Customer Reviews

Profit by Investing in Real Estate Tax Liens: Earn Safe, Secured, and Fixed Returns Every Time

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I bought Tax Lien books written by Larry Loftis, Jamaine Burrell and Don Sausa and read them in the order listed. All are excellent books. I recommend that you buy all 3 books if you are serious about understanding tax lien investing. I have posted reviews in a "bundled" fashion under all 3 books. You can buy all 3 books on amazon for 449.

Loftis consists of 3 parts and 2 appendices. Part one talks about tax liens, part two about tax deeds, part three about the list of states. He discusses procedures of purchasing tax certificates, strategies for investing through liens/deeds, how to compete effectively against the so-called "institutional" investors. He shows the reader how to calculate the yield under different scenarios.

Burrell's book is very detailed, matter of fact approach. All the benefits and pitfalls are covered. There are 11 chapters that discusses in detail liens, deeds, tax sale procedures, delinquent properties, bidding, income and growth, how to obtain financing, legal issues such as setting up LLCs or PCs, foreclosures, various state laws etc.

Don Sausa has takes a complex subject and simplifies it. After reading the first two books, reading Sausa's book is a breeze. It suggests a chapter a day but I think you can probably read through this entire book in about 3 hours. If goes step by step.

Investing in tax liens requires, time, patience and money. One cannot do this "on the side" but it can certainly be a full time job and I can see the potential rewards.

This is probably the best book to buy on the subject, especially if you live in Florida where the author resides.
However, the latest edition is outdated already. There are no tax lien auctions to attend in Florida, as most
all counties hold their auctions on-line. You have two weeks to post your bid and you have no idea what
others have bid. The computer randomly selects the winner where tie %'s exist. How does one compete with
a group of 615 bidders? The big boys now can bid auctions in every county without ever leaving their offices.
Not much left except vacant lots.

If you live in other states this would be the book to purchase as the author actually buys tax liens and has
many helpful hints and guides.

Now in an updated second edition, Profit by Investing in Real Estate Tax Liens: Earn Safe, Secured, and Fixed Returns Every Time is a straightforward guide to making money through relatively safe investment in tax liens (sometimes called tax deeds, depending on one's state). Profit by Investing in Real Estate Tax Liens covers how to purchase tax liens or deeds on the Internet, the difference between tax liens and deeds, a walkthrough of the bidding process at tax sales, the requirements of tax liens and tax deeds as well as how they differ from state to state, how to protect oneself against the most threatening risks, and much more. Author and Florida attorney Larry Loftis has literally millions of dollars' worth of experience in real estate investing; he presents the ins and outs of these lucrative opportunities a straightforward, easy-to-follow terms for readers of all backgrounds. "...many properties can be bought for very low prices, perhaps for even pennies on the dollar. However, many properties are not worth buying! For example, you might buy a vacant lot that is so small it is unbuildable. Or the lot is configured in such a strange way that it is also unbuildable, except possibly for use as a parking lot. In other cases, the property might be under water or next to or part of a drainage ditch! So in tax deed investing, rule number one is always to personally view the property." A "must-read" of both basic and advanced tips for anyone considering investing in real estate tax liens.

This book had some really good information. It is well written by someone who has spent a lot of time buying tax liens. The author does not give any false hopes and is very realistic about what to expect.

I bought this book after hearing about real estate tax liens in Rich Dad, Poor Dad and having attending a local lien auction. I really wish that I had found it before that auction, as it cuts through the legalese and manages to provide a concise summary of the pros and cons of bidding at these auctions as well as the various rights one has as a lien holder. The author walks you through the process of selecting an auction to attend and what to bid on, but this process will require some time consuming due diligence to work.

I'll agree with some of the other reviewers and say that the author does focus on his home state of Florida, which is alright, especially since he does also include a lengthy summary by state of how the auctions work in each state. However, as the book is a couple of years old, these summaries may be outdated in your area and may even vary at the county level (they do in Iowa). So, this book is a good starting point, but be sure to investigate the actual terms with the local tax assessor's office before you bid on any liens or deeds.

In all honesty, I wish that the author had included fewer photos of bidding lists and properties and more stories of his experiences, especially the newer, online bidding auctions.

When I went to bid, I found that there were multiple groups of people that were just buying for one set of companies. Due to their numbers they were selected most of the time in the lottery system, as opposed to those individuals that were just biding for themselves. This is quite different from the author's experiences, which there was just one or two people representing a bank.

This book provides a nice overview of buying tax liens and tax deeds, so it's a great way to get a general idea of what goes on. The author provides numerous examples from his experiences. Unfortunately, there is not much in the way of detail. For example, the author points out that the tax lien is a first position lien, but doesn't explain liens or give you hardly any info on the other types of liens that may be on the property. Another big hole in the book is information on how to research properties. Still another example is when the author states that in hybrid states, the previous owner still has a chance to redeem a property 6 months to 2 years after a tax deed sale, but doesn't explain what this means to you as the new owner. This lack of detail brought up a whole lot of questions that are never answered by the book. And for a book that deals with your money and can result in a loss of your money, that doesn't make me feel comfortable. I have acquired more complete info by reading the guides put out by the county tax collectors office. So my recommendation is to get this book if you want a book that covers the generalities and gives a few basic examples. But expect to have more questions at the end than you started with.

I have now read several books on this subject and can honestly say this is the best, bar none. Well written, understandable, and written by someone who actually has experience purchasing tax liens. I recommend it.

Good basic information for those you want to learn about real estate tax liens. The book is broad so a good protion of the information may not be appliciable to your state.

Made the details of this form of investing easy to understand and the potential pit falls.

This is an excellent, well written book; full of examples of real transactions completed by the author. Very helpful advice and tips given in every chapter.
I recommend this book to anyone looking for great advice and guidance on how to start investing in this field.