Maryland Blogger alliance
The Maryland Blogger Alliance
And your point would be???
Baltimore tax lien sale could lead to foreclosures
Advocates say a plan by Baltimore officials to sell liens for back taxes and overdue utility bills to private investors could lead to more home foreclosures. City officials plan to auction up to $70 million in liens next month to private investors, who would collect the debts as well as fees and interest, or foreclose. More than 20,000 property owners have liens on their properties. The liens are mostly for delinquent property taxes but also include water and sewer bills and charges for sidewalk and alley repair, as well as fines for trash violations. Louise Carwell, an attorney for the Legal Aid Bureau, says she would like to see the city keep water bills and fees for alley paving out of the auction.
From under what rock did this news reporter just crawl out into the daylight?
Of course selling the liens could lead to foreclosure. How else would anyone--whether it's the city or a private investor--stand a chance of collecting on the debts, other than by the threat of foreclosure?
Consider the alternatives: forgive the debts, or carry them on the city's books forever. Shoot, if the county and state didn't have that foreclosure sword hanging over you, would YOU pay YOUR property taxes and water bills? I didn't think so. Me, either.