Lehigh County Tax Claim Bureau
Contact Tax Claim about delinquent property-tax balances, current account details, and tax-sale notices.
Allentown, Pennsylvania · Lehigh County
Can I Sell My Allentown House With Back Taxes or Liens?
When you sell to us, we can set it up so you don't have to prepay anything — it comes out at closing.
Yes. We buy houses in Allentown and throughout Lehigh County, including houses with back taxes or liens. You can call before you have every record; we discuss the property and work with the title company and the lienholder or Tax Claim Bureau to confirm payoff details.
Call 888-274-5006 to talk through the property or ask for a written cash offer.
Talk through your Allentown lien or tax question
Share the property address and what you know about the notice, payoff, creditor, or tax account. You can start with whatever you have.
We give written cash offers in 24 hours.
Tell us the address and what you know about the notice, payoff, or tax account.
Prefer to call? 888-274-5006.
What we do
We start with the house and the question you need answered. A lien is a legal claim against the property or its sale proceeds; a payoff is the current amount a creditor or tax office says will satisfy that claim.
We buy houses as-is, in any condition — no repairs, no cleaning, no cleanout required to sell to us.
You get a written offer and written terms before you commit, and we close through a title company.
It's real estate. Sometimes there are bumps in the road. We won't disappear when that happens, and we'll be fighting to get this to the closing table.
How payoff works
When you sell to us, we pay the closing costs. Your liens are paid off from the sale at closing.
No agent commissions when you sell to us. No fees. The title company and the creditor or tax office confirm the current payoff amount and payment instructions for the sale.
Records and next steps
A tax notice identifies the county account and any sale date; a civil-court record may show a judgment; and recorded deeds, mortgages, or releases help with the title review. We work with the title company and the office or creditor named on the records to check the current balance. You can call before you have all the paperwork—start with the address and whatever notice or payoff information you have.
Think the payoff may be too high?
Think the payoff is more than the house is worth? Ask us — we've gotten lenders to come down before.
What happens next
We talk through the house and what you know about the lien or tax notice. You do not need to gather every record before contacting us.
1. Talk through the property
Tell us the Allentown address and what you know about the notice, creditor, payoff, or timing. We can start the conversation with the information you have.
2. Review the written offer and terms
Review the price, responsibilities, payoff treatment, and closing details in writing before deciding whether to commit.
3. Review title and payoff details
We review title, payoff, occupancy, seller authority, and other closing details with the title company. The creditor or tax office confirms its current payoff and release instructions for the sale.
4. Review the settlement figures and close
The title company prepares the settlement statement, the closing paper showing the sale price, payoffs, taxes, and amount left after those items. Close as fast as 7 days when title and closing details allow.
Allentown and Lehigh County tax and lien information
Lehigh County tax sales and mortgage foreclosures are separate
When property taxes go unpaid, Lehigh County can schedule a tax sale, including an upset sale. The county notice gives the date. If a sale closes before that date, delinquent taxes may be paid from the proceeds if enough remains after other liens and closing costs. A sale agreement alone does not resolve the tax claim. Call us as soon as a notice arrives; timing matters (Real Estate Tax Sale Law, §§601–603). See the county's upset-sale information and contact the Lehigh County Tax Claim Bureau about the current account or notice. A mortgage-foreclosure or court-execution sale is separate; use the Lehigh County Sheriff's Office sale information.
Clerk of Judicial Records, Civil Division
Use the Civil Division for county court records that may include judgments and civil liens.
Recorder of Deeds Division
The Recorder of Deeds Division keeps the county's recorded deed, mortgage, and release documents.
Lehigh County Sheriff's Office
Use the Sheriff's Office for mortgage-foreclosure and court-execution sale information.
Keep Allentown transfer tax in the net comparison
The City of Allentown's December 23, 2025 notice says taxable transfers recorded from January 1, 2026 use a 2.5% total realty transfer tax unless exempt; the state portion is 1%. The recording submission date, not the settlement date, determines the rate.
That city total applies to taxable transfers in Allentown, not every property in Lehigh County. Pennsylvania has a 1% state realty transfer tax plus applicable local tax on taxable transfers, subject to exemptions. The title company confirms the figures for the property's location and recording date.
When you sell to us, we pay the closing costs. When you sell to us, we pay the transfer tax. Your mortgage, liens, back taxes, and share of current property taxes are separate balances shown in the settlement.
Read the City of Allentown transfer-tax notice and Pennsylvania Department of Revenue realty-transfer-tax guidance. The city notice is dated December 23, 2025.
Compare the payoff with your net proceeds
Use the editable Allentown calculator with your own sale price or written terms, mortgage payoff, lien or tax amount, repairs, carrying costs, and selling costs. Net proceeds are what you keep after costs, not the sale price. Just an estimate — the actual number could be more or less depending on the home's condition.
Read what sellers say
Allentown property-liens and back-tax questions
Can I sell an Allentown house with back taxes or liens before paying them upfront?
Yes. When you sell to us, we can set it up so you don't have to prepay anything — it comes out at closing. Call with the address and whatever notice or payoff information you have; you can start before every record is assembled.
How are liens and back taxes handled at closing?
When you sell to us, we pay the closing costs. Your liens are paid off from the sale at closing. The title company and the lienholder or tax office confirm the current amount and payment instructions.
Are a Lehigh County tax sale and a mortgage foreclosure sale the same process?
No. A tax sale concerns delinquent property taxes; a mortgage foreclosure or court-execution sale is separate. See the tax-sale information above for the county's process and the office that handles each notice.
What records should I have before I call?
You can call before you have everything. The property address and any tax notice, lien notice, or payoff information you already have are a useful start; we can talk through the rest with you.
What if the payoff is more than my Allentown house is worth?
Think the payoff is more than the house is worth? Ask us — we've gotten lenders to come down before.
Does the Allentown transfer-tax rate apply to every property in Lehigh County?
No. See the transfer-tax information above for the Allentown city rate and Pennsylvania's state tax; the title company confirms the figures for the property and recording date.
What happens after I contact you about the lien?
We talk through the property and the information you have. You get written terms before you commit, then we review title, payoff details, occupancy, and seller authority with the title company and the relevant parties before closing.
Talk through the property
Use the form or call 888-274-5006 to talk through the property and ask for a written cash offer.