The tax bill is legitimate. The property was owned by the Estate of Irene Olson for Tax Year 13/14. The tax bill reveals that the last document filed on the property under owner(s)Olson was in 2010 (perhaps an affidavit when the joint-tenant died?).
The property was likely owned by the Olsons for several decades, hence the low “current” assessment. The new buyers, the Lenyks, have not yet received their supplemental tax bill as this typically takes the county assessor about nine months after closing to generate and mail. The Lenyks paid their first tax bill, the 12/10/14 installment of $487.15, on 12/5/14. Since the FY 14/15 tax bill with the Olson’s assessment on it was generated the third week of September 2014 and mailed to the Lenyks at the property address, it is the only current tax bill the Lenyks could pay at this time.
The new SDARCC system reveals that the property was sold on 5/2/14 to the Lenyks by Victor Gilbert Olson, Jr, the court-appointed administrator of the Irene Olson Estate who issued the Lenyks some sort of a deed (grant deed, quitclaim deed or Administrator’s deed). On that same day, Victor Olson carried a purchase money deed of trust for the Lenyks and recorded it (amounts not revealed without ordering docs). Acc to the the San Diego Superior Court Register of Actions, the Estate of Irene Olson was Petitioned for on 4/29/13 in the San Diego Superior Court by Victor Gilbert Olson. He made 16 filings to the court (including the estate inventory and final accounting), was issued Letters Administration on 6/6/13, attended two hearings and was at all times represented by counsel. Minutes were taken during those hearings, an examiner was present and could find no abnormalities in the documents filed. Victor Olson filed a court order with the county recorder (giving him the power of sale of real property?) on 4/14/14 and filed an ex parte Petition for the discharge of the Olson probate matter on 4/18/14.
I dunno. Were the Lenyks in the right place at the right time willing to accept the property with no guarantees? Was the property ever actually listed on the MLS? Did Victor Olson decide NOT to list it for some reason? (I haven’t checked.) Was there extensive termite and/or dryrot damage? Was the property insurable? Were the Lenyks willing to buy the property “as-is” on the spot without “realtors” and thus save the estate the cost of commission (since one or both of them are apparently licensees – haven’t checked this out). Who is Victor Olson and why was he willing to extend credit to the Lenyks instead of accepting an all-cash deal (preferable in a probate sale)? Could it be that the cash offers he got weren’t as much as the price that the Lenyks offered him with an owner carryback (which may be a balloon note for a short time frame, as many probate OWCB sales are). It is very likely that the property didn’t qualify for financing.
If the property now appears to be getting readied for sale, then the Lenyk’s intention was apparently to do just that, successfully sell it, pay off their OWCB financing and make a profit.
I found out all of the above in approx 22 minutes while learning to use a new online system SDARCC has (but could have pieced it together on the old system in half that time simply because I am more familiar with it). I do not know the address because I do not subscribe to REALIST or other service.
It appears that the “sales” data (parcel transfer transactions) for the last two years has been removed from the assessor’s new system so I cannot corroborate Hatfield’s purported sales price. If anyone can find it, let us know.
Perhaps Hatfield can answer some of the above questions himself.
