Three years later, they moved to DeKalb County and turned the house over to a management company to rent out. Although she received other notices from Fulton County at her DeKalb home, she insists she never got a delinquency notice until the house was sold. Now she is learning that a few hundred in back taxes can cost many thousands. After a tax sale, homeowners have a year to buy their property back. But they must pay 20 percent more than what the purchaser paid, plus fees and interest.
Governments usually collect delinquent property taxes.
But private companies have been allowed to buy tax liens in Georgia since 1872. Some are better than others at navigating the governmental maze. Take John Ramsey. Months before starting with Capital, he was treasurer for Mitch Skandalakis's successful campaign for Fulton County Commission chairman. The men are lifelong friends who attended kindergarten together.