No one will give you any argument that the world economic situation is in terrible shape and the unemployment rate is the highest it has been in decades. Everyone is wondering what can he/she do to improve his/her current economic situation when the economy looks so bleak. The stock market and mutual funds perform so badly that many people have fled from them trying to save as much of their asset value as they possibly can. They seek other places to invest their money and oftentimes park it in money market accounts and/or savings accounts, each paying paltry yields of 2% or less (usually less) return on their money.
Tax Certificates and Tax Deeds are another matter, with proven double digit and considerably much higher returns on initial investments. The best part about owning Tax Certificates and ultimately Tax Deeds is you are in full control or as much control of your money as you desire. There are many avenues to purchase Tax Certificates and Tax Deeds. Many states have legislation set in place allowing their respective counties to sell them.
Tax Certificates are liens placed on properties by the county the properties are located in for non payment of property taxes. As such the lien(s) are in first position ahead of bank loans and other liens placed on the property. This affords the buyer/investor (anyone with a Social Security number or a Tax ID number) a very sizable return on their investment and giving them a great deal of protection as the value of Tax Certificate(s) are approximately 1% +/- of the value of the property.
Tax Deed applications are the next step in acquiring property for non payment of property taxes. After a certain period of time an investor can (and should) apply for the Tax Deed(s) on the Tax Certificate(s) he/she owns. Oftentimes this can be done from the comfort of your home online computer. If the property owner or any other interested party does not pay the past due property taxes (your Tax Certificate plus all the stated interest due you plus other costs you incur), then you (the investor) would very likely own the property for a very small price in relation to the property value. Selling the Tax Deed is a very easy process as there are a large number of investors desiring to acquire the properties at a fraction of the true value.