That night, she drove past 2143 Barnsley. A blue tarp covered a hole in the roof. A child’s bicycle lay in the weeds. She didn’t knock. She just whispered, “Pay your taxes, Terrance. Please.”
She didn’t feel victorious. She felt the weight of Barnsley Street. She now owned the right to collect $4,700 from a man who had no money. If Terrance couldn’t pay in the next 365 days, she could take his home. She’d have to pay for the environmental cleanup, the back utilities, and the demolition if the city red-tagged it. marion county indiana tax sale
The house at 2143 Barnsley Street was flashing on her screen. Red brick, a collapsed porch, and three years of unpaid property taxes totaling $4,700. For Martha, a 67-year-old former schoolteacher on a fixed income, this wasn’t an investment. It was a gamble. That night, she drove past 2143 Barnsley