foreclosure.
last sale = sheriff's transfer deed.
property is currently on the market, listed in the MLS. Broker /real estate agent represented, though classified as REO.

fannie mae is listed as the current deed holder.

property taxes are in arrears since last half of 2007, making in 9+ months now.
can anyone testify to the veracity of buying property for back-taxes?
is it an infomercial scam? If not, where do I start?

location = Ohio.

thank you in advance :)

Yes it is quit possible to buy houses for the back taxes.
You should be careful who you deal with though. If they want money for them to tell you anything they very likely will 'show' you places that you have no interest in.
Find reputable places to deal with
You can type foreclosed homes in the search engine and come up with a bunch of places
AOL Search results for "foreclosed homes" (http://search.aol.com/aol/search?invocationType=tbff50ab&query=foreclosed+homes)
Or you could check with places like HUD or the City/County building.

You can only buy the properties for taxes at the county ( or state) tax sale. And these sales are almost always auctions. So if you want to buy a property for taxes, you contact the county tax department and find if the property is in defaut and when they are holding the auction most only hold a auction once or twice a year.

So no the property is not selling for back taxes only 9 months past due, it has to be over a year, and almost always 2 years in back taxes.

So this house will really never sell at a tax sale, the lender will pay them after they get one or more years late, and merely foreclose on the property.

If they default in the loan, then normally it will sale as a foreclosure at a sheriff sale, but not for taxes

Sounds like a misleading advertisement

I always thought there had to be more than the places that say buy this house for 1,000.
Back taxes