were caught breaking laws to win liens in other states seized more than 40 homes. The Washington, D.C., tax office sold close to 1,900 liens over the last six years—all by mistake. This was after owners had paid their taxes, which caused many families to enter long, unexpected legal battles. One woman, age 6, fought to save her home in the Northwest for two years after the tax office mistakenly charged her $8.61 in interest. Many outdated laws allow investors (even from other states) to pay back property taxes on homes and businesses, and therefore be in the position to demand repayment from the home or business owners with exorbitant interest rates and legal fees attached, rendering it virtually impossible for many people to afford to pay. These investors then proceed to sell the property subjected to the lien for large profits, while turning the residents out. If you haven’t ever read any of the depressing books by Charles Dickens, you’ve now become familiar with his general theme. If you live in Baltimore, you can lose your home for the small amount of $250, the city’s threshold. After a tax sale, the $250 could turn into thousands of dollars the residents must pay if they want to reclaim the home. Since most of these tax sales target low-income individuals, reclaiming their homes is often impossible, and everything is lost. When we hear of foreclosures, we generally consider these to result from delinquent mortgage payments. The bank will often auction off the home or business, sometimes even with the belongings inside. Investors nationwide snatch up these homes at low costs and turn them around to sell.
It’s an unfortunate situation for the residents being evicted, but
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