Even for New York, that's pretty extreme for that thing.
Posted on 04/01/2014 5:49:30 PM PDT by kiryandil
An elderly widow who had fallen behind in her property taxes discovered she longer owned her home after trying to sell it to pay off her debt.
Unbeknown to Hertha Handler, ownership of her $1.2 million Oyster Bay Cove home in Long Island has been transferred to an investor who bought two of the liens against the property.
The 73-year-old widow had lived in the property for more than 40 years but after her husband died several years ago, she slipped behind on taxes and had an outstanding debt of $200,000.
Multiple liens had been made against the property, where Mrs Handler had raised her two sons, but she had no idea ownership had been transferred to investor Albert Kalimian.
By buying just two of the liens from Oyster Bay Cove village for about $3,000 each, Mr Kalimian was able to take possession of the property.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
YOU DON'T OWN YOUR HOME. You're renting it from the government. Rent due twice annually.
Unless, of course, you live in Alaska...
What’s special about Alaska?
Most jurisdictions in Alaska don’t have a property tax.
To accumulate $200,00 worth of property tax debt would take several years. She would have been notified several times by the town she lives in. For whatever reason she ignored the letters and warnings that were sent to her.
I wish the Constitution had specified Allodial title for land ownership. Absolute ownership: no ifs, no ands, no buts.
No comment on renting your house from the government?
;-)
Between governments and Indian tribes, there is very little private land in Alaska. Shockingly little.
What are the prices like for private land, if you can get it?
Tax Lien sale.
Perhaps her husband handled the finances. Maybe she has physical and/or metal disabilities.
I recently took over my elderly parents finances - they were behind on everything. It happens all the time.
But hey there's money to be made. Can't stop progress.
Yeeeeeeeeessss?
Some places have enormous property taxes and if you don’t pay the penalty can be several times the tax. On a 1.5 million dollar home, it might not have taken long.
You are right there should have been multiple notifications but then again sometimes it just seems to slip between the cracks.
I used to know a lawyer who regularly bought up tax sale property. He didn’t do it on the sly tho. What he would do is buy the owner’s right of redemption from him.
One time he asked the owner if he was willing to sell his right and the guy had no idea his property was being sold for taxes. The guy went down and paid them immediately.
This is wrong.
I know I have to pay my property taxes and if I don’t I’ll have a lien attached to my home. Therefore I pay in a timely fashion and if I get a note from the town that I’m late I pay right away.
I love to pay my property tax in the same way I love to pay my income tax.
Hopefully the person who purchased her lien works things out with her.
I live on Long Island and I know the towns are diligent in sending out several notices before beginning any proceedings.
My view is that I don't remember being consulted on either one. I do know they conned my great-grandfather into agreeing with the income tax - on the richest 1%...
Even for New York, that's pretty extreme for that thing.
Especially on Long Island.
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