Chicago, Illinois › Foreclosure
Can I Sell My Chicago House Before a Foreclosure Auction?
Our agreement of sale will often get a foreclosure sale postponed so we can close. Signing alone doesn't postpone it automatically; we use the agreement to ask for the postponement, and it works more often than people think.
Illinois mortgage foreclosures go through court. You may still have time to sell if the sale can close and pay the required debt before the applicable deadline. The normal redemption deadline is before the foreclosure auction, but the deadline and payoff depend on the court case. Paying missed installments and paying the full foreclosure amount are different options. A purchase agreement does not automatically postpone the auction or extend the redemption deadline.
We buy houses as-is, in any condition — no repairs, no cleaning, no cleanout required to sell to us. USA Home Buyers buys houses in Chicago and Cook County.
Call 888-274-5006We give written cash offers in 24 hours.
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We'll give you a written cash offer within 24 hours.
How we work toward a closing
We review the property and the timing with you, then put the cash offer and terms in writing. If you accept, our agreement of sale gives us a way to ask for a foreclosure sale postponement while we work toward closing.
Our agreement of sale will often get a foreclosure sale postponed so we can close. Signing alone doesn't postpone it automatically; we use the agreement to ask for the postponement, and it works more often than people think.
Mortgage foreclosure or property-tax sale?
A mortgage foreclosure is a court case about a home loan. A property-tax sale is a separate process for unpaid property taxes. The notices and deadlines are not interchangeable. Check which process is named in your notice and follow that process's date; the agreement-of-sale postponement statement above concerns a mortgage foreclosure sale.
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.
What happens next
- Contact us with the court papers and current sale date. We can review whether a sale could close in time.
- We give you a written cash offer and written terms before you commit.
- If you choose to move ahead, a title company reviews title, the current payoff, liens, taxes, and closing requirements, then coordinates the closing.
When you sell to us, we pay the closing costs, including the Illinois state, county and city transfer taxes.
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. Mortgage balances and your share of current property taxes are separate from the closing-cost promise; the title company reviews the amounts due.
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.
Cook County and Illinois court resources
- Cook County Clerk's Office — official county office site.
- Illinois Courts' approved mortgage-foreclosure forms include motion-to-stay-sale forms.
- Illinois statute, 735 ILCS 5/15-1603 covers the redemption period; your court case controls the applicable deadline.
Estimate your possible sale proceeds
Use the Chicago home-sale net-proceeds calculator to compare planning numbers. It is an estimate, not a property-specific offer or payoff statement.
Questions about foreclosure in Chicago
Can I sell my Chicago house before a foreclosure auction?
You may still have time if a sale can close and pay the required debt before the applicable deadline. Illinois mortgage foreclosures go through court, and the normal redemption deadline is before the foreclosure auction. The deadline and payoff depend on the court case; paying only missed installments and paying the full foreclosure amount are different options. Our agreement of sale will often get a foreclosure sale postponed so we can close. Signing alone doesn't postpone it automatically; we use the agreement to ask for the postponement, and it works more often than people think.
Is a mortgage foreclosure the same as a property-tax sale?
No. A mortgage foreclosure is a court case over a home loan. A sale for unpaid property taxes is a separate process with its own notice and deadlines. Read the notice for the process named on it and keep the two timelines separate.
What if my Chicago house is worth less than the payoff?
Think the payoff is more than the house is worth? Ask us — we've gotten lenders to come down before.
Do I need to repair or clean out the house first?
We buy houses as-is, in any condition — no repairs, no cleaning, no cleanout required to sell to us.
More Chicago resources
We give written cash offers in 24 hours.
Takes 2 minutes. No obligation.
We'll give you a written cash offer within 24 hours.