Mountain Views News          Saturday, January 23, 2016

13

BUSINESS NEWS & TRENDS

 Mountain Views News Saturday, January 23, 2016 


FAMILY MATTERS By Marc Garlett


WATCH OUT FOR 
PREDATORY TAX LIENS 
ON YOUR FAMILY 
HOME

As our parents and other loved ones age, they 
may need a little more attention from us. Parents, 
grandparents, aunts and uncles, or and even 
neighbors who are aging may want to be seen as 
strong and independent. Often, however, their 
abilities to take care of household and financial 
affairs begin to erode as they get older.

What’s at Risk?

One such example which can have catastrophic 
consequences is the failure to pay property 
taxes. A lot of retired people are struggle to 
make ends meet and may not be able to pay their 
taxes as they come due. This puts their home 
at risk because unfortunately, governments 
have processes in place to collect back taxes by 
placing liens against the property.

Worst Case Scenario

Different locales have different approaches 
to filing liens against property, but one of the 
worst is Washington, D.C. There, the city made 
a policy change in 2001 that has had devastating 
effects on homeowners. Prior to that time, the 
city would sell a lien at auction to individuals 
who could then charge interest on the amount 
due until it was paid. If it was not paid, the city 
could move to foreclose on the property.

The change in 2001 allowed the purchasers of 
the liens to go directly to court to foreclose on 
the property they purchased. This attracted 
predatory lenders from other states that became 
very aggressive in pursuing the foreclosures. In 
many cases, people who owned their homes 
free and clear lost them over unpaid taxes of 
less than $500. Once investors buy the liens, 
they can begin charging interest and legal 
costs, which makes it more expensive for the 
homeowner to pay off the lien.

While it is true that homeowners have ample 
time and notice to pay the taxes, even after the 
liens are sold, Washington’s story is replete with 
cases of owners with dementia or other serious 
illnesses. Because of these types of conditions, 
many owners were not aware of or did not 
understand what was happening. And without 
family or friends looking out for them, the 
predators can have a field day.

What Can be Done?

Thankfully, Washington is in the minority of 
governments that allow this predatory approach 
to tax collection. But it points out the need for 
those of us with elderly family members and 
friends to pay attention. Respect their pride, but 
make sure they get the help they need so they 
are not taken advantage of.

One of the main objectives of our law practice is 
to keep families out of court and out of conflict. 
Our lawyers can help you protect those you 
love by starting with a Family Estate Planning 
Session. Call our office today, mention this 
article, and we’ll waive the fee for your session. 

Dedicated to your family’s wealth, health, and 
happiness,



A local attorney and father, Marc Garlett is on 
a mission to help parents protect what they love 
most. His office is located at 49 S. Baldwin Ave., 
Ste. G, Sierra Madre, CA 91024. Schedule an 
appointment to sit down and talk about ensuring 
a legacy of love and financial security for your 
family by calling 626.587.3058 or visit www.
GarlettLaw.com for more information.

5 STEPS TO ORGANIZE YOUR ONLINE MARKETING

With all the tools available to promote your 
business online and stay in touch with your target 
market, it can become overwhelming. 

There are dozens of Social Media sites - Instagram, 
Snapchat, Periscope, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, 
Pinterest, Tumblr, YouTube, Flicker, Vine, Vimeo, 
MeetUp just to name a few. Plus there is always a 
flavor of the month/day that catches fire and then 
burns out.

How in the world can a small business keep up?

Have a goal. What do you want them to do? What 
is the purpose of this campaign? If you don’t direct 
your audience to the destination you want them 
to reach, how will you be able to measure your 
success?

Have a plan. 

a) What is your call to action, 

b) who needs to receive the message, 

c) when should it be delivered, 

d) how often will you email and post and 

e) what is your budget?

Gather your content. 

Find or create content that supports your goal and 
delivers the message both visually and creatively.

Select your media. We like to make sure email 
marketing is the cornerstone for online marketing. 
Email is the most accessed “app” on a smart phone. 
Nearly everyone checks email daily. A campaign 
that originates from an email can then be easily 
shared/repurposed to multiple social media sites. 
Did you know you can create a campaign in 
Constant Contact, schedule it to go to your email 
audience and also post it multiple times to selected 
Social Media? Our mantra is -build it once, post it 
many.

Deliver and measure. 

Get the message out there. If you are waiting for the 
perfect layout, the perfect content, the perfect time, 
the perfect… you are perfectly wasting your time. 
Progress over perfection will win every time. 

Send it.

After you send your campaign, monitor the results 
and adjust. Did your audience do what you wanted 
them to do? These results need to be reviewed and 
you need to adjust your tactics, strategy and goals 
as you move forward.

Keep in mind, that staying top-of-mind and 
building relationships is an important function of 
online marketing. Simply staying in touch with 
your customers, prospects and fans has tremendous 
value. If you are not in front of your audience, you 
can bet the competition will be.

About MJ: MJ and her brother David own HUTdogs, 
a creative services and digital marketing business. 
“Like” them on Facebook for trending news in social 
media, internet marketing and other helpful tips, 
www.facebook.com/hutdogs.

Sign up for their upcoming workshops at: www.
hutdogs.com/workshops/schedule 


Mountain Views News 80 W Sierra Madre Blvd. No. 327 Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024 Office: 626.355.2737 Fax: 626.609.3285 Email: editor@mtnviewsnews.com Website: www.mtnviewsnews.com