Hamilton County Trustee
County property-tax account and tax-sale questions: (423) 209-7270, Room 210, 625 Georgia Avenue, Chattanooga, TN 37402-1494.
Chattanooga seller information / Foreclosure
Can I Sell My Chattanooga House in Foreclosure?
If a trustee's sale is scheduled, tell us the date right away so we can try to close before it. Often, yes: you may be able to sell before the foreclosure sale if the payoff, title work, and closing can be completed in time. Many Tennessee home loans use a deed of trust; when it gives the trustee a power of sale, the trustee can sell at public auction without a court case.
USA Home Buyers buys houses as-is in Chattanooga and Hamilton County, Tennessee. We buy houses as-is, in any condition — no repairs, no cleaning, no cleanout required to sell to us. Call 888-274-5006 or use the form to ask for a written cash offer.
We'll give you a written cash offer within 24 hours.
We give written cash offers in 24 hours.
Share the property address and the sale date shown on your notice, if one is scheduled.
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Your sale option
An offer, title work, and a closing plan
Tell us what notice you received and when the sale is set. We review the house as-is and give you written cash offer terms before you commit. If you choose to sell to us, a title company works through title and payoff information for closing. Written offer and written terms before you commit; title-company closing.
When you sell to us, we pay the closing costs, including Tennessee's realty transfer tax. Your mortgage, liens, back taxes, and share of current property taxes are separate.
If a trustee's sale is scheduled, tell us the date right away so we can try to close before it.
Mortgage foreclosure
Check the trustee-sale notice dates
Many Tennessee home loans use a deed of trust. If it includes a power of sale, the trustee can auction the house without first filing a court case. Under the usual notice rules in effect since July 1, 2025, the trustee must:
- Publish the sale notice at least twice in a newspaper published in the county, with the first notice at least 20 days before the sale.
- Post the notice through a third-party internet posting company for at least 20 consecutive days.
- Mail you a copy by registered or certified mail no later than the date of the first newspaper notice.
Unless the loan papers forbid it, the trustee may postpone the sale without publishing a new newspaper notice, but the sale must take place within one year of the original date. A new date must be announced at the scheduled sale and posted online, except when the delay is less than five days. If the sale is pushed back more than 30 days, the new date, time, and place must be mailed to you at least 10 days before the sale. Check the actual notice and ask the trustee or your loan servicer to confirm the current date.
For a sale under a deed of trust or mortgage without a court judgment, Tennessee law provides a two-year right to redeem unless the deed of trust or mortgage expressly waives it. A court-ordered sale follows different rules. If a sale has already happened, have an attorney review the papers and explain what rights and deadlines apply to that specific sale.
Different notices, different dates
Is it a mortgage foreclosure or a tax sale?
A lender's trustee sale is not the same as a sale connected to unpaid property taxes. The mortgage-notice dates above are not a tax-sale timetable. If your notice is about property taxes, check the parcel and deadline with the office named on the notice; the current account and notice determine what applies.
Hamilton County's Trustee handles county property-tax account questions, including tax-sale questions. A City of Chattanooga property-tax notice goes through the City's tax office instead. Keep the county and city accounts separate when you check what is owed and when action is due.
If the payoff is the problem
Think the payoff is more than the house is worth? Ask us — we've gotten lenders to come down before.
Ask your loan servicer for a current payoff amount. That figure can be reviewed with the written offer and other amounts due at closing.
You don't need to pay off your back taxes before we settle. We buy houses with back taxes and liens — payoffs get handled through the closing, not by you upfront.
What happens next
1. Tell us about the house and notice
Use the form or call. If a sale date is listed, share it so we can review the timing.
2. Review written terms
We give you a written cash offer within 24 hours. Read the written terms before deciding whether to commit.
3. Work through title and payoff
If you choose to proceed, a title company works through the title and payoff information needed for closing.
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.
Local help
Hamilton County and Chattanooga tax contacts
City of Chattanooga Office of City Treasurer
City property-tax questions: (423) 643-7262, City Hall, Room 100, 101 E. 11th Street, Chattanooga, TN 37402. This is separate from the County Trustee.
Compare what you may keep
A sale price is not the amount you keep. Compare your possible payoff, liens, taxes, and selling costs with the terms of an as-is offer using the Chattanooga home-sale calculator.
Open the Chattanooga home-sale net-proceeds calculator →Chattanooga foreclosure questions
Can I sell my Chattanooga house before a trustee’s sale?
Often, yes, if the sale can close before the foreclosure sale. If a trustee’s sale is scheduled, tell us the date right away so we can try to close before it. An offer or contract does not itself change the scheduled date; check the notice and confirm any change with the trustee or your loan servicer.
What notice dates apply to a Tennessee trustee’s sale?
Under the usual Tennessee notice rules in effect since July 1, 2025, newspaper notice must run at least twice, with the first notice at least 20 days before the sale. A third-party internet posting company must post notice for at least 20 consecutive days, and the trustee must mail notice by the date of the first newspaper notice. Postponements have separate rules, so check the sale notice and the details on this page.
Is a mortgage foreclosure the same as a property-tax sale?
No. A lender’s trustee sale and a sale tied to unpaid property taxes are different processes. Do not use the mortgage notice dates as a tax-sale deadline. Check the notice and parcel account with the office named on it; Hamilton County and City of Chattanooga property taxes use separate office routes.
What if the payoff is more than my Chattanooga house is worth?
Think the payoff is more than the house is worth? Ask us — we’ve gotten lenders to come down before. Get a current payoff from your loan servicer so it can be reviewed with the written sale terms and other amounts due at closing.
Do I have to pay back taxes or liens before selling to you?
You don’t need to pay off your back taxes before we settle. We buy houses with back taxes and liens — payoffs get handled through the closing, not by you upfront.
What happens after I ask for an offer?
We review the property details and give you a written cash offer within 24 hours. You receive written offer terms before you commit. If you choose to move forward, a title company works through title and payoff information for closing.
Testimonials are real, from our transactions, verified and approved by our attorneys. A nearby seller's experience keeps its actual location and is not presented as a Chattanooga sale.
What sellers say about USA Home Buyers
Ask about a Chattanooga cash offer
Share the property address and any notice date. You can also call 888-274-5006.
We'll give you a written cash offer within 24 hours.
We give written cash offers in 24 hours.
Share the property details you want us to review.