The Law of Diminishing Tax Returns

During a search today, I came across this affadavit executed by an out-of-state owner who felt that an inordinately large tax assessment was tantamount to a taking of his property without just compensation. As I lean toward libertarianism, this cheered me - I was impressed at his efforts to fight the beast Leviathan.

Then I saw how he acquired the property:



That, if you're not familiar, is a Deed the Michigan Department of Natural Resources uses to convey property taken for non-payment of taxes. This property was purchased from the State for thirty dollars.

Dick.

No Banks, no Brothels

Are they trying to equate whorehouses and wholesale lenders? I'm just disappointed because this means my favorite bank, "XXX Savings and Loan", will never get a foothold in this market.

Housing Market Must Be Smoking

I've been doing more commercial than residential work of late, and while it's a lot of fun, it can be grueling - once in a while, something like this pops up and gets me laughing.

The same name game

One of the things one does when preparing an title opinion or abstract is a search of the entities party to the transaction, which serves to show any bankruptcy, state or federal tax liens, death certificates, Department of Homeland Security and other documents filed against the parties.

Sometimes you'll find that your party has a common name, and have to sort through a pile of liens and death certificates against that other "John Doe" - and today, while looking through several probate and other various documents, I watched as a woman in her mid-50's altered her will several times, and then overdosed on barbituates.

I have a very narrow view of the lives that go on around the forty years of documents I search for each property; sometimes it gets wider than I'd like.

Where does she send the check?

And who executes the discharge?