Tax lien certificates are one of most profitable investments available to the average investor, especially in today's economy. By taking tax lien certificates you can easily double, triple, or quadruple your initial investment in less than 5 years. In fact, many investors enjoy returns beyond 100% of the cost of your typical tax lien in as little as three years! 
As compared to traditional investments, tax liens offer substantial returns in a significantly shorter time span. 
Consider the following benefits of tax liens: 
· Tax liens are tax deferred or even tax free! 
· Typical interest rates are between 4% and 18% with a long term rate of return as high as 25% and more! 
· Interest rates are fixed. 
· Individual tax lien certificates can mature to well over 1,000% of the investment! 
· Government guaranteed. 
· The investment is secured by real property!
With all of the above benefits you would definetely like to jump into tax liens. But in order to "go it alone" you are going to have to: 
· Learn the property tax laws in the county you live.
· Learn the auction procedures in the country that you will be investing in. 
· Learn how to find all of the information impacting a property. 
· Travel to the auctions to purchase the tax lien certificates. 
· Bid against big banks.
· Check all the paperwork. 

Also, like any investment, there are risks. And these can be substantial if you don't know what you're doing. In fact, you can expect to spend a significant amount of time researching laws and procedures before you even get to the auction.