In an effort to make property taxes more manageable – and collectable – many counties around the country have moved from a single deadline for all property taxes to two or even four quarterly deadlines throughout the year at which homeowners can pay portions of their taxes. In Tuscawara County in Ohio, the move seems to be working. However, for those who fail to pay their taxes, the county will not hesitate to act[1].
Many local governments have hesitated to foreclose on homes via property tax liens or utility bill liens …

While it might not have been quite as exciting as tax auctions used to be, owners of properties with delinquent property taxes are probably loving the newer, quieter, computerized bidding system that enabled tax lien buyers to quietly punch in bids on their personal keyboards rather than shouting them out and struggling to be heard[1]. The average bid at the Madison County (IL) tax auction was “just under four percent,” reported treasurer Kurt Prenzler, who ran on the promise to use this computerized system in his tax sales moving forward …

In hopes of getting higher bidder participation in its annual tax certificate sale, the city of Anderson in Madison County in Indiana will be hosting a seminar to educate residents in the area about how to purchase tax liens before its next event[1]. Last November, the county hosted a tax sale in an effort to recoup back taxes but failed to move more than 2,000 properties. The April sale will list properties up for grabs for as little as $100, and the county wants bidders and would-be investors to be …

In Des Moines, the local school board faces a potential $6.8 million shortfall in their budget for the coming school year. The sum is staggering enough that even the board’s citizen advisory committee is considering property tax hikes to resolve the problem[1]. While most members hoped to increase district property taxes somewhere between $1 and $2 million, some members want to make up the entire deficit through tax increases. “Whatever is paid by the average citizen in property taxes is very minute compared to all they pay. Property taxes are …

Tax lien investors know that the holder of a mortgage on a tax-lien compromised property can be a friend or a foe. If you are hoping to have your lien redeemed, then a mortgage holder is a friend. After all, they would probably rather pay off your tax lien – with interest and penalties of course – to avoid losing their larger investment in the property. On the other hand, if you are hoping to foreclose on the property, a lender holding a large mortgage can be bad news since …

All over the country, homeowners and their municipalities are discovering that they are going to have to find a way to work together on utility bills. In many areas of the country, local governments are reporting that delinquent accounts have tripled as homeowners struggle to make payments or simply inform the country that the bills cannot – and will not – be paid[1]. This creates serious problems for city governments, which are responsible for schooling and public safety, among other things, and often rely on the current year’s tax dollars …

John Rogers, a state representative in Alabama from Birmingham, thinks that the interest rates on Alabama property tax liens are outrageous, and he is making it one of his goals for 2011 to change the process[1]. Currently, Alabama charges a 12 percent interest rate on delinquent property taxes. If the government fails to collect the taxes, then ultimately the liens are sold at auction. During the auction, lien buyers can “overbid” on the liens, paying an excess of what the lien is worth. The new owner of the tax lien …

Purchasing a property via tax deed is a great way to get involved in real estate investing. Unfortunately for a homeowner in New York that has been fighting for his home for almost seven years now, a tax lien paved the way for a Long Island woman to forge his name, take possession of the property and then sell it multiple times to other investors[1]. Garfield Gillings let his tax and water bills slide on his Brooklyn house back in 2003. When he contacted the collection agency that he believed …

What would you feel if one day, you opened your property tax bill and it reflected your $17,000 water bill lien – especially when the said lien is in question and is still being investigated? Perhaps the answer will be close to what Ayanna Yancey-Cato said, “Completely devastated” [1].
Ayanna Yancey-Cato is just one of the many Brockton, Massachusetts residents who were surprised to see their unpaid water bill in their property tax bill. A single mother of three, Yancey-Cato says of the fiasco, “I’m at a loss for words …