tax sale information, is Tax Sale Resources. It lets me do a custom search for tax sales nationwide. I can search for online tax sales coming up in the next month or counties that have over the counter tax deeds. And I also have access to the procedures and laws in each state, and links to county web sites to do my due diligence. A free membership to Tax Sale Resources is included with a subscription to the Tax Lien Profits Accelerator™.
If however, you are actually looking for a web site where you can bid on tax liens or tax deeds online, I do have a free resource for you. It’s my 16 Tax Sale Websites Swipe File and you can get it at http://taxlieninvestingsecrets.com/sweet16. Included with the swipe file is a step-by-step training video and a 5 point tax lien investing check list to get you started.
How to Get More Information About Tax Sales
To find out which of these tax sales are online and which ones you have to attend live, what the bidding procedures are, and which are the better ones to attend, join us for our next member training. These recorded webinars are just one of the benefits of the Tax Lien Profits Accelerator™. During these live sessions, I let members know about upcoming tax sales, which ones are the better tax sales to attend, how to register for them and what the bidding procedures are. Members also get a chance to get their questions answered and get some coaching from me on these calls. Find out about some of the other benefits to membership in the Tax Lien Profits Accelerator™ at http://TaxLienLady.com/MembershipMain.htm.
Get Access to the Tax Lien Investing Basics course, a $297 value, when you become a member of the Tax Lien Profits Accelerator™. This course will help you pick the best place for you to invest and show you how to get all the tax sale information. Or find out how you can get lifetime access to the Tax Lien Investing Basics course at http://www.TaxLienInvestingBasics.com
Note from the Author
This article was first posted in 2010 and updated and reprinted for 2019 on May 11, 2019.
By Julie December 6, 2010 - 2:38 pm
Thanks Joanne for taking the time to create a blog to answer my question about credible tax lien and tax deed websites, I REALLY APPRECIATE! You are the best! It’s nice to have someone like you who sincerely assists beginners in this business.
By Joanne December 7, 2010 - 7:12 am
Hi Julie,
Glad I could help!
By AL December 5, 2010 - 11:06 am
Bid4assets.com is a auction company and in order to bid on things on their site you have to register and pay fees upfront. I beleive they are resellers of various goods including taxliens and other rela estate, cars, jewelry and other things.
I have seen other vendors sell tax lien systems teaching what to do and resources on their web site systems for $1000 with lots of readingmaterial and some monthly data feed fees.
By Joanne December 6, 2010 - 7:45 am
Hi Al,
Bid4Assets is an auction company that handles a lot of online tax deed auctions. They conduct almost all the online tax deed sales for the California counties that have online tax sales. These counties have a high deposit (usually $5000) that must be deposited before you are allowed to bid. But Bid4Assets also handles a few other couties for a couple of other tax deed states, some require deposits and some do not. That is a requirement of the county, not Bid4Assets.
You can find online tax deed sales as well as online tax lien sales at http://www.RealAuction.com. Some require deposits and some do not, again it depends on the county. There are other lesser known web sites for online auctions as well. If you are interested in buying tax liens online, I have a course for that priced under $100. You can find out more at http://www.BuyingTaxLiensOnline.com.
By Ed Meek December 5, 2010 - 8:13 am
Since no on-line bidding is available, I regularly attend the monthly property tax foreclosure sales in Davidson County TN (Nashville) as a part of my real estate investment efforts. The information needed to identify the properties that will be sold (and the basic information about the sale as well) is available at http://www.nashville.gov/chancery
By Joanne December 5, 2010 - 9:37 am
Hi Ed,
Great strategy, Tennessee is a redeemable deed state and at this time none of the redeemable states have online tax sales. Having to show up in person at the sale limits the competition somewhat, so if you live in or near one of these states check out the tax sales: Texas, Georgia, Tennessee, Hawaii, Connecticut, Delaware, South Carolina. Another benefit to Redeemable tax deed sales is that some counties will have tax sales as often as once a month.
By Joe December 4, 2010 - 9:18 pm
Thanks for your helpful information, I am living in Montreal-Canada, can I invest in Tax lien direct .
By Joanne December 4, 2010 - 9:49 pm
Hi Joe,
Yes you can invest in tax lien directly but not in all states, only a few offer online tax sales or over the counter tax liens. In order to invest in tax liens in the U.S. you’ll need to have a tax ID number and a U.S. bank account. You can apply for a tax ID # from the IRS website at http://www.irs.gov. If you are investing in your own name you’ll need a ITIN number and if you have a U.S. LLC you’l need an EIN number. You will also need to fill out form W-8 BEN when you register to bid at an online tax sale. If the form is not provided to you by the online auction company, you can also get it on the IRS web site.
Joanne
By Anna Lark December 4, 2010 - 7:07 pm
I have used a site that offers a secondary market in Arizona tax liens. The link is http://www.aztaxlienservices.com/pages/listings.php.
By Marie Joseph December 4, 2010 - 6:03 pm
Thanks, once again, for very helpful information.