Mapping homes you can buy from the US government for <$100k • Hacker News Board

Re: Mapping homes you can buy from the US government for <$100k

#71

Post by brcmthrowaway » Tue, Jul 07, 2026, 7:00 PM UTC

ButlerianJihad wrote: post #69

The crazy thing about residential property in 21st-century USA is that it's always a money pit. A few hundred years ago, it was commonplace for the middle- and upper-classes to own large estates, and these estates were expected to be assets that earn money. You would hire staff, and tenant farmers, or have slaves or whatever cadres of workers to work the land, be shepherds, and basically produce revenue for the lords…

I watched the show Bridgerton, and I was shocked when the main characters just dilly-dallied all day. Turns out they had estates that made money for them.

Re: Mapping homes you can buy from the US government for <$100k

#72

Post by panny » Tue, Jul 07, 2026, 7:02 PM UTC

coryrc wrote: post #59

dmurray wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Or...that you would be comfortable relocating if you did lose your job, helped by the buffer of savings you accumulated by not having to pay for your house?

Lets say housing appreciates +50% everywhere. Your podunk home went up $50k. HCOL home went up $500k. Better deal would be to hold the expensive house.

Now let's say the price collapses by 50%. You're stuck and can't sell in a "frozen" housing market... like how the housing market has been since May 2022. And the problem is structural. And it's only going to get worse as interest rates continue to rise to battle inflation. Here's a nice explainer.

https://youtu.be/qROG2uXPChY?t=608

Re: Mapping homes you can buy from the US government for <$100k

#73

Post by sumtechguy » Tue, Jul 07, 2026, 7:02 PM UTC

dwa3592 wrote: post #25

fhdkweig wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, you are basically just buying the land underneath.

not quiet true - if you wanna use the land - you'd have to pay to destroy the house already built on top of it.

and sometimes you can not do that. if it is some sort of historical thing.

Re: Mapping homes you can buy from the US government for <$100k

#74

Post by sfn42 » Tue, Jul 07, 2026, 7:03 PM UTC

1-more wrote: post #48

NitpickLawyer wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> With $120,000 owed in back taxes due by you upon purchase. How does it work in the US? Are taxes on the property itself? This feels weird. I would have thought that the property can only be sold if everything is OK with it (no litigation, liens, etc), and taxes are owed by persons? Is it different over there?

> the property can only be sold if everything is OK with it (no litigation, liens, etc), and taxes are owed by persons? Is it different over there? This could vary by jurisdiction, but as I understand it, taxes and liens are attached to the property itself. "Clean title" can be a contingency of offer: buyer can back out and get back their earnest money (aka deposit) if the property has liens/encumbrances that are not…

> In practice, maybe some roofer/plumber/landscaper forgot to do that and now you have a problem you didn't know you had

Seems to me like this should be the contractor's problem. If they did the job 2 weeks ago fine, but if they come along 6+ months later after the house is sold demanding payment from the new owner that seems ridiculous to me. Surely if these Liens are supposed to be public there needs to be a requirement that they are registered as soon as possible.

Otherwise it seems to me like this is a ripe opportunity for scams. Buy house, have contractors refurbish it, sell it for a much higher value, then the contractors register their debts and now the new buyers or their insurance is on the hook for the refurbishment.

Re: Mapping homes you can buy from the US government for <$100k

#75

Post by BorisMelnik » Tue, Jul 07, 2026, 7:09 PM UTC

Waterluvian wrote: post #47

BorisMelnik wrote: post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

not always true or even the norm, I checked 3 near me and they are decent neighborhoods

I’m curious about this but don’t want to dox you. Any guidance on how to find comparable examples?

check south florida

Re: Mapping homes you can buy from the US government for <$100k

#76

Post by chasd00 » Tue, Jul 07, 2026, 7:12 PM UTC

ButlerianJihad wrote: post #69

The crazy thing about residential property in 21st-century USA is that it's always a money pit. A few hundred years ago, it was commonplace for the middle- and upper-classes to own large estates, and these estates were expected to be assets that earn money. You would hire staff, and tenant farmers, or have slaves or whatever cadres of workers to work the land, be shepherds, and basically produce revenue for the lords…

> little family farms that sell "raw milk" and mutton and fresh eggs, basically on the DL

There's a decent amount of that going on in my neighborhood (Dallas TX). The reason it's on the DL is because nothing is pasteurized let alone inspected by the local health department. Some people prefer raw milk as being more natural but pasteurization was invented for a reason. I stay away from it.

Re: Mapping homes you can buy from the US government for <$100k

#77

Post by quickthrowman » Tue, Jul 07, 2026, 7:15 PM UTC

sfn42 wrote: post #74

1-more wrote: post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> the property can only be sold if everything is OK with it (no litigation, liens, etc), and taxes are owed by persons? Is it different over there? This could vary by jurisdiction, but as I understand it, taxes and liens are attached to the property itself. "Clean title" can be a contingency of offer: buyer can back out and get back their earnest money (aka deposit) if the property has liens/encumbrances that are not…

> In practice, maybe some roofer/plumber/landscaper forgot to do that and now you have a problem you didn't know you had Seems to me like this should be the contractor's problem. If they did the job 2 weeks ago fine, but if they come along 6+ months later after the house is sold demanding payment from the new owner that seems ridiculous to me. Surely if these Liens are supposed to be public there needs to be a requir…

> Otherwise it seems to me like this is a ripe opportunity for scams. Buy house, have contractors refurbish it, sell it for a much higher value, then the contractors register their debts and now the new buyers or their insurance is on the hook for the refurbishment.

This is called ‘fraud’, it is already illegal.

Mechanic’s liens are good and necessary for customers like the current US President who fail to pay their contractors.

Re: Mapping homes you can buy from the US government for <$100k

#78

Post by Aeolun » Tue, Jul 07, 2026, 7:15 PM UTC

cliglot wrote: post #3

[dead]

I do not understand what sane person attaches taxes to a property instead of to a person.

Re: Mapping homes you can buy from the US government for <$100k

#79

Post by pwg » Tue, Jul 07, 2026, 7:19 PM UTC

Aeolun wrote: post #78

cliglot wrote: post #3

[dead]

I do not understand what sane person attaches taxes to a property instead of to a person.

Local governments that very much want to get their tax monies, even if receiving them is delayed by a few years before someone buys the property.

Re: Mapping homes you can buy from the US government for <$100k

#80

Post by quickthrowman » Tue, Jul 07, 2026, 7:19 PM UTC

cliglot wrote: post #3

[dead]

Even if there’s no tax or other liens, demolishing a house probably costs $10-20k, my guess is that the $3000 minus $15,000 would equal the rough cost of an empty lot in the same area, $12k.