Tax-Deed – cleartosell.com

Are You an Investor Without a Trust or Other Business Entity? You Shouldn’t Be.

If you’re buying properties at auction, you run the risk of inviting costly lawsuits for each and every property you purchase, from something as simple as a dispute over property lines to potentially attaching liens. Even if these lawsuits are frivolous and without foundation, the cost involved in defending yourself is prohibitive and damaging.

The benefits to having a trust or LLC in which to own your tax deed properties are multiple:

Discourage potential lawsuits and risks by concealing the identities of the equity principles (you and/or other controlling members) involved.

Both a trust and LLC allow anonymity and leverage during negotiations.
- Wealthy individuals often close transactions through trusts in order to mask their identity.
- If you’re buying/selling multiple properties in a given area, doing so through separate trusts can allow you to retain leverage by not tipping off potential buyers/sellers (Walt Disney bought up land for Disney World this way!).

Both Trusts and LLCs provide easy transference of equitable interests, and if written correctly, can avoid probate or Florida transfer taxes upon the death of a principal.

There are advantages to not closing transactions in your personal name, so consider setting up a trust or an LLC to provide additional layers of security!

Have a question? Call us today at our toll free number 1(855) 680-4908 to set up a complimentary 15-minute consultation with one of our Cleartosell staff counsel, or email info@cleartosell.com and mention this article!

At Cleartosell, we are continually developing unique ways to save tax deed investors both time and money. Visit our Cleartosell YouTube channel to see our principal attorney address related topics of interest in our ongoing educational video series: Tax Deed Law Made Simple.

To read more of our original content, or to place your order, go to —

www.cleartosell.com, create an account, and get started today!

Matthew Murray February 26, 2018

Posted In: Attorneys, Tax-Deed, Trusts

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How to Handle Code Enforcement Liens on Your Tax Deeded Property

We get a colorful variety of interesting inquiries over the phone day to day from prospective clients about anything from therapy sessions resulting from their investing frustrations to asking about how to renew their car insurance. But one question we find that frequently pops up is an investor calling with concerns about a Tax Deed property they bought, or plan to buy, that has various existing liens or Code enforcement violations on it and how that is going to affect the process of getting title insurance.

There is a lot of confusion with conflicting explanations on what is and is not wiped out at a Tax Deed auction. A common misconception that we hear from newer investors is that all liens are wiped out when they buy a property from a Tax Deed auction. This is not true! In Florida, mortgages, judgment liens, association liens and even IRS liens (as long as 120 days have passed) are wiped out in a Tax Deed auction, but the catch here is they are wiped out ONLY if the lien holders received proper notice prior to the Tax Deed auction. (That is a whole other topic alone!) Then there are liens that are not wiped out such as municipal liens that are in the city’s name like water, sewer, and code enforcement liens. These liens may be satisfied with the overbid funds, but if not, the owner of the tax deed is responsible for paying the remaining liens even though it was not them who caused these violations against the property in the first place.

There are many reasons why people stop paying their property taxes, including a concern that their home is worth little to nothing. Then the property gets abandoned and deteriorates into an eyesore for the neighborhood. Now, because this distressed property has been sitting there collecting daily fines from the city, the tax deed owner becomes liable for thousands of dollars in liens that are going to drain their profit. A client of ours recently discovered that one of his properties we were working on had accrued over $200,000 in Code enforcement liens that had been adding up by hundreds of dollars per day! What does the new tax deed owner do in a situation like this?

Think about it this way: The property has been sitting there collecting Code Enforcement Violations for overgrown grass, or graffiti on the sidewalk because no one is there to fix it up. When that property is bought at a Tax Deed auction, more than likely the new owner of the deed has intentions to fix it up to rehab and flip or rent it out. Therefore that new owner is a friend of the city, not the transgressor. They are coming in with the promise that they will fix up the property, therefore bringing up the neighborhood value and image. By going before a special magistrate with that promise it is possible to negotiate the fines down significantly in sheer relief that the property is no longer their problem. Personal stories from our clients here at cleartosell.com have proven that this method works wonders. One of our clients tells how he went before a Special Magistrate and negotiated more than an 80% reduction in payable liens based on his intentions to rehab the property.

Keep in mind that certain violations such as Nuisance Abatement cannot be negotiated down because of the hard costs made by the city, but Code Enforcements are almost certain to be negotiated down to a reasonable level. So if you win a Tax Deed from an auction and come to find out there is a significant fine for a lawn that went unkempt for years, don’t panic! There is a solution. If you would like specific advice on Code Enforcement liens on a tax-deeded property you own, why not book a free 15-minute consultation with one of our attorneys? They will be able to help you understand the right steps you must take in resolving this issue.

admin January 29, 2018

Posted In: Auctions, Investing, Tax-Deed

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Why HOA Liens Definitely Do NOT Survive Tax Deed Sales

An Investor on BiggerPockets.com said it perfectly; “Many gurus and books make it sound like buying at tax sale is easy. It is one of the most complicated and legally convoluted businesses in the real estate industry. However, it can be tremendously profitable!” The experienced tax deed investors out there are nodding their heads vigorously in agreement.

Due to this convoluted nature, it is vital for prudent investors to know the laws pertaining to tax deeds to protect themselves from improper claims of liability, such as those made by a Homeowner Association’s for unpaid assessment liens accrued prior to the property being sold at auction.

One of our clients recently bought a condo at a tax deed sale. He stopped by the HOA office simply to update contact information and was handed a claim of lien for unpaid HOA assessments for the past 3 years and asked to pay it in full. This obviously came as a surprise to him because he was unaware those liens had survived. Thankfully, one of our attorneys recognized the unlawfulness of this and stepped in.

The Florida Statutes and case law can be somewhat confusing to a new investor as to which liens survive tax deeds sales. However, per Florida Statute §197.573(2) HOA assessments clearly do not fall into the category of surviving liens after a tax deed sale. The tax deed purchaser is not required to expend money for any purpose, except for municipal or county governmental unit liens.

Homeowner Associations do not enjoy losing money and may attempt to get paid regardless of any statue stating the unlawful nature of such, and sometimes you just get a new person at the reception desk who has never heard of a tax deed sale. Our client was fortunate to have good counsel intervene on his behalf, but this may not be the case for others.

It is not an ideal situation to create tension with the HOA immediately, and some investors may choose instead to negotiate the fees down before taking further legal action. The bottom line is that an HOA lien recorded prior to the tax deed is extinguished by the sale with notice. The HOA should go after the surplus funds for the assessments accrued prior to the sale, not the tax deed purchaser. This is why it is important to know your legal rights as a tax deed purchaser so you can stand firm your ground when legal lines get blurred.

For additional information See:
Florida Statutes §197.552 and §197.573(2).
Lunohah Investments, LLC v. Gaskell, 158 So.3d 619, 621 (Fla. 5d DCA 2013).
A to Z Props., Inc. v. Fairway Palms II Condo. Assoc., Inc., 137 So.3d 453 (Fla. 4d DCA 2014).
Beneva Ridge Condo. Assoc., Inc. v. SRQUS, LLC, 145 So.3d 104 (Fla. 2d DCA 2013).

Cassandra January 22, 2018

Posted In: Liens, Tax-Deed

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A Scrivener’s Error on a Tax Deed Will Cost You Time and Delay Your Closing.

A Scrivener’s error is quite simply a mistake on the Tax Deed. Examples of the types of mistakes made are:

Errors in the Legal Description of the property.

Misspelling or incomplete name of the Tax Deed purchase.

Let’s assume your LLC name in which you bought the tax deed is misspelled. This is a major problem as it means the Tax Deed is invalid, as the LLC on the Tax Deed document does not exist as a registered business entity.

The fastest way to correct the error is to make a call to the Clerk of Court’s office. If it was their mistake, they can easily issue and record a corrective deed. But if it transpires that the error loops back to you accidentally transposing a letter when you registered, then you are going to get the bad news: “We can’t change it, we just record the owner of the Tax Deed to the entity registered with us.”

There are three ways you can overcome this problem in order of ease:

Try and persuade the Clerk of Courts to issue and record a Corrective Tax Deed (which fixes a problem in an already recorded Deed, but which does not create a new interest) in the County in which the incorrect tax deed was purchased.

Consult with your title agent and their affiliate underwriter to see if you can file and record an affidavit (known as a “One and the Same Affidavit”) in the County of record in order to resolve the title issue. As this document is correcting an already recorded document in Official Records its construction and verbiage is better handled by an attorney.

File a Declaratory Judgment Order against the Clerk of the Court in order to have a Judge rule upon correcting the Tax Deed in your favor.

Make sure you carefully check and read each recorded Tax Deed you buy so you can discover any Scrivener’s errors early. Don’t delay in seeking to get the errors rectified, especially if you are using a certification process like Cleartosell as the error will only get in the way of you being able to quickly sell the property.

We regularly post help topics to save tax deed investors both time and money. To never miss an educational post from Cleartosell, please subscribe to our Newsletter here.

Click Here to watch a short presentation by our Principal Attorney, Paul Krasker, discussing the importance of correcting a mistake on a Tax Deed.

Dawn Schneiderman December 28, 2017

Posted In: Attorneys, Auctions, Tax-Deed

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Tax Deed FAQ: “Am I responsible for the outstanding Association liens on a tax-deeded property in Florida?”

Not too long ago we spoke with an investor who had found the perfect condo going up for sale at an upcoming tax deed auction but had immediately lost interest once he discovered a large outstanding condo association lien was attached to it. He realized his mistake when we told him this:

The tax deed purchaser is NOT responsible for past Association liens and there is ample support for this in Florida Statutes.

The issue of tax deeds and Association liens has been heavily litigated in FL for years, but now it is pretty well settled law. Association statutes Chapter 718 & 720 impose liability for past due assessments in relation to property acquired by the transfer of title, however, a tax deed does not represent a transfer of title but the commencement of a new, original and paramount title.

The courts ruled in favor of the tax deed statue, as it is more specific in addressing the key issue of their survival or extinguishment after issuance of a tax deed and any conflict must be resolved in favor of the more specific statute.

The majority of the time when we see a tax deed purchaser have an issue it is due to human error in recording an Association claim of Lien for past due amounts AFTER the tax deed sale or the Association simply forgot to tell their attorney the property had been sold at a tax deed auction so they continue to try and collect the debt they believe they are owed. To catch these mistakes check the dates that they are claiming for assessments and other back due amounts.

You are only responsible for the Association dues from the tax deed sale moving forward.

Our attorneys at Cleartosell have formatted a standard letter for our clients when an Association makes an improper claim for amount due. If you would like a copy of this template please give us a call or email us at info@cleartosell.com and mention this blog post.

Click here to watch a short presentation where our Senior Staff Attorney, Megan Schmidt breaks down this topic with examples supporting case law.

Cassandra August 15, 2017

Posted In: Attorneys, Investing, Tax-Deed

Tags: Liens

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Do Properties Purchased off the List of Lands Come Free and Clear of Liens?

Some of the more common questions we receive from tax deed investors involve the list of lands and escheatment tax deeds. In this post we breakdown what the investor needs to know about purchasing tax deeds from the list of lands.

What is the List of Lands?

If there are no bidders at the public sale for the tax deed, the certificate holder is given the option to pay the remaining balance and take ownership of the property or pay the costs to re-list the property at a subsequent auction.

If the certificate holder neglects to do either within 30 days after the original public auction, the Clerk will add the property to a list entitled “lands available for taxes.” These properties can be purchased “over the counter” for the minimum bid advertised by the Clerk.

What about the liens?

If a property is purchased off the list of lands, the same rules apply as if the property had been sold at auction, as far as lien survival. In general, the majority of liens and interests such as mortgages and judgments are extinguished by the tax deed sale, but the county and municipal liens remain. Any easement and covenants that run with the land also stay attached, just as if the property was purchased at auction.

What is an Escheatment tax deed?

After the property has sat on the list of lands for at least three years from the date of the original public auction, the land will escheat to the county free and clear. The Clerk will execute an escheatment tax deed to the Board of County Commissioners and liens of any nature will be deemed canceled as matter of law. Easements and covenants that run with the land will still remain attached.

Purchasing the escheatment tax deed is the only way we have seen to extinguish the existing governmental interests by operation of the sale itself.

At Clear to Sell, we are continually developing unique ways to save tax deed investors like you both time and money. If this information has been useful, please visit our YouTube channel to see our principal attorney address this topic in an episode of our educational video series: Tax Deed Law Made Simple

Cassandra July 26, 2017

Posted In: Attorneys, Auctions, Investing, Tax-Deed

Tags: Free and Clear, investing, Liens, List of Lands, Tax Deeds

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The Positive Impacts of the Tax Lien System

Local Governments depend on property taxes for funding of the critical services we all rely on like public schools, road maintenance, public safety and healthcare, to just name a few.

So what happens to a community and its services when property taxes go unpaid? Well you wont be surprised to learn that delinquent property taxes impede the provision of important government services and the local government’s fiscal health declines.

So how is this degradation in service provision prevented? Many governments use the sale of tax liens to reclaim this missing revenue and ensure continuation of service provision to their citizens.

But unfortunately, tax liens sales have a negative reputation based on the misconception that they cause homeowners to lose their property to greedy investors. This is not true. The vast majority of homeowners are forced into action to redeem the lien by payment of back taxes. With some minor inconvenience to the homeowner, everybody wins – the government collects enough tax dollars with which to fund public services, and the homeowner keeps their homes thus stabilizing neighborhoods.

Cities like New Orleans who have aggressive tax collection efforts prove highly successful at recovering taxpayer dollars and raising revenue to go toward resident’s top priorities.

New York City is a shining example of a successful tax lien system. Since implementing a lax lien securitization system they have secured a collection rate of almost 99 percent!

Only properties that are not redeemed are sold to new owners by way of a tax deed sale, and in most cases the new owners will improve the homes and pay the property taxes in a timely fashion.

Overall tax deed investors help eliminate community blight by reclaiming and improving vacant or dilapidated properties and paying back the delinquent tax revenue the local government needs to improve crucial public services like schools and hospitals.

We encourage you to do some research into the way your local government handles their tax lien sale process and to request information on how to get involved if you are interested in becoming a tax deed investor yourself.

Cassandra March 20, 2017

Posted In: Auctions, Investing, Tax, Tax-Deed

Tags: Property Tax, Tax Auctions, Tax Deeds, Tax Liens

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Know your Tax Deed statutes! Statute of Limitations Pt. 1

Florida tax deed investors are fortunate in that the statutes surrounding tax deeds tend to provide an abundance of protection for the tax deed purchaser. One example of this is Statute 95.192, which states that after the new tax deed owner has been in possession of the property for four years prior owners cannot come forward to challenge the tax deed sale.

Based on this statute, many underwriters are willing to produce a title commitment for the tax deed property that is past the four-year statute without a quiet title action or Cleartosell title certification process being required. This is however not always the case. There may be special circumstances where a quiet title or certification is still needed and will be addressed in part 2 of this blog to come.

Some title agents or attorneys will simply advise their tax deed investor clients to proceed with a certification process in an abundance of caution and assurance.

While challenges to the sale can no longer be made, other title defects might exist that can prevent immediate insurability such as conveyance errors in the chain of title, incorrect legal descriptions, or liens that have not been properly released.

Using a title certification service like CTS gives tax deed investors assurance that they can sell the property, and what encumbrances they have to deal with prior to receiving insurable title. In the past, Cleartosell’s attorneys have even been able to work with the client and our underwriters to have issues corrected that are outside our scope of certification of the tax deed sale.

If you own a tax deed that is outside the four-year statute you should consider consulting with a licensed title agent or real estate attorney for the best course of action. Book a complimentary 15-minute consultation with one of our attorneys today!

Cassandra January 23, 2017

Posted In: Attorneys, Tax-Deed

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Cleartosell Has Its Say!

Cleartosell has had the fortunate opportunity to attend several tax sale industry related events this year resulting in positive experiences all around. Our principal attorney, Paul A Krasker, and our senior staff attorney Megan F Schmidt recently had the pleasure of giving a presentation on two of these occasions.

Our attorneys shared their experiences at both a Boca Real Estate Investors Club (BRIC) meeting and a NTLA Tax Deed Investment Group meeting in Washington DC.

The attendees at the BRIC meeting were predominantly local real estate investors. The presentation was geared toward Tax Deed/Lien investing 101 education for new or aspiring investors in the tax sale industry.

Paul Krasker said “We covered a variety of educational topics such as Foreclosures vs. tax deeds and why tax deeds are a safer investment based on Florida statutes, obtaining title insurance, the benefit of CTS certification vs. QTA, what to expect at your first auction, and other useful topics for investors new to the tax deed industry. The audience seemed to really pick up on several main areas that interested them.”

Megan Schmidt covered the specifics of the cleartosell service, whilst Paul went on to discuss Tax deeds as an investment in general and clarified the difference between the judicial process of a QTA and our TD certification service.

Questions from the attendees such as the general cost to get started in the tax deed investing business, the risks involved, and how to make their first steps in the right direction made it clear there was considerable interest.

The BRIC meeting happened to fall back-to-back with another event where Paul Krasker traveled to Washington DC to present in front of the NTLA Tax Deed Investor Group, which he chairs.

Paul says, “The purpose of this meeting was to discuss and establish best practice standards for tax deed and tax lien investing through education and thought leadership.”

Although tax sale investing helps to improve communities by eliminating blight and increasing the tax base, it still carries some negative reputations around the consequence of homelessness that can arise. Efforts to continually improve standards in the industry could help extinguish this negativity.

Paul continued “The general discussion of the subcommittee was focused around ideas on developing pre-sale and post-sale best practices for assisting the existing property owners, the tax deed bidders, and then the new tax deed purchaser to ensure investors understand the process and adhere to a high standard of action.”

Paul concluded by saying “it was very helpful to obtain feedback from NTLA board members and other participants of the Investor Group subcommittee. “

The juxtaposition of these two events made attending them back-to-back an interesting and somewhat enlightening experience. It was a privilege to be able to speak to each end of the investor spectrum and be given the opportunity to provide knowledge to both individual investors at a local level, and to NTLA board members working to make positive changes in the industry on a national level.

Cleartosell looks forward to supporting more tax sale industry events in the New Year. If you or someone you know is planning an event that you think our attorneys may be able to contribute as speakers, please contact us to discuss the opportunity.

Cassandra December 23, 2016

Posted In: Attorneys, Tax-Deed

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Holding your tax deed investments? Why you still need title insurance.

It is common for a tax deed investor to dismiss the need for title insurance on tax deed properties they do not plan on selling. But holding a tax deed property without title insurance is putting the investment at major risk of losses, or unplanned costs.

The case for getting title insurance on tax deed property an investor intends to sell is clear. Of course any investor wants to sell their property via General Warranty Deed to a buyer at full fair market value rather than selling via Quit Claim Deed.

But why should an investor secure a title policy on tax-deeded property they don’t plan on selling?

First of all, if an investor plans to buy and hold a tax deed property and wishes to refinance in order to draw some cash for reinvesting or make substantive repairs to or improve the property, a lender ** will require the property have title insurance.

Secondly, properties bought at tax deed auction are particularly susceptible to risky defects in title by virtue of the fact they are tax deeded and come with clouded title. These types of properties often have issues in the back chain or clerical errors in noticing interested parties.

Think what might happen if a listed or undisclosed heir was missed during the required pre-auction noticing done by the county clerk. That leaves the door wide open for an adverse possession claim by that heir in the future, and without title insurance this could pose a risk to the investment and great financial loss if the claim is proven valid.

The same goes for a mortgage lender. Mortgages are wiped out with a tax deed sale so long as the bank was properly noticed of the sale as required by Florida Statute 197. If a mistake was made during noticing and a mortgage was entirely missed then the bank can come forward and potentially un-do the sale if the surplus money doesn’t satisfy the outstanding lien.

This is where having title insurance on your retained tax deed property is essential.

Title insurance is a one-time purchase providing complete coverage for as long as the insured owner or their heirs hold title to the property. A title insurance policy will satisfy valid claims against the insured title and all legal expenses of defending against the claim.

So, investors in tax deed property should not hesitate to get a title insurance policy whether they plan to sell or not. Because without it, the tax deed owner has limited protection against financial loss from claims coming forth due to clerical errors in the tax deed sale process or defects in the title.

Call us on our toll-free number 1-855-680-4908 or email us at info@cleartosell.com to find out how we are helping tax deed investors all over Florida receive insurable title with our certifications much faster and less expensive than quiet title action!

**Our sister company, Cleartofinance, specializes in refinancing tax deed and foreclosure auction real estate to free up cash for further investment or to improve existing property, allowing you to grow your capital base and acquire more properties sold at auction. Apply today online at www.cleartofinance.com or 1-866-224-7730

Cassandra August 30, 2016

Posted In: Investing, Tax-Deed

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