Ellsworth, Maine · Hancock County
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 with back taxes or liens in Ellsworth and Hancock County. We buy houses as-is, in any condition — no repairs, no cleaning, no cleanout required to sell to us.
You can call before you have every tax notice or payoff statement. Tell us what you know about the property and we can talk through the sale and the records involved.
Ask for a cash offer: call 888-274-5006 or use the form below.
Share the property address and whatever you know about the tax bill, lien, creditor, payoff, or notice. Start with what you have; you can call even if the paperwork is incomplete.
Tell us the address and what you know about the notice, payoff, creditor, or tax account.
Prefer to call? 888-274-5006.
When you sell to us, we pay the closing costs. Your liens are paid off from the sale at closing.
The City or creditor supplies the current balance and payoff or release instructions. The title company checks the property records and the figures for the sale. Your mortgage payoff, back taxes, liens, and share of current property taxes are separate from the closing costs we pay and appear as separate items in the settlement figures.
A recent City tax bill, lien notice, lender or creditor statement, or recorded deed can help identify the issue. You can call with just the property address; you do not need to collect every document first. We can help sort out which office or creditor has the current balance, and the title company checks the records and payoff instructions needed for a sale.
Think the payoff is more than the house is worth? Ask us — we've gotten lenders to come down before.
Tell us the Ellsworth address, what you know about the lien or tax account, and any date on a notice that concerns you. You can start the conversation before you have the full file.
We review the house as it stands and put the proposed offer and sale terms in writing before you commit. We put the offer and terms in writing before you commit, and the closing is through a title company.
If you choose to proceed, the title company checks ownership and recorded claims for the transaction. The creditor or City confirms its current payoff and release instructions, and the closing team prepares the figures that apply to the property.
The settlement figures show the sale price, payoffs, taxes, and other items that apply. You can review the written terms and figures before closing through the title company.
Ellsworth is an incorporated city in Hancock County. The City handles its own property-tax accounts; Hancock County keeps the recorded land documents.
Contact City Tax Collection about an Ellsworth city tax bill, current balance, or collection question. Use Property Assessment & Tax Information for assessed-value or parcel-record questions; an assessment is not a current payoff statement.
City of Ellsworth Tax Collection →Property Assessment & Tax Information →
The Registry of Deeds is the county office for recorded deeds, mortgages, and other land documents, including recorded tax-lien certificates. A land-record search can help identify a filing, but it is not the creditor’s current payoff amount.
For unpaid municipal property taxes, Maine law allows the tax collector to record a tax-lien certificate in the county registry of deeds. If the tax, interest, and costs remain unpaid, the tax-lien mortgage is deemed foreclosed 18 months after the certificate is filed and the right to redeem expires. Follow the date on the notice and contact the municipality that issued it about the tax account.
A municipality may sell tax-acquired property under a separate state-law process. This is different from a lender’s mortgage-foreclosure case, which follows its own court papers and deadlines.
Maine law on tax-lien certificates →Maine law on tax-lien foreclosure →Maine law on tax-acquired property sales →
Maine charges $2.20 for each $500 of value, or fraction of $500, on a deed that transfers real estate. The tax is split evenly between seller and buyer. Since November 1, 2025, the portion of value above $1,000,000 carries an additional $3.80 per $500. The county Register of Deeds calculates and collects the tax when the deed is recorded; some transfers are exempt under state law.
When you sell to us, we pay the closing costs, including the real estate transfer tax. Mortgage payoffs, liens, back taxes, and your share of current property taxes are separate from the closing costs we pay.
Maine transfer-tax statute →Maine Revenue Services transfer-tax information →Maine Revenue Services exemption bulletin →
Use the Ellsworth home-sale net proceeds calculator with your own estimated sale value, mortgage payoff, lien or tax amount, and other costs. Just an estimate — the actual number could be more or less depending on the home's condition.
“LISTEN, PROPERTY TAXES GOT TOO HIGH FOR MY FIXED INCOME. SOLD IT TO THEM. WALKED AWAY WITH CASH. GLAD IT'S OVER.”
“Facing foreclosure ... Very stressful time... They handled it professionally and got me out of the debt...”
“no open houses. no realtors tracking dirt in. just a straight cash sale for our house so we could move. Glad it's over.”
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 with back taxes or liens in Ellsworth and Hancock County. You can call before you have every notice or payoff statement.
The City of Ellsworth Tax Collection office can confirm a City tax account. A lender or other creditor confirms its own payoff. Hancock County keeps recorded land documents, while the title company checks the property records and works with the relevant office or creditor on the current figures and closing instructions.
A property address is enough to start. A City tax bill or notice, lien or mortgage statement, creditor contact, or recorded document can help us understand the question. You do not have to gather every record before calling.
No. Maine’s municipal tax-lien process and a lender’s mortgage-foreclosure case are separate. A municipal tax-lien mortgage is generally deemed foreclosed 18 months after its certificate is filed if the tax, interest, and costs remain unpaid. Follow the notice for the property-tax account; use the lender and court papers for a mortgage case.
Maine charges $2.20 for each $500 of value, or fraction of $500, on a deed that transfers real estate. The tax is split evenly between seller and buyer, with an additional rate on value above $1,000,000. When you sell to us, we pay the closing costs, including the real estate transfer tax. Mortgage payoffs, liens, back taxes, and your share of current property taxes are separate.
We talk through the property and the information you have, review the house as it stands, and put the offer and terms in writing before you commit. If you choose to sell, a title company checks the title and payoff details and handles the closing.
Think the payoff is more than the house is worth? Ask us — we've gotten lenders to come down before.
Call 888-274-5006 or use the form above. Start with the Ellsworth address and whatever notice or payoff information you have.