What Is a Tax Lien Certificate? A Beginner's Guide
A plain-English introduction to tax lien certificates: what you buy, how you earn interest, and what happens if the owner never pays.
Blog
Plain-language articles on tax lien and tax deed investing, from the basics to auction strategy.
Tax Lien Investing Glossary: 15 Key Terms
Fifteen essential tax lien and tax deed terms explained in plain English, from redemption period to face value and over-the-counter liens.
How to Buy Your First Tax Lien: A 5-Step Guide to Over-the-Counter Investing
A practical five-step walk-through for buying a first over-the-counter tax lien: pick a market, get the list, check the parcel, buy from the county, track it.
Five States to Know for Tax Lien Investing in 2026
Florida, Arizona, Maryland, Iowa and Illinois compared: rates, bidding methods, timelines and what happens if a lien is not redeemed.
Tax Liens vs. Tax Deeds: What's the Difference?
A tax lien is an investment in a property's unpaid tax debt; a tax deed is an investment in the property itself. Here is how they compare.
The Lifecycle of a Tax Lien
From an unpaid tax bill to redemption or foreclosure: the five stages every tax lien goes through, and what the investor does at each one.
How to Start Tax Lien Investing with $500
Small over-the-counter liens can get you started with a few hundred dollars. Here is how to find them, check them and avoid the common traps.
Three Reasons Beginners Start with Florida Tax Liens
Why Florida is a common first market: an 18% maximum rate with a 5% minimum charge, county-held certificates, and a deed process run by county offices.
Auction Bidding Strategies: How to Win Liens Without Overpaying
Bidding down the rate vs. bidding up a premium: how each auction format works, how to compute your real return, and how to set a walk-away point.
The Due Diligence Checklist: 10 Steps to Vet Any Tax Lien
A ten-step checklist for vetting a tax lien before you buy: access, condition, value-to-lien, tax history, other liens, market, zoning, scores and a go/no-go call.
Finding Sweet Spots: Using Data to Pick High-Growth Counties
How to use redemption history, population, home values, jobs and new development to find promising counties for tax liens, and which red zones to avoid.
Beyond Your Backyard: How to Diversify a Tax Lien Portfolio
Why investing across several states reduces risk and smooths the calendar, which rules differ from state to state, and how to expand without getting lost.
From Lien to Property: Judicial vs. Administrative Foreclosure
How the path from an unredeemed tax lien to ownership differs between court-based and county-run states, and what that means for cost, time and title.
Redeemable Deeds: How Texas and Georgia Tax Sales Work
Redeemable-deed states sell the property at the tax sale but let the owner buy it back for a period at a statutory premium. How it works and what to watch.
Portfolio Armor: Risk Management for Larger Tax Lien Portfolios
Portfolio-level risk tools for larger lien and deed holdings: geographic and instrument mix, laddered timelines, exit plans, compliance and monitoring.