With the advent of globalization, businesses need to cope with trading internationally. Since time difference is always a problem the aspiration of setting-up a 24/7 office is one’s businessman’s dream. For a Tax Delinquent Investor this is almost a necessity. There is not one time where opportunities are latent. But there is GOOD NEWS!

There are ways to achieve this and one of them is to physically open your office 24 hours a day and fill it with staff. With this set-up your office is open 24 hours a day and has 3 work shifts in a day: The morning shift, the afternoon and the graveyard shift.  This kind of set-up is very tedious and needs a lot of monitoring. And since your operation is 24 hours, you will be lead to hire ample number of people thus making your cost on salaries and wages balloon.   It is sort of going against the Tax Delinquent Investor Goals, don’t you think?

Then there is another way, which is an easier and cost efficient way. You can get all of that done by setting up your own website.  Nowadays, almost everyone is connected to the Internet whether via computer, PDAs or cellular phones.  A website is a virtual store that resides in the Internet.  Everyone can access it anytime of the day thus eliminating the time zone differences around the world.  Sales transactions are done electronically and payments are made via credit card using a secured payment gateway. But before you can setup your Tax Delinquent Investment business over the Internet, first you need to have a working system, some valuable information at hand and knowledgeable content to share to your audience.

Your Tax Delinquent Investment business website can accept queries, suggestions, information and even actual land/property purchases. It can also publish information and advertise properties you are selling. You can even have an interested buyer enter some of their information in so that by the time you contact them you would have most of their valuable details at hand. Lastly and the most important thing of all is that it can also accept payments from the buyer.  Once you have packaged the basic requirements needed to setup a website then your business is open for business 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.  This will enable you to maximize operations, decrease operational expenses; global expansions, thus, a much bigger chance to increase profit.  Having your own real estate website makes selling land properties global in just a click away or to be precise just a mouse click away.  You put your business out there for the whole world to see and you’re client base is diversified, breaking all barriers, in terms of time and geographical zones.

As one might say if there is one constant thing in this world it’s got to be tax.  So whichever state or country you are in, it is certain that landowners have real property tax obligations. 

So anywhere in the world, you are almost certain to find landowners who have payment problems on their properties, making it a tax delinquent property.  Nowadays, the real estate business focuses on real properties that are tax delinquent because of the main reason that the landowners of these said lands are willing to sell their properties for a ridiculously low amount or whatever they can get from the buyer. They are most likely to accept a tiny offer and make some money off of their property than to completely lose it and not get anything at all. This is actually great news for us, the Tax Delinquent Investor.

With a small amount of investment you can possibly make a huge profit in a short period of time, especially if you have the connections and have the “know-how” in reselling these properties. What I found out is, with this kind of trend in the market, the competition is very high. As we all know, when the competition is high the asking price of the tax delinquent land might also be pegged higher than normal, thus making your profit a little bit less.  There is a way to eliminate or lessen this competition between realtors, though.  To do this, try not to focus on tax delinquent lands that are located in the key metropolitan cities. Like if you are in Florida you don’t go to Miami or if you are in California you don’t look into San Francisco to make your investment on tax delinquent properties because the competition on these key cities is very high. 

The theory of supply and demand applies on these kinds of real properties. The higher the demand of the supply and or land the higher the price it can reach.  Instead of going to these key cities you could go to the rural area or less developed area that is accessible from the main city.  On these said area cost of lands are not as high and competition among realtors is less making purchasing easier and more profitable. Like the lifestyles in the metro, competition in the Metro resembles a Rat Race. The Tax Delinquent Investment business is one of the few opportunities available where avoiding the rat race can actually get you more cheese.

In today’s electronic age, data and information travels from one point to another point in just a split of a second.  If we need certain data we can access it from anywhere through the internet. It could be information from the library or even directly from a certain individual.  But data, whether it is bulk, raw or nominal must be checked and filtered properly to make it reliable.  You would want to restrain from data overload and learn which information is valuable and which is rubbish.

In the Tax Delinquent Investment business, we rely heavily on accurate data, especially on tax delinquent property records. This data usually can be accessed from the local county office that handles real property taxes.  This type of data is open for the public to access, which means anyone can go to these offices and ask for a list of tax delinquent lands on their territory.  It would be easy if the data you retrieve is in the minimal range but if the data is in bulk and raw then you have a pretty big job ahead. Checking this data one by one requires a lot of time to process and by the time you have trimmed the list and ready to make a decision to invest, chances are the said land or property is either foreclosed or already has been sold. So filtering this data quickly is key for a tax delinquent investor to make the decision to invest without losing the opportunity to do so. 

Alas, there is a way to do this in a timely manner. How to do this? All you would have to do is develop a customized system designed to handle this kind of data.  A Customized System can be developed with the use of a computer where all the criteria you want to zero in on a certain property you want to invest in is coded in this program.  Making this system is not easy, you need to have a pretty good knowledge on the real estate business and has a certain connectivity with your prospective customers.  Once the system is in place all you need to do is input all the raw data that you have retrieved and let the program filter it. It allows you to set parameters where it takes in all the raw data, processes it (with the help of this special code) and produces a file with all of the specified information you require (which you set up yourself).  Output will be available within seconds.  With an automatic process in place, you will be able to make decisions right away. Making selecting, purchasing, reselling and profit seemingly fast and almost automatic.

In Tax Delinquent Investment, it is important that you have a Tax Roll List at hand. This is usually encoded in Microsoft Excel or any spreadsheet program. When you have this list, the next thing that you need to do is to sort it down. This means that you need to filter down the list of properties and extract the properties which do not qualify with your criteria. The first thing that you must do is look at the value of the property. There are two ways of getting this. You can either get this by calculating the assessment ratio of the property’s assessed value to the market value according to the assessor or by looking up recent sale prices in the area of your property and comparing value.

            This is an example of how you find the value using the assessors assessed value. First you will need to contact the county you are working in and ask the assessor if the assessed value is a percentage of the market value and if it is what is the ratio? Most counties have a thumb rule they go by. Like for instance a county’s assessed value may be generally 3% of the market value. So in that case if you are looking at a property record where the assess values are $300, $1000 and $200 you know that the properties are worth around $10,000, 16,600 and 33,300. These quick calculations can assist you in making a quick decisions on multiple properties.

            Now most counties also have a field in their database usually called something like “Last Sale Price” and “Last Sale Date”. You will also need to know where the properties are located. If the county has these 3 pieces of information they you can sort the properties by area, size and improvement value. Find at least 5 properties that are similar to yours and average there last sale prices. Another way to do this is to simply call a realtor and ask them to send you some listings in the area of you property.

            No matter what your investment goals are, it is always best to have all the necessary data to make an educated decision. It cuts out any surprises and you pretty much know what to expect. You cut out many of your risks and you are able to manage your own budget requirements and most importantly you will be able to evaluate hundreds of properties quickly and be able to effectively pinpoint the gems to go after.

A well-modulated voice is pleasant to hear when you are on the phone. Your voice is the only thing that a seller knows about you. Chances are when they phone you they know nothing about you so this is like a first impression they have of you, so it is pertinent that you give them a great one. In Tax Delinquent Investing, the initial contact is your gateway to a profitable deal. I am not telling that you should sound like a disc jockey or a telemarketer. What I’m telling you is to speak clearly and don’t sound like you eat your words. Enunciate. You should sound consistent, confident, professional and calm. Sound like you are knowing and educated, especially when it comes to the property you are talking about and the processes that you are offering. I guess it’s universal that when you receive a phone call from someone who sounds panicky, rushing or recorded as they are offering something, you start to doubt the person in the back of your head. You’ll realize that it’s just a waste of time. You either hang-up the call or remain on the line and prolong your agony.  It sure is not pleasant. It is the same for the property owner calling you in the tax delinquent investment business.

When you phone sellers with a tax delinquent property, you should try to calm yourself and be prepared. Automatically focus only on the caller. It’s just you and them for those moments. Pay attention to the mood they convey when they answer your call. Gauge how they are feeling and match your tone to that feeling. When you can be in tune with your caller’s voice then it also makes you sound more confident. Put some life in your voice. Smile while you are talking. It really helps! Never shout or butt in when they are still in the middle of a sentence. Wait until it’s your queue to speak, that means you are really listening. Let them finish what they want to say. But for you to make sure you are maximizing the phone call always try to direct the conversation back to the essence of the call. Refer back to their tax delinquent property somehow but in due timing. Never hurry them or make them feel rushed back to business. I know you want to get the deal right away, but let them air out some feelings, in the end it will tell you how they want to be dealt with. As a result, you will win their trust and WIN the deal. For instance, they phone you instead of you calling them, take your time for they made the effort in getting a hold of you. They saved you the time and effort to chase after them. In fact, as soon as you get them to phone you, they are practically handing you the deal, you are halfway through a closed deal. Never sound desperate to close the deal or too anxious to settle the call. Be cool and relaxed, but not too cool that you sound uninterested. The perfect mix of calm, cool and confidence is a definite sure hitter. Confidence will balance off the discomfort they feel in dealing with a total stranger. Remember, when they ring you it means they are really close to a decision, take advantage of it by gearing it towards where you want to be. That is to WIN your Tax Delinquent Investment.

It’s amazing what the power of your Voice, the intonation, the pitch, the manner of speech, can exude. It is who you are and defines the kind of person you are over the telephone. Knowing how to speak allows the seller to feel comfortable with you and trust your credibility. When you master these techniques you establish a solid and professional relationship with the seller. These are essential details in closing a good deal. Your calm, confident and reliable voice might be the stamp the seal the deal in your Tax Delinquent Investment.

A successful tax delinquent investment requires your undaunted focus towards your ultimate goal. Just like a golfer intimidated yet captivated by the sublimely peaceful greenery — his goal is the hole on the other end. As well as, with a person who plays darts — his only goal is the bull’s eye. Our ultimate goal is to deliver the most appealing letter to be read and understood and to yield a successful transaction regardless on what motivation gets you there. Being focused on our target – a low price for a great tax delinquent property and a good relationship with the owner are prime ingredients in hitting the bull’s eye.

Formulating a short letter is simple and easy. Our focus is to formulate a direct, straight to the point, focused and positive letter. An average of three to five sentences or a paragraph will do. Let me give you one good example,

“I noticed you own land in Redondo Beach in California. I’m very interested in your property that is overlooking the pacific and I am capable in paying you in cash. You can unburden yourself with property ownership and delinquent taxes. I am hoping to hear a positive response from you. You can contact me through my mobile number or through my website. Thank you and have a good day!”

With a clear intention in stating your interest in a short letter, it will definitely yield the highest response rate from owners. Being direct and straightforward is not a disadvantage since, you get to express your message in a clear concise manner and avoid wasting time by not beating around the bush. From this type of letter, you definitely projected a very firm and edged personality.  With honesty, clarity and sincerity you can be sure you have made a good impression and could possible earn you an investment property. You can say that, you definitely hit the bull’s eye!

            In the Tax Delinquent Investment business, you shouldn’t wait until the tax delinquent property comes up for the highly competitive tax lien or tax deed auctions.  You don’t want to wait to invest in the property, when it has accumulated years of unpaid taxes. Instead, you want to go to the seller today and buy it for pennies on the dollar.

            When you already have the go signal that they are willing to give up their property CALL THEM RIGHT AWAY. You know this because you have already sent them a letter, expressing your intention and interest in their property and they have either written you back or called you back.

Call them as soon as possible because some people may be willing to give their properties up to you, initially, but with all the real estate hype, they might have second thoughts and choose to hold back and hold off in putting their properties up a little longer. The sooner you get hold of the owner and the sooner you show your interest in buying, the better your chances are in acquiring that property.

            You can benefit from a Tax Delinquent Property if you act fast. In this business, the faster you act, the better your profit will be. Get hold of your seller as soon as possible and inquire as much details you can about the property. This way you get to know if the said property is worth an investment or you should do a rain check on it. There are loads of tax delinquent properties out there you can take advantage of. If a seller is giving you the run-around and not really giving you the time of day, learn to move on and prevent wasting your time with one seller. There are too many fishes in the sea. Move on.

            Also remember to double check on each of the properties you are interested in investing in. With today’s technology, you can do some research online. Ask the seller the exact address of the property and Use Google Earth to look it up. That way you get to have a visual of the site and compare it with what the seller had described to you. And even without actually inspecting the area you know where your money’s worth is going.

            Even though you are running after time, it does not mean you should skip or ignore certain things that are necessary for a guaranteed sound investment. Haste makes Waste. So even if you have made it possible to speed things up by skipping necessary steps in the Tax Delinquent Investment Process, in the end, the deal still falls apart and all your hard work goes to waste. Cover your bases and learn to do it efficiently so that you are maximizing your time and effort to contribute to your success.

How do you know when you’re talking to the right person? In my experience, at times when a seller is interested in disposing his or her junk or tax delinquent property, the one that phones me isn’t the owner of the property. It’s either someone who has a strong connection with the owner or a relative of the owner. A family member or an associate usually represents the owner. Even if you aren’t talking to the actual owner, you shouldn’t take the call for granted. Nevertheless, you should try to acquire the most pertinent details about the property while you are on the phone with these people. This makes the research a lot faster and a whole lot easier. Be courteous with them for they can influence the seller’s decision. If you happen to sound disrespectful, then it’ll just bring you down to an unsuccessful deal.

Try to be diligent in asking questions on how you can get hold of the owner. Ask for the owner’s contact number and his or her availability to take your call. You can at least settle for an email address. You should know that a way to a successful transaction is to learn how to avoid the red tape. Try to ask if the property’s been listed with a real estate company. If it happens to be listed, then it would be wiser to contact the company than the owner of the property. Though the process in transacting with the owner is totally different with a real estate company, you should be polite and learn how to take care each other’s interest when it comes to the property. Keep in mind that your offer usually would need to be higher with them because of their commission, etc.

Getting a hold of the right person to speak with will be to your advantage.  Why waste your time with someone who can’t decide to sell when you can develop a skill to recognize a sure hitter? In the tax delinquent investment business, it is essential to speak with the right people or else, you’ll be wasting time and loosing profits.

Knowing more about the tax delinquent investment property’s background helps you price the property appropriately. Knowing its history is one thing but to know that it’s been delinquent in taxes opens an opportunity for you, the Tax Delinquent Investor. How do you ask a property owner who has obvious delinquencies how much they owe in back taxes? There are usually diverse answers when you try to ask this very intrusive question to the seller. It’s either they know it, they don’t know it and will just give you an estimate or they don’t want to disclose it. So, being sensitive to their situation is useful. Try not to come on too strong and annoyingly intrusive for this may lead to your downfall.

You know a Tax Delinquent property still owes back taxes, attempt to ask the seller how much in a direct but non-insulting way. You can always call the county directly to find out this information, so you are really only asking the owner to see how well they manage their property. If they feel that you are sincere in asking, it may just lead them to disclose the amount. If you have a diversified investment portfolio in your business it might be best o group your investments together. Try to categorize the properties you are looking to invest in, in a spreadsheet like you do for your Tax Delinquent tax roll list, assessment roll list and FREE & CLEAR PROPERTIES. Properties belonging in the tax delinquent tax roll list and assessment roll list are properties that still have property tax debts. The usual and common answer from the seller is an affirmation. They either know how much they still owe or give you an estimate if they happen to not know it exactly. By knowing this, it’ll help you distinguish your capacity in negotiating with the seller. Knowing what price to offer and what you could do for the property can help you calculate how much is fair to offer the seller. By doing this, it will help you micro detail and research more about the tax delinquent investment property.

There may be lies and uncertainties along the way. Some sellers may be embarrassed that they owe property taxes but make sure you communicate to the seller that you are not trying to insult them, you are trying to help them get rid of that burden and maybe release them of their debt. The key in giving a good offer is to verify the information you have about the tax delinquent investment property and be positive about it. Micro detailing a tax delinquent investment property regarding the back taxes it owes helps you research more about the property and give yourself some time to think about your price offer. You will be able to gauge the value of the land or property you are looking to invest in as long as you have done your research right.  Finding the right properties is great for your Tax Delinquent Investment business but being able to find a fair price to offer to the tax delinquent is even better. In this business, it is only half the battle to find the right investment, pricing it is the other half to complete an ideal transaction.

        In the Tax Delinquent Investment business, it is important to establish rapport with the seller. People like dealing with people they like, meaning they will do business with you if they like you. Give them a good laugh and show your interest on the property with a little bit of personality. They’re obviously not interested in having that specific property anymore so they would pretty much give it to someone more interested. The decision that needs to made now is to whom will they finally let that property go to? Believe it or not, making them laugh a little or making some sort of pleasant impression goes a long way in making that critical decision for the tax delinquent.

        In my years of experience, I found the best way to establish that connection is to keep the conversation flowing. Ask them about the area, how was it a few years back, are the roads still accessible, the easiest way to get there or other minor or major renovations of the property. While you are conversing with the seller you also get to know first hand what the property was before and is now. No one knows that property in better detail than the owner, so talking to him is an advantage. Try even adding some historical questions; people love to talk about trivial things of those sorts. After this type of interaction, you can decide if the area fits your preference or you might opt to skip it because there are a lot of repairs to do or the property ids not located in an accessible area. As a Tax Delinquent Investor, you want to invest on something you can earn more on not spend more on.

        Creating rapport with the seller also helps me to get a good bargain, a low price that is accepted. If you talk to somebody and have already had a few good laughs on the phone with them, chances are they will remember you. They’re going to remember you better and they are willing to do business with you even thought you might offer a little less than what they think they could get from the property.

        Just be friendly and ask the right questions. You don’t want to annoy the seller and end up losing a good deal and a good property. These people are letting their tax delinquent property for taxes and it might not be the best feeling, sometimes even painful. They always said Laughter is the Best medicine. In this case it might just cure the burden they have been experiencing in tax delinquencies.