3 ms·

The key is “open and notorious”. You possess and improve the property openly for a long time and if the owner is asleep at the wheel the court just sort of cede

The key is “open and notorious”. You possess and improve the property openly for a long time and if the owner is asleep at the wheel the court just sort of cedes the place to you. I think the time limit I. Many states is 7-10 years so the owner needs to be really out of it. And if it goes wrong you lose the money spent on improvements, and could face charges. A better way might be to watch the auctions of property seized by the city for unpaid taxes. Pay a little bit, improve and don’t live in fear.

0x53 3y ago
So in many jurisdictions the city doesn’t actually take the properties. Instead they auction off a lien to a private company/individual and then that individual can foreclose if the tax isn’t paid. So this strategy might not work.
- hollerith 3y ago
  So you buy from the private company after they foreclose.
  - brewdad 3y ago
    At that point the title is clean, so I would expect the property to sell much closer to the market rate minus any repairs needed to make it livable. Not really a deal to be had.
jgerrish 3y ago
Being trapped in an ambiguous situation where "improve" can mean many things can lead to unhealthy stress. If I have a real job and a real house, I have easier access to laws and what my responsibilities are. If I am in a situation like an "abandoned house", I'm vulnerable to vague jurisdictional issues around "improvement". Maybe San Francisco / Bay Area considers fire safety enough, but Chicago wants sidewalk snow clearing. Those are the simple things. Some jurisdictions will want "self-improvement" classes. Keep practicing that space flute... And then Utah wants other things. Yes, HOAs are similar, I get that. Anyways, I've got to keep a fucking yellow legal pad with all these issues. And I know I'm not an expert. Then I'm not just vulnerable to the whims of the city, I'm vulnerable to exploiters telling me there are these additional requirements. I dread these next patronizing Last of Us style real world shows. When I should look at them joyfully. And yeah, people are housed now, I can't argue with that. But we are replacing a public social contract with something darker. I guess we get a new series of sitcoms about "HOA" style neighborly miscommunication. Hahaha. Oh Mr. Bundy, you can't have a toilet on your front lawn! Oh Mr. ALF, you can't eat cats! Oh Mr. Cohen, you can't say that on television! Hahaha, what a cultural misunderstanding.

0x53 3y ago

So in many jurisdictions the city doesn’t actually take the properties. Instead they auction off a lien to a private company/individual and then that individual can foreclose if the tax isn’t paid. So this strategy might not work.

hollerith 3y ago
So you buy from the private company after they foreclose.
- brewdad 3y ago
  At that point the title is clean, so I would expect the property to sell much closer to the market rate minus any repairs needed to make it livable. Not really a deal to be had.

jgerrish 3y ago

Being trapped in an ambiguous situation where "improve" can mean many things can lead to unhealthy stress. If I have a real job and a real house, I have easier access to laws and what my responsibilities are. If I am in a situation like an "abandoned house", I'm vulnerable to vague jurisdictional issues around "improvement". Maybe San Francisco / Bay Area considers fire safety enough, but Chicago wants sidewalk snow clearing. Those are the simple things. Some jurisdictions will want "self-improvement" classes. Keep practicing that space flute... And then Utah wants other things. Yes, HOAs are similar, I get that. Anyways, I've got to keep a fucking yellow legal pad with all these issues. And I know I'm not an expert. Then I'm not just vulnerable to the whims of the city, I'm vulnerable to exploiters telling me there are these additional requirements. I dread these next patronizing Last of Us style real world shows. When I should look at them joyfully. And yeah, people are housed now, I can't argue with that. But we are replacing a public social contract with something darker. I guess we get a new series of sitcoms about "HOA" style neighborly miscommunication. Hahaha. Oh Mr. Bundy, you can't have a toilet on your front lawn! Oh Mr. ALF, you can't eat cats! Oh Mr. Cohen, you can't say that on television! Hahaha, what a cultural misunderstanding.