Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Overall, the book is a good resource on the mechanics of tax liens/tax deeds, how they are auctioned off, and strategies for investing through liens/deeds. Loftis' descriptions of how to successfully bid on lien/deed auctions is a very useful resource, as is his descriptions of how to calculate rates of return. However, the book has an overabundance of photos of Loftis at various auctions, photos of liens and deeds Loftis successfully bid on, and photos of houses with liens and deeds that Loftis successfully bid on. The section on how tax liens and deeds are better investments than stocks and bonds is way too "rah rah." Although Loftis gives many good pointers about how to successfully bid on tax liens/deeds, the biggest problem is that banks and deep-pocketed investors already know the "secret" of tax lien/deed investing. If you go to an auction, you are likely to see a sizeable number of people all working for the same bank/investors' group. That makes it pretty tough for a small investor to effectively compete in those auctions. This book is one of the best ones in explaining in everyday terms the concepts and principles behind tax liens and tax deeds. It's shortfall, however, is two-fold: 1) the large number of cheesy pictures; and 2) the fact that at most auctions, one investor is very likely to be outmatched and outbid by banks and professional investors groups.