Cook County Treasurer ↗
Start here for Cook County property-tax account, payment, and tax-sale questions. Use the parcel information or the current notice so the office can identify the right account.
Chicago, Illinois · Cook County
Can I Sell My Chicago 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. USA Home Buyers buys houses as-is in Chicago and Cook County. If a tax notice, lien, or payoff is holding you up, you can call before you have every document; we can start with the property address and what you know.
We buy houses as-is, in any condition — no repairs, no cleaning, no cleanout required to sell to us.
Call 888-274-5006 to talk through the property.
Talk through your Chicago lien or tax question
Share the address and whatever you know about the notice, creditor, payoff, or tax account. Start with what you have; missing paperwork does not stop the first conversation.
We'll give you a written cash offer within 24 hours.
We give written cash offers in 24 hours.
Start with the property address and the information you have.
Prefer to call? 888-274-5006.
How payoffs work
When you sell to us, we pay the closing costs. Your liens are paid off from the sale at closing.
The title company checks ownership and recorded claims, while the creditor or tax office confirms its current payoff and instructions. Your mortgage, liens, back taxes, and share of current property taxes are separate settlement items; the title company uses the current figures to show how the sale proceeds are applied.
Records that help — and who checks them
A tax notice or bill, payoff statement, lien or court paper, parcel number, deed, or assessment record can help. The office or creditor named on a current notice confirms its balance and instructions; the title company checks the property records and settlement requirements. You can call before you have everything.
If the payoff is more than the house is worth
Think the payoff is more than the house is worth? Ask us — we've gotten lenders to come down before.
What happens next
Start with a conversation, not a stack of paperwork. These steps show how the property discussion, written terms, title work, payoff checks, and closing fit together.
1. Tell us about the property
Share the Chicago address, the notice or document, any amount or date you have seen, and what you are trying to figure out. Start with what you know.
2. Review the house and written terms
We review the property as it stands and put the proposed offer and terms in writing. Read the price, responsibilities, payoff treatment, and closing terms before you decide.
3. Check title and payoff information
If you choose to proceed, the title company reviews the ownership and recorded claims for the sale. The creditor or tax office confirms its current payoff information, and the closing professionals confirm the documents and figures that apply.
4. Review the closing figures and close
Review the settlement figures showing the sale price, payoffs, taxes, costs, and amount left after those items. Written offer and written terms before you commit; title-company closing.
Chicago-area offices and records
Our Chicago service area includes Cook County and parts of DuPage County. Check the property’s county before choosing an office. For a tax or court notice, use the contact and case or parcel details printed on that notice to confirm the current status.
Cook County Clerk's Office ↗
Use the Clerk for Cook County recorded land-document questions, such as a deed or other recorded instrument. A recorded document is not the same as a current creditor payoff.
Cook County Assessor ↗
Use the Assessor for assessment and parcel-record questions. An assessed value is not a lien payoff or the amount you will keep from a sale.
Cook County Circuit Court Probate Division ↗
Use this court division when estate or probate filings affect who has authority to sign for a property.
DuPage County Recorder ↗
For a property in the DuPage County portion of our service area, use the Recorder for recorded-document questions. Check the parcel county before choosing an office; tax questions should go to the office named on the notice.
Tax-sale, mortgage-foreclosure, and transfer-tax facts
A tax sale is not a mortgage foreclosure
A delinquent-property-tax matter follows the county tax process. A mortgage foreclosure is a separate court case, with its own papers and dates. Check the tax notice with the responsible tax office and the mortgage case with the court contact on its papers. Signing a sale agreement by itself does not postpone a mortgage-foreclosure auction. If a foreclosure notice is involved, see the Chicago foreclosure information and check the live case status promptly.
Illinois and Chicago transfer taxes
For a taxable Illinois transfer, the state tax is 50 cents for each $500 of taxable value, or part of $500. A county can add 25 cents per $500, and some cities impose their own transfer taxes. Chicago’s published city rate is $5.25 per $500 in total, generally the $3.75 City portion plus the $1.50 CTA portion. Taxable value, exemptions, the property’s city and county, and the transaction affect the actual taxes and responsibility for them. Illinois Department of Revenue transfer-tax information and the City of Chicago transfer-tax information explain the state and city rules.
When you sell to us, we pay the closing costs, including the Illinois state, county and city transfer taxes. That closing-cost promise does not mean we pay off your mortgage, liens, back taxes, or your share of current property taxes; those remain separate settlement items.
Compare possible net proceeds
Use the editable Chicago home-sale net proceeds calculator to compare your estimated sale price with a mortgage payoff, liens or taxes, repairs, and other costs. It is an estimate, not a confirmed payoff or settlement statement.
What sellers say about USA Home Buyers
Here's what sellers have said about working with us.
“We had a grease fire in the kitchen that spread to the wall and the cabinet above the range before we got it out. Insurance gave us actual cash value — $19,000 on a kitchen that would cost $35,000 to rebuild. I wasn't going to fight that for six months. USA Home Buyers bought the house as-is in nine days.”
“I worked at the Amazon distribution center in Kenosha and took a medical leave for six months. Fell behind on payments, the bank filed in Kenosha County Circuit Court — Wisconsin judicial foreclosure. USA Home Buyers explained exactly where the timeline was and moved fast. Written offer in twenty-four hours, closed in eleven days. Foreclosure dismissed.”
“We owned our Lakeview property for twenty-six years and the property taxes hit $6,400 this year. Both retired, two incomes gone to one Social Security check. The house had too many stairs for my husband's knees anyway. USA Home Buyers gave us a fair number and closed in seven days. We moved to a one-floor condo in Waukegan.”
Chicago property liens and back taxes questions
Can I sell my Chicago house with back taxes or liens before paying them?
Yes. When you sell to us, we can set it up so you don't have to prepay anything — it comes out at closing. We buy houses as-is in Chicago and Cook County. Call or send the property address and whatever notice or payoff information you have; you do not need to have every record before we talk.
Who checks the lien and tax balances?
The creditor or tax office named on a current notice or payoff statement confirms its balance and instructions. The title company checks ownership and recorded claims for the sale and coordinates the property-specific payoff information.
Are a Cook County tax sale and a mortgage foreclosure the same process?
No. A delinquent-property-tax matter and a lender’s mortgage-foreclosure case are separate. Check the current tax notice with the tax office and the court papers for the mortgage case. Signing a sale agreement by itself does not postpone a mortgage-foreclosure auction.
What if the payoff is more than my house is worth?
Think the payoff is more than the house is worth? Ask us — we've gotten lenders to come down before. The creditor and title company confirm the current payoff and closing figures for the property.
What records should I have ready when I call?
Start with the property address and anything you have: a tax notice or bill, payoff statement, lien or court paper, parcel number, deed, or assessment record. You can call before you have everything assembled.
What happens after I contact you?
We talk about the house and the information you have, review the property as it stands, and put proposed terms in writing before you decide. If you choose to proceed, the title company reviews the records and payoff instructions for the sale, prepares the closing figures, and handles the title-company closing.
What transfer taxes apply to a Chicago sale?
For a taxable Illinois transfer, the state tax is 50 cents for each $500 of taxable value, or part of $500; county and city taxes may add to it. Chicago lists a total city transfer-tax rate of $5.25 per $500, generally split between a $3.75 City portion and a $1.50 CTA portion. The property location, taxable value, exemptions, and transaction determine the actual figures. When you sell to us, we pay the closing costs, including the Illinois state, county and city transfer taxes.
More Chicago seller resources
Talk through the property
Call 888-274-5006 or use the form above. Start with the Chicago address and whatever notice or payoff information you have.