Selling a House With Liens or Back Taxes in Missouri
Local cash home buyers since 2016. 1,000+ houses bought in St. Louis MO & IL. 4.7 on Google from 65+ reviews. Read Google reviews.
As-is cash offer. No repairs. We typically cover closing costs. About 2 weeks — you pick the date.
Recorded liens and delinquent real estate taxes usually pay off at closing from the sale proceeds when the numbers work. House Sold Easy buys Missouri houses as-is for cash. We cannot promise to stop a tax sale. Call 636-525-1566 with the address and what you know about the stack.
This is general information, not tax or legal advice.
What “lien” means on a residential file
A mortgage or deed of trust. A HELOC. A judgment. A federal or state tax lien. A city special tax bill. HOA assessments in some subdivisions. Delinquent real estate taxes. The title company finds what is recorded. You should still tell us what you already know so we do not waste a week.
If you are behind on the mortgage but there is no sale date, use behind on the mortgage. If there is a sale date, foreclosure. Those clocks are not the same as a county tax sale.
Missouri tax sales, generally
Missouri counties can sell parcels for delinquent real estate taxes after notice. Each county runs its own process and calendar — St. Louis City, St. Louis County, St. Charles, Jefferson, Franklin, Lincoln, and the rest are not interchangeable. Use the collector or county site for the county on your tax bill. We will not publish a date or a surplus rule as if it were yours.
If you have a tax-sale notice in hand, say so on the first call. We cannot promise to stop that sale. Sometimes a closing can occur before it if title, payoffs, and the calendar allow. Sometimes they do not.
How the money moves
We write an offer for the house. At closing, recorded payoffs come off the top. You receive what is left. If the stack is larger than we can pay and still buy the house, we will say no or we will talk about what would have to change. We do not invent a price that dies at the title company.
Missouri seller closing costs explains our side of closing costs. We typically cover our standard items. We do not erase other people’s liens as a favor.
City bills and condemnation
St. Louis City files often include vacant-building or building-division bills. See code / condemned. County occupancy tickets are usually smaller and still belong in the conversation.
Inherited houses with years of unpaid taxes are common. Inherited house. Probate. Areas we serve. Since 2016, 1,000+ houses, David or Mike, 4.7 stars from 65+ Google reviews.
Common questions
Can I sell if I owe back taxes?
Often yes, if closing can pay them from proceeds.
Will you pay my IRS lien?
If it is recorded and the numbers work, it is a payoff item. Ask the title company how they handle that file.
Can you stop a Missouri tax sale?
No. We cannot promise that. Call immediately if you have a notice.
Do I need to know every lien before I call?
No. Tell us what you know. Title finds the recorded list.
Is a tax sale the same as foreclosure?
No. Different process, different office, different paper.
Do you buy as-is if I let the house go during the delinquency?
Yes.
Which county collector do I use?
The county on the tax bill. Not a guess from a mailing address.
Who do I call?
Talk to a person
Call or text 636-525-1566 any time. House Sold Easy has bought 1,000+ houses in St. Louis, Missouri and Illinois since 2016. You will deal with David Dodge or Michael Slane. The office is at 1750 S Brentwood Blvd, Suite 503, in Brentwood. Google shows 4.7 stars from 65+ reviews — read those on Google, not as stars on this page.
If you want the cash path, send the address on the form. If you want a listing net sheet, get that from an agent and compare. We will not pretend every house should sell to us.
Bring the paper you already have
A tax bill, a collector letter, a judgment from a hospital or credit card, a second mortgage you forgot about — send it. Title will still search. Your stack of envelopes is how we know whether a walkthrough is worth the drive this week.
City special tax bills and county real estate taxes are different offices. A mortgage servicer is a third. Do not assume one phone call cleared all three.
If a tax-sale date is printed on a letter, treat it like a foreclosure sale date: call the same day. We still cannot promise to stop it. We can tell you quickly whether a cash close has any chance of landing first.
Cross-links: behind on the mortgage · foreclosure · inherited · situations
County collector vs City collector
St. Louis City taxes and St. Louis County taxes are different counters. Franklin, Jefferson, St. Charles, and Lincoln each have their own collector and their own tax-sale habits. Use the county on the bill. Washington and Union are Franklin County examples. Hillsboro / De Soto is Jefferson. Troy is Lincoln.
A Google result for “Missouri tax sale” is not your notice. Your notice is.
After you call about liens
Send photos of the notices. We will tell you whether a walkthrough is worth doing this week. Title still has the last word on what is recorded. You still need authority to sign.
Call 636-525-1566.