If you don't have money to pay property taxes they seize your property and auction it off. All while costs are skyrocketing, and people on fixed incomes aren't getting more money. To dismiss your sister's fear is wrongheaded, she's right on this unless she has a lot saved up, social security is worth less in real value every year, as real inflation averaged 5-8%/year under the old, and more honest, standard, just by 2008 for the 50 years prior, and stated inflation in the cpi that it's all based on had it's formula changed several times to keep it around 2-3%. The difference is 1,300 dollars a month social security recipients are now denied from those changes to the cpi, on average.

So costs can go up so they can't afford to eat and pay bills and keep a car, and pay property taxes. Plus the county/township can come in and change the valuation of the property, raise the millages, etc.

Losing your property as a retiree is catastrophic, I would say you are way off base scorning your sister's very real concerns here.