There are times when a property owner is unable to pay the required property tax. At such time they become delinquent taxpayer and the appropriate governing authority is in charge for collecting property taxes. This collection can be achieved through a tax auction. That brings us to the question, What is a Tax Lien auction? A tax lien auction is a court-ordered auction. Depending upon the state and the nature of sales it can be an auction for a Tax Deed Sales or Tax Lien Certificates.

You can buy a tax lien at auctions held by the taxing authority, which are generally held once a year. Depending upon the state and county that you are accessing there may be several types of auction bidding. Sometimes, not all Tax Liens are sold at the auction. This could either because of lack of bidding or because there were no acceptable bids. In such scenario, the Tax Lien can be bought over the counter at a later date.

You are not required to attend the auction to make a purchase. You can also buy a Tax Lien over the web and in mail. However, it is recommended that you buy them in person over the counter to eliminate error.

Buying tax liens is a very well hidden real estate investing secret. Many Americans are still not aware of the profit potential of such investment. Depending on the state where you buy the tax lien you can more often than not earn 18% to 50% or more per year. And if the delinquent taxpayer does not fall through the repayment, you still have the court backing the foreclosure of the property. Therefore, buying a tax lien allows you to have either the higher yield from repayment of tax or the actual title to property at a substantial discount.

However, before you jump onto this band wagon, it is advised that you do all the required homework. You can get information on a regular basis from the Review regional foreclosure lists.