Can I Sell My Forest City House Before a Sheriff’s Sale?
Our agreement of sale will often get a sheriff's 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.
If a mortgage sheriff’s sale is scheduled, selling beforehand may be possible when the payoff, title, court status, and time to close line up. An Act 91 notice and a county tax-sale notice are different stages with different deadlines; keep following the dates in each notice.
We buy houses as-is, in any condition — no repairs, no cleaning, no cleanout required to sell to us. We buy in Forest City Borough and Susquehanna County.
We review the house and the notice with you, then give you a written offer and written terms before you commit. If you choose to sell to us, closing is through a title company.
The agreement can be used to ask for a postponement of a mortgage sheriff’s sale, but signing it does not change the date automatically. The lender, court, sheriff, title work, payoff, and time available all matter, so keep checking the current notice and confirm any change with the plaintiff or sheriff.
Which sale is involved?
Mortgage foreclosure
This is the lender’s court case over the mortgage. If you have received an Act 91 notice, certain delinquent mortgages on a Pennsylvania one- or two-family home that is the borrower’s principal residence must receive that notice before the lender files for foreclosure.
If you want to seek HEMAP assistance, meet a designated housing counselor within 33 days of the notice; the counselor then has 30 days from that meeting to submit an application to PHFA. HEMAP is a state mortgage-assistance loan program. Selling is another option, and you can call us when the letter arrives.
Delinquent property-tax sale
A tax sale is separate from a mortgage foreclosure. When property taxes go unpaid, Susquehanna County can put the house up for a tax sale, and the county’s notice gives the date. A sale agreement alone does not resolve the tax claim.
If a sale closes before that date, delinquent taxes may be paid from the proceeds if enough money remains after other liens and closing costs. Call as soon as the notice arrives; timing matters. See the Pennsylvania Real Estate Tax Sale Law, §§ 601–603.
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.
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 lender or servicer for a current payoff statement. If available, a current Zillow typical home-value figure can add broad market context, but it is not a value for your particular house or a payoff calculation. $210,455 (As of August 2026; Zillow typical home value for Forest City, PA)
What happens next?
1. Talk through the notice. Tell us the property address, which notice you received, and the date shown. You can call even if you do not have every payoff or title detail yet.
2. Review written terms. We look at the house and provide a written cash offer and written terms before you decide whether to commit.
3. Work through title and payoffs. If you choose to proceed, the title company reviews ownership, lender payoff, liens, and any tax claim that applies.
4. Confirm dates and close. The title company works toward closing, while you continue to follow the notice and confirm any sheriff-sale postponement with the plaintiff or sheriff.
When you sell to us, we pay the closing costs. Your mortgage, liens, back taxes, and share of current property taxes are separate.
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 in Susquehanna County
Forest City Borough is in Susquehanna County. For questions about delinquent real-estate taxes or a county tax-sale notice, contact the county’s Tax Claim Bureau. For Act 91 and HEMAP, use PHFA’s guidance and contact a designated counselor within the notice deadline.
Use your own assumptions to compare a possible as-is sale with listing. The calculator is an estimate, not a property-specific offer or payoff calculation.
Can I sell my Forest City house before a mortgage sheriff’s sale?
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A sale before a mortgage sheriff’s sale may be possible if the payoff, title work, court status, and closing can be handled in time. Check the dates on your current notices and confirm any scheduled sale date with the plaintiff or sheriff handling the case.
Does signing an agreement of sale automatically postpone a sheriff’s sale?
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Our agreement of sale will often get a sheriff's 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 county tax sale the same as mortgage foreclosure?
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No. A mortgage foreclosure is a lender’s court case. A delinquent-property-tax sale is a separate county process, and the Tax Claim Bureau’s notice gives its sale date. A sale agreement alone does not resolve the tax claim.
What does an Act 91 notice mean in Pennsylvania?
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For certain delinquent mortgages on a Pennsylvania one- or two-family home that is the borrower’s principal residence, the lender must send an Act 91 notice before filing for foreclosure. If you want to seek HEMAP assistance, meet a designated housing counselor within 33 days of the notice; the counselor then has 30 days from that meeting to submit an application to PHFA. HEMAP is a state mortgage-assistance loan program.
What if my mortgage payoff is more than the house is worth?
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Think the payoff is more than the house is worth? Ask us — we've gotten lenders to come down before. A current lender payoff and title review are needed to see whether a sale can work for the property; a reduction is not assured for a particular transaction.
