nice parcel and farmhouse with 78 acres and 50k in tax liens. Im a noob, tell me what I need to know.

Are you buying the lien or the title?

Due diligence on every thing. If they are $50k behind on taxes. What else is lurking in a stack of papers somewhere?

Title search before ANYTHING.

You may or may not be responsible for everything attached to the property. Only a title search can tell you that.

Due diligence is very accurate!!  Check county GIS records, make sure there wasn't a property split.  Just found that out before I took a chance.   Go to county reg. of deeds and get a printout of any quit claim deeds or property transfers.  Just make sure to uncover every stone.

Some smart dude bought a piece of beach that was still considered private property for a tax lien. $3k... the city didn't catch on until the guy started driving on his piece of property. All hell broke loose because the city thought the owned the beach (all of it). So they figured out that he had no way to get to his proper and forbade him from driving to his property. Then, in the middle of the night, he managed to drive a trailer to his section of beach.... Oh...the horror.... Smart dude had a nice little party house. The fight raged on for months until the city figured out the only way they could win the war was to buy the guy out for something like $1.5 mil.....

I buy them often in PA. There are a lot of tricks. Is it from a repository list/upset sale?

If so all previous liens are waived IF the notices to creditors that it was going to sale were done properly, and that depends a great deal on the county.  Also, some liens are hard to find ex. hospital liens, etc. BUT school taxes, etc are all waived for sure.

Title search is a must.

Also important to note if you plan on selling etc. you most likely wont be able get title insurance without a quiet/quiet claim and it held for a year in your possession. Some owners have sued and gotten their property back in PA too. Some investors who buy these properties say they are the riskiest sales of all.

It is tricky! I would go to the court house if it isn't available online and dig like crazy, find the owners info and also dig. A lot of counties you can find everything online.  

I have brought some that 5 years later now it isn't squared away. In PA you have to wait 21 years to get the deed/title free and clear if you don't have quit/quiet claim actions.

You can also find steals!!

ETA all the above was what happens for those that don't sell on the upset sale, sorry, for the upset sale the above due diligence is needed plus properties are sold subject to whatever liens and encumbrances are against the property, with the exception of those liens (state or federal tax liens, municipal liens, and corporate liens) which are mandated to include in the Upset Price

sent you a pm. thanks.

Dont know about PA, but in WV, the owner has 18 months to reclaim property even after a lien sale....so here, if we buy property that way, jus best to sit on it and wait.