Lowell Deeds

I’ve received several emails recently that go something like this:

Can you tell me when there will be a tax lien auction? I’ve heard of people buying properties for as little as hundreds of dollars? Is there any truth to it?

I don’t know what has precipitated these inquiries - maybe all the stories about the real estate market slowing down. And other states may handle this differently. For instance, most states outside of New England rely on county government to assess, collect and enforce real property taxes. In Massachusetts, that’s all done by each municipality. The property tax lien system in Massachusetts is also designed to produce revenue for towns; not to make the towns big landowners or to enrich speculators by selling half million dollar homes for $500 at a tax lien auction. So if you want to strike it rich here in the Commonwealth, you’re probably better off buying lottery tickets than you would be chasing after tax lien auctions.