Harris County
Use the County Clerk for recorded real-property documents and deed-record inquiries. The Tax Office handles property-tax account questions and publishes delinquent tax-sale information.
Houston, Texas · Harris, Fort Bend, Montgomery, and Waller Counties
Can I Sell My Houston 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 Houston, Texas and across Harris, Fort Bend, Montgomery, and Waller Counties. We buy houses with back taxes and liens; the current payoff and settlement details are checked for the property as the sale moves forward.
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 address and the notice or payoff information you have.
Talk through your Houston lien or tax question
Share the property address and whatever you know about the lien, tax account, or notice. You can call before you have every record or payoff amount.
We'll give you a written cash offer within 24 hours.
We give written cash offers in 24 hours.
Start with the address and what you know about the notice, payoff, or tax account.
Prefer to call? 888-274-5006.
How lien and tax payoffs work
When you sell to us, we pay the closing costs. Your liens are paid off from the sale at closing.
Your mortgage, liens, back taxes and share of current property taxes are separate. The closing-cost payment does not cover those separate obligations or the current-tax allocation. The creditor or county tax office confirms its current amount and instructions; the title company checks recorded claims and coordinates payoff work for the closing.
A payoff is the amount and instructions a creditor or tax office provides for a particular date. It can differ from an older bill or notice, so the current figures need to be verified for the property.
Records to start with
Use the address and whatever you already have: a property-tax bill, lien or court notice, creditor letter, payoff statement, deed, parcel or account number, or a notice with a date on it. The title company checks the recorded property claims; the creditor or county tax office confirms its own current balance and payoff instructions. You can call us before you have all of these records.
Houston overlaps four counties, so the city name alone does not tell you which clerk or tax office has the property record. Check the county for the parcel first. That geography is shown by the U.S. Census TIGERweb City of Houston map data.
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
1. Talk through the house and the records
Tell us the address, what you know about the lien or tax issue, and any timing in the notice. Start with what you have; you do not have to work out the payoff before calling.
2. Review the house and written terms
We review the property as-is and put the proposed offer and terms in writing before you decide. Written offer and written terms before you commit; title-company closing.
3. Check title and current payoffs
The title company reviews ownership and recorded claims for the transaction. The creditor or county office supplies current payoff instructions, and the closing team confirms the amounts that apply to the settlement.
4. Review the closing figures and close
The final settlement figures show the sale price, liens or tax payoffs, current-tax allocation, closing costs, and the amount left after those items. Review the written figures with the title company before closing.
Houston-area county offices for property records and taxes
The City of Houston includes parts of Harris, Fort Bend, Montgomery, and Waller Counties. The parcel’s county determines which clerk or tax office to contact; a Houston mailing address alone may not identify that county. These official pages are starting points for the right record or account.
Fort Bend County
The County Clerk’s recording and research division is the county route for real and personal property records. The Tax Assessor-Collector is the local property-tax account and collection-information route.
Montgomery County
The County Clerk provides the county route for recorded property documents. The Tax Office is the local property-tax account and collection-information route.
Waller County
The County Clerk is the county route for recorded property documents. The Tax Assessor-Collector provides property-tax information and links to tax-sale information.
Houston lien, tax-sale, and transfer-tax facts
Recorded claims and current balances
A recorded property claim and a current payoff amount are different records. Use the county clerk for recorded real-property documents and the creditor or tax office for its current balance and payoff instructions. The title company checks the recorded claims for the sale; the office or creditor that holds the account confirms its current amount.
Mortgage foreclosure and delinquent-tax sale are separate
A mortgage foreclosure is a lender process, while a delinquent-tax sale is handled through county tax-sale information. Texas residential mortgage foreclosures commonly use a trustee sale; the actual notice and live sale status control. Check a mortgage notice with the lender or trustee, and use the correct county tax office for a tax-sale notice or parcel status. Do not assume one notice gives the status of the other process.
Texas State Law Library — foreclosure notices before a sale · foreclosure sale information
Texas real-estate transfer tax and deed recording
Texas has no state, county, or city real-estate transfer tax on a sale conveying full ownership of property. The deed still needs to be signed before a notary and recorded with the county clerk. Recording charges are separate from a transfer tax; ask the clerk for the current fee for the document and county. Texas Constitution, Article VIII, Section 29 · Texas Legislative Council explanation.
When you sell to us, we pay the closing costs. Your mortgage, liens, back taxes and share of current property taxes are separate.
Compare what you may keep after the payoffs
A sale price is not the amount left after closing. Use the Houston calculator to compare your estimated sale price with the mortgage, lien or tax payoffs, and other costs you enter. Its numbers are estimates; current payoff amounts and final settlement figures come from the responsible offices and closing professionals.
Open the Houston home-sale net proceeds calculator →What sellers say about USA Home Buyers
Houston property liens and back taxes questions
Can I sell my Houston house with back taxes or liens before paying them?
When you sell to us, we can set it up so you don't have to prepay anything — it comes out at closing. Current payoff amounts and instructions still need to be confirmed for the property.
Who checks the lien or back-tax balance?
The creditor or county tax office confirms its current amount and payoff instructions. The title company checks the recorded property claims and coordinates the title and payoff work for the sale.
What should I have ready before I call?
Start with the property address and any tax bill, lien notice, payoff statement, court paper, deed, or account number you have. You can call before you have everything assembled.
Are a mortgage foreclosure and a delinquent-tax sale the same process?
No. A mortgage foreclosure and a county delinquent-tax sale are separate processes with different notices and records. Check the actual notice with the lender or trustee for a mortgage foreclosure, or the county tax office for a tax-sale question.
Which county office should I use for a Houston property?
The City of Houston overlaps Harris, Fort Bend, Montgomery, and Waller Counties. Check the parcel address or tax account to identify the county, then use that county’s clerk for recorded property documents and its tax office for tax-account questions.
Does Texas charge a real-estate transfer tax when I sell?
Texas has no state, county, or city real-estate transfer tax. A deed still needs to be signed before a notary and recorded with the county clerk; ask the clerk about current recording charges for the property’s county.
What if the payoff is more than my house is worth?
Bring the payoff statement or tax notice you have and tell us what the creditor or county office said. Ask us about the situation; the current payoff and settlement figures still need to be checked for the property.
What happens after I contact you?
We talk through the house and the records you have, review the property as-is, and put any proposed offer and terms in writing before you commit. The title company and the responsible creditor or county office confirm the property-specific title and payoff details for closing.
Talk through the property
Call 888-274-5006 or use the form above. Start with the Houston address and the lien or tax notice you have.