Tax Lien Foreclosure: What it is and how it works.

Tax lien foreclosures can take several years to complete but can lead to big payoffs for the patient investor.

Billions of dollars of property taxes go unpaid each year, presenting quite the predicament for local municipalities that rely on this money to fund public services. Rather than waiting months or years for the delinquent accounts to be paid, the county treasurer places a tax lien on the property. Failure to pay the lien over a specified period of time can eventually lead to the property being taken through a judicial foreclosure proceeding called a tax lien foreclosure.

While the intricacies of a tax lien foreclosure vary greatly by state and municipality, in general, it can be a worthwhile way for real estate investors to gain access to discounted real estate or earn a passive return. Learn how a tax lien foreclosure works, the risks and benefits involved with this method of real estate investing, and what to know before you buy a tax lien or proceed with a tax lien foreclosure.