Another county which allows online viewing of the tax deed files is Palm Beach County, but unlike Marion (previewed on prior page) the prices for these deeds are high and the return on time invested is low. This is typical of the larger counties where properties command stiff prices and auctions have lots of competition. In these larger counties a different strategy is needed.

In 2008, in Palm Beach County, there were 818 properties listed, advertised and eligible to be auctioned at the tax deed sale. That sure does sound like a lot of opportunity, but if you know the real numbers it is quite the opposite.

There were a mere 37 tax deeds sold in 2008 in Palm Beach County and of those sold:

• 2 winning bidders did not return to pay the balance of the transaction, so they lost their $200.00 deposit,
• 1 winning bidder gained property whose owner had a $700,000.00 IRS/Dept Of Treasury Lien,
• 3 properties sold which had liens in excess of the assessment amount,
• 5 sold for more than $50,000,
• 2 sold for more than $100,000.

TaxDeed Strategy Note: As a new tax deed investor never purchase high price tax deeds. Most of the heartache and anguish I have had stems from properties where I paid more than $20,000 at a county auction. In fact most of my success has come from those purchased for $2-7,000.00. So my advice is to keep an eye out for those small inexpensive buildable parcels that daydreamers overlook and developers are not really interested in.

In larger counties where the vast majority of tax deeds are redeemed, it is important to utilize your time wisely. I never start conducting research on a tax-deed sale list until 4 days prior to the auction. At 4 days prior to the auction, 99% of the tax deeds that are going to redeem or be rescheduled have done so. This saves an incredible amount of time and energy. I know you will be eager to find an auction list, start your research and start viewing properties, fight the urge. By not doing the research weeks in advance you will achieve numerous things, most importantly your research findings will be the most current. Do however; view the tax deed files as soon as they are available if you intend to contact owners to purchase direct. In Palm Beach County the tax-deed list and tax deed files are typically viewable 30-40 days prior to the auction.

The best tip for Palm Beach tax-deed auctions is to ignore property tax deeds that are: homestead exempt, commercially developed, bank mortgaged with improvements. This will weed out those properties at greatest risk of being redeemed. With a quick glance at the Owners and Encumbrance report in the tax- deed file you can automatically decide which properties are worth pursuing.

Your prospects for tax-deeds in these popular, large and competitive counties should be those tax deeds auctioned for: vacant residential land (#1 likely prospect), vacant commercial land-less than 1 acre and not on arterial roads or major highways (#2 likely prospect), residential non homestead exempt dwellings (#3 likely prospect).

There is still opportunity, even though most properties are redeemed. A considerable number of properties scheduled to be auctioned are sold by the owners just before the auction occurs. By purchasing direct from the owners, you can obtain title insurance and a warranty deed by satisfying the lien holders and mortgages. Typically, if the owner is unable to pay the taxes and associated costs they know they will lose the properrty and will sell the property at a very discounted price.

Using the information in the tax-deed files to locate the owners and with your intent being to purchase directly from them, I would not waste time physically viewing properties, collecting comp data, or conducting a title search of the official records, until I was contacted by a perspective Seller. I send out flyers and volume counts.

The great thing about being able to conduct your own title search is that you will know exactly how much is mortgaged against the property, so you have a good idea as to how much equity the property owner has. Recorded documents, found in the official records, are also a good indicator of the financial situation of the property owner. If you need a little help with the title research see my 2 prior pages to discover how this can be done. The Property Appraiser's data will disclose how much the property sold for in past transactions, size, locations, maps. The most important precontact information is located in the tax deed file and contained within the Property Appraiser's data.

In the below three links you will find the information that you need to contact the owners and make a decision on which owners to contact. For owner contact and buying direct I only scan the tax deed file to find the Owner's and Encumbrance Report, which is located in "Other Documents" in the tax-deed file. If I find there is a single mortgage holder and no liens on a property to be auctioned, by viewing the tax deed file, I proceed on to the Property Appraiser's website. Once there look up the values and features of the property, take a glimpse at the interactive map and transform the plat map to aerial and place recent sales on the map. If all looks good, I will see the date of last conveyance.

You can click on the book/page link to view the conveying document from the property records page. If the last conveyance was other than warranty deed, view the document to find the conveyance type so as to determine if Grantee(s) are likely to have a clear title.

At this stage I only assess the likelihood of a clear title, it saves time. If I am contacted by the property owner, I will then do a full title search in the official records. I will also have the added confidence of knowing a title search will be performed prior to closing by the title agent whom I hire.

TaxDeed Strategy Note:If the person contacting you insists money and time can be saved by just recording a quit claim deed to convey the property, refuse. This is indeed how many people get cheated. You meet up with the individual, record the quit claim deed, funds are exchanged and later you may find a lien exists or the person didn't have full right and ownership in the property.

TaxDeed Strategy Risk
While it is true, money and time can be saved, it creates an unnecessary risk. In the end if there is a problem, the only time and money saved will be that of the Seller who convinced you to accept a quit claim deed conveyance.

If you find while researching the last conveyance of a property that it was by quit claim deed by a non family member-move on to the next property, if last conveyance was a tax deed-move on, special warranty deed conveyed by corporation-move on, trustee's deed from bankruptcy-o.k.,executed deed by personal representative of an estate-o.k.,family member conveyance-o.k., deed in lieu of foreclosure-o.k., conveyance executed by judgment-o.k., warranty deed-great. These are the most common types of conveyances I see.

TaxDeed Strategy Note:Other Sources
If you need additional assistance or tips and strategy for conducting and locating information at the Appraiser's Office, see my step-by-step instructions on my 2 prior pages.

Use these links to locate information in Palm Beach County

Clerk of Circuit Courts:
TaxDeed Strategy Find Files andOfficial Records
-link progression to locate tax deed files and Official Records(Tax Deed Sales/Tax Deeds Public Search/Accept)

Property Appraiser's Office:
Property Appraiser's Data
(easiest to search by owner name taken from tax-deed file)sales data and maps can be accessed through the specific property record.

Tax Collectors Office:
Tax Collectors Data

The information found here is my opinion and should not be interpreted or construed as legal or professional advice. No legal or professional advice is being given and the use of this information is at the readers own risk and peril. It is advised that those considering this investment should seek qualified legal and professional services.

Tax_Foreclosure Portal
The information portal for Tax Foreclosure Info (on Nav Bar)

What is & Why buy Tax-Foreclosure Properties
Tax-Foreclosure Investing Tips.

Find Tax Foreclosure Properties.
You are 3 free clicks away from your auction list in most Florida counties.

TaxForeclosure Property over-the-counter "OTC"
TaxForeclosure Investing over-the-counter. Buying without the auction.

Buy Escheated "Surplus" Government Property
Locate surplus auctions for government property. Federal/State/Local government surplus auctions happening in your state, get free info.

Florida Tax-Deed Tips
Bidder Tips and Strategy, what you don't know can hurt you. Details on liens/judgments/encumbrances that survive tax deed issuance.

Tax-Deed Information
PreAuction Checklist, Official Records, Tax Deed Files.

Florida Tax-Deed Info
Step By Step Tax-Deed Research

Tax Deed Tutor
A Free Research Guide.

TaxDeed Strategy
Sometimes the best TaxDeed Strategy is to buy direct.

Public Records Research For Tax-Deeds
Locate vital information for success.

Florida Quiet Title Action
What you need to know.