Rating: Summary: still good advice Review: I just checked TLC in Florida. It is still the same as the book described. Probably the government is among the slowest changing places, which is good as far as TLC concerned. The book is straightforward. You can get the same advice which the other website charged a couple hundreds of dollar to sell their packages. Good buy!
Rating: Summary: Don't Just Believe the Hype Review: I recently finished reading this dated book (published in the early 1990's) and came away feeling confident that tax lien certificates are a good way to combat current low interest and divident-yielding investments. And Moscowitz sure MAKES IT SOUND easy. But then I did some local research of my own here in Iowa and found out the 'real skinny' on this risky investment strategy. First of all, institutional investors and other 'insiders' often rule the day at the yearly auctions; e.g. they know which certificates to bid on to make money. As a private investor with little or no experience doing due diligence, I learned that I would be at a significant disadvantage. Secondly, there are many pitfalls that the book does not describe in much detail, namely the risk of ending up with a property that has title problems or requires extensive (and expert) clean-up due to environmental or structural problems. Worse yet, the certificate holder may not even hold the primary lien on the property, despite what is stated in this book! You may spend money at auction to buy the certificate and then have the bank take the property when the owners fail to make good on their property tax obligations. Then you get no interest and you have lost your investment for good! Finally, I heard that if you choose to play this risky investment game, it's best to do it out of state from where you reside, because the owners of the property may (unfairly) view the certificate holder as the 'cause' of their debt problems and attempt to contact you or otherwise make trouble. Buyer beware.............there is no free lunch here.
Rating: Summary: Good base information, but... Review: I think it could go just a bit deeper in depth on how to get started as a rank beginner. Some of us are very new to investing on our own. It seems a bit intimidating at times. Maybe a little more "hand-holding" and explain in VERY simple to understand terms. Overall, I really enjoyed the read. I've loaned it to my brother and we hope to start investing together soon. I highly recommend the book.
Rating: Summary: Good base information, but... Review: I think it could go just a bit deeper in depth on how to get started as a rank beginner. Some of us are very new to investing on our own. It seems a bit intimidating at times. Maybe a little more "hand-holding" and explain in VERY simple to understand terms. Overall, I really enjoyed the read. I've loaned it to my brother and we hope to start investing together soon. I highly recommend the book.
Rating: Summary: Nice, safe returns--good book. Review: I thought that this was an excellent book and an effective way to tap into the world of tax liens. Better than paying $200-$300 or more for book tape programs. Tax liens are a excellent strategy for those who want big rates of return but also want something safer than the stock market. I also suggest More Wealth without Risk by Charles Givens.
Rating: Summary: 16% Primer, 10% of what you need. Review: If you are thinking about reading the book, and heading out the next day and buying tax liens earning 16% you will be disappointed. Now if you really want to roll up your sleeves, do some work and make a business out of this, the author gives you a good primer. Unlike a lot of authors he does spend a good deal of time talking about RISK, understanding LAWS, dealing with county officials, banks, and yes the homeowners themselves.To start, there are 27 states that offer tax liens, so unless you are curious like me, you may want to see if your state or a nearby state even sells the liens. My state does not, but if it did, I would take a pass. You collect on these when and if the owner pays the back taxes. From 1 day, until never would be a realistic range. If they don't pay, yes the note is secured by the property. So now you have to foreclose on the property. Unless you are an expert on foreclosures, you will have to hire an attorney. Then you have to deal with everyone else who has claims on the property, banks, ex-spouses, IRS, etc. It can take YEARS to foreclose, the author addresses this. And when you do foreclose, who says the people will leave? I invest and trade in stocks full time. After reading 100s of books, I still search for more knowledge and still make mistakes that cost money. Are tax liens worth looking at, sure. Is the book good, yes, as a primer. I will close by saying if you are thinking about a real estate career check out JOHN T. REEDs website for an excellent discussion of what is needed for a real career as a real estate investor.
Rating: Summary: A Good Introduction to Tax Lien Certificate Review: It is a good book for introducing a special kind of investment vehicle, Tax Lien Certificate, to the readers. However one has to be well aware of the laws in different states in order to make a good investment decision. As a foreigner, I envy the Americans their good fortune of having an opportunity to invest in this wonderful "Certificate".
Rating: Summary: Informative Review: Mr. Moskowitz definitely did his research here. Although it may be time for a revision, as I'm sure some aspects of the tax lien field have changed since its publication, I learned a lot about investing in liens from reading this book. I've been researching this for a while, so to any beginners out there, I would also recommend Jim Yocom's book, Tax Lien Certificates. Plus, there's a website, www.taxsale.com, that has a lot of information about tax sales.
All-in-all, this book was very informative, but don't forget that doing good research includes more than just reading one book. Look at my above references and go to see how an auction works. Then you'll be much more on your way.
Rating: Summary: TLC's are very powerful Review: Not only can TLC's provide a high interest of 16%-50%, government guaranteed and secured by RE, but TLC's are the best way to get RE for rock bottom pennies on the dollar. I highly recommend TLC'and this book is a great way to learn how to invest in them.
Rating: Summary: Book incomplete; excludes tax collectors' addresses. Review: Recently purchased book; found it lacking the addresses of states' county tax collectors which is the real information needed to start the process. Also missing is information on several states: i.e. Alaska and Texas, the two states of interest to me. Book gives telephone numbers of county tax collectors; however, to call could mean a fortune in telehone calls to just obtain addresses and information. Suppose caller is put on hold or encounters one of those automatic phone systems that have a myriad of directions and options? I am returning book for refund, as it does not meet my needs.
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