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Buying tax lien certificates can be a very profitable way to invest in real estate and with the right knowledge can provide very healthy returns on your money. But it's not to be treated as a "get-rich-quick" scheme, as the in-experienced can find it soon becomes a "lose-your-shirt-quick" investment model. By way of a brief introduction, a tax lien is basically a means that guarantees that a business or individual that lends money or provides a service will be repaid for that investment, by securing a lien on the property of the person receiving the money or services. A tax lien certificate is issued and is secured against the personal property of the person receiving the loan. Of all the different types of liens, the most popular or common is the mortgage lien. Every different type of lien is subject to its own set of rules and regulations. When the debtor is unable to pay their property taxes, the state issues a tax lien certificate against their property which also includes a time line by which the taxes must be repaid. This grants the lien owner access to the equity within the property in order to claim the money they are owed. If the property owner is then unable to repay the tax lien, it may be sold or auctioned off to the highest bidder. When you buy a tax liened property you need to be aware that you are not actually buying the property itself. What you are doing in effect is lending the property owner the money they need to pay back their tax arrears. The property owner is also agreeing to repay that loan, with an agreed amount of interest, within the already determined repayment period that was established when the tax lien certificate was sold. So here's how we make our profits. If the property owner is able to repay the value of the tax lien certificate back to you within the allotted schedule, including all interest owed to you, he retains ownership of the property, and his credit rating remains intact. If the owner is unable to pay the loan, you take possession of the property as the owner of the tax lien certificate secured against it. As the new owner you are able to manage the property as you see fit - renovate it, rent it, sell it etc. Tax lien investments are pretty much guaranteed to make money whatever the outcome. Where the property owner is able to repay the lien on time, your profit is the amount of interest that was due from the lien certificate. If the property owner is not able to repay the certificate, you become the new owner of the property with nothing more to pay other than your original investment in the tax lien certificate. There is a lot more information you need to be aware of, and a lot more knowledge required before you go off a buy your first property tax lien certificate, but in simple terms, it is a very realistic model to make money and invest in real estate.
Article Source: http://www.financemanual.com
Author and real estate investor Mike Fairweather covers how to invest in property without massive investments. Tax lien certificates can be a very profitable road to building a real estate portfolio. Tax Lien Investments
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