abandoned properties
In Georgia, is there a way to "claim" abandoned properties and how would I go about doing it? When I drive around in the country, I see a lot of properties that look like they haven't been lived in or used in years, sometimes decades, and if nobody wants them, if they can be fixed up into rough, but liveable condition, legally, can I "claim" one to live in rent/mortgage free, and possibly more to invest in? First, how do I go about finding the owner? Is it possible that some abandoned properties have no owner? If so, who has been paying taxes on the property and why hasn't it gone to tax sale? Do people really pay taxes on properties that they have't been to in years and have no intention of returning to or selling, or any interest in them whatsoever? Is it possible for some proerties to "fall through the cracks" and not go to tax sale after the last owner died without a will or disappeared? I've been doing some reading, and some sources say that in Georgia, to claim a property through adverse possession, you have to believe that it's yours because of a surveying error, and there are no "squatters rights." Is this true, and if not, what is true? If there is no owner, or the owner died without an heir, went missing, or dissapeared for whatever reason, can I claim the properety and how do I go about getting a title? If I have to live there 7 years before I can get a title, how do I prove that it's mine so I can start paying taxes on it and get the utilities turned on? When I got the electricity turned on in my rental trailor, North Gerogia Electric Membership Corporation had me show a rental agreement as proof of residency. How do I get the electricity turned on without a title or rental agreement? I currently have well water, so I've never had to get the water turned on, but if the abandoned property has municipal water, how do I get it turned on? Would I have to drill a well and get an electricity generator and live "off the grid" for 7 years? I'm thinking about possibly investing in abandoned properties in the future, when I become a little bit more financially stable and get out of debt. I'm willing to work hard and do a lot of the remodeling work myself. Is there a way to get a title to an abandoned property in less than 7 years (like within a few months) so I can fix it up and rent it out or sell it? It isn't legal to rent out a property without a title, is it? Any answers to my questions would be greatly appreciated.
At this point in my life, I'm not trying to make a lot of money, I'm just trying to survive. I'm a young, single woman with no kids, and I live in rural northwest Georgia by myself with just my cat. I'm too difficult to get along with to have roommates. I've been going from job to job to job as long as I've been old enough to work, and for some reason or another, I either get layed off, or for some reason, the job doesn't work out. Last year, when I filed my taxes, my income was less than $9,000 for the whole year. I expect it to be a little bit higher this year, but not by much. For the last year, I've been paying $95/week in rent, and if I'm ever going to pay the people back that have loaned me money like I promised I would, I need to find a cheaper place to live. Even though I have good credit, since I haven't been able to keep a job for 6 months in the last 4 years, I can't get approved for a mortgage. I absolutely refuse to sell out my dignity and dishonor my family by going on public assistance. So that means I have to get creative and think outside the box when it comes to living relatively comfortably and getting out of debt on such a low income. I don't do drugs, and I'm not an alcoholic, I'm just a misfit in the corporate (and civilized) world.
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