Cuyahoga County, Ohio may be starting a trend by putting a six month suspension on foreclosures for delinquent property taxes. It is believed to be the first county in the country to be doing this. The County hopes that this suspension will give homeowners time to catch up on delinquent taxes. Many believe, however, that this will only make the delinquencies worse and only delay the inevitable.

The County’s treasurer, Jim Rokakis, acknowledges that things are not getting better and that Cleveland is seeing a huge increase in vacant and abandoned properties that are harming the value of neighborhoods and causing untold human misery. By suspending foreclosures for now for tax liens the County hopes to forestall even more abandoned homes and homeless families.

Homeowners who are behind in taxes are also typically behind in their mortgages. A tip for finding homeowners in pre-foreclosure is to contact the people who are on the delinquent tax rolls. With the tax foreclosure hold-off, now is the time to get in and help these people before the pressure from the late taxes catches up. Often tax liens can be negotiated down, paid by Lenders or, if the deal is good enough, something that the Investor is willing to cover to get the deal done.