Viral TikTok Explains How to Buy Homes From People Who Couldn't Pay Their Taxes and Sparks a Heated Debate About Ethics in the Comments

We've all heard somebody say, in real life or even just in movies, “it's not personal, it's just business." Well, a recent viral TikTok is putting that mentality to the test. A TikTok trend that's been going around for about a year now asks what people know that feels like it should be illegal but is not. TikTok user Jess, aka @kxngjess_, recently used this opportunity to talk about Tax Liens. 

Jess explains that you can go onto a a county's tax website, look up “tax liens," and find homes that owe taxes. With this you can choose to pay these taxes and then these homes have a certain amount of time to pay you back. If they don't reach the deadline for payment, then their home is now yours. This basically means, according to the example Jess uses, you can get a house that's worth over $35k for $638. 

Entrepreneur or sleazy?

Since posting, the video has gotten over three million views, over 400k likes, and over 3k comments. It's not just because this is a piece of information not many knew about, it's also because it has sparked a massive debate on morals. Are you the bad guy if you sneak in and buy someone's home who is clearly struggling financially? Or are you just doing business? Remember, it's not personal, it's just business. 

Some say it's being a smart business person and all is fair when it comes to survival.

Many in the comment section beg to differ, however. Someone's home is just about as personal you can get, and find this somehow legal method of “business” completely immoral and disgusting. One commenter even calls it, “a business where you're dealing in peoples misery.”

Others are appalled by this and find it so disgustingly immoral.