Knoxville, TN / Foreclosure
Can I Sell My Knoxville House in Foreclosure?
If a trustee's sale is scheduled, tell us the date right away so we can try to close before it. You can often sell a Tennessee house in mortgage foreclosure if you close before the sale. Many Tennessee home loans use a deed of trust; when it includes a power of sale, the trustee can auction the house without a court case.
USA Home Buyers buys houses as-is in Knoxville and Knox County. We buy houses as-is, in any condition — no repairs, no cleaning, no cleanout required to sell to us. Call 888-274-5006 or use the form to ask for a written cash offer.
We'll give you a written cash offer within 24 hours.
We give written cash offers in 24 hours.
Share the property address, condition, occupancy, and any sale date you received.
How we help
Get written terms while you check the sale date
We review the house, condition, occupancy, payoff information, and timing, then give you a written cash offer. You can read the written terms before you commit. We buy houses as-is, in any condition — no repairs, no cleaning, no cleanout required to sell to us.
When you sell to us, we pay the closing costs, including Tennessee's realty transfer tax. Your mortgage, liens, back taxes, and share of current property taxes are separate.
We'll give you a written cash offer within 24 hours.
We give written cash offers in 24 hours.
Share the property address, condition, occupancy, and any sale date you received.
Which sale is involved?
Mortgage foreclosure and tax sale are different processes
A mortgage foreclosure concerns a home loan. Many Tennessee mortgages use a deed of trust, and a power-of-sale clause can let the trustee sell at public auction without first filing a court case. A court-ordered sale follows different rules.
A Knox County tax sale concerns unpaid property taxes, not the mortgage lender's sale. Knox County Trustee handles county tax-payment and tax-sale information. The notice periods below describe the usual mortgage power-of-sale process; they do not set a deadline for a tax sale. Check the notice and the correct office for the property and sale you are facing.
Tennessee mortgage-sale notices and postponements
Under the usual Tennessee notice rules in effect since July 1, 2025, the sale notice must run at least twice in a newspaper published in the county. The first newspaper notice must be at least 20 days before the sale. The notice must also be posted online by a third-party internet posting company for at least 20 days in a row. The trustee must mail you a copy by registered or certified mail by the date of the first newspaper notice.
Unless the loan papers forbid it, the trustee may postpone the sale one or more times without publishing a new newspaper notice, but the sale must still happen within one year of the original date. Each new date must be announced at the scheduled sale and posted online, unless the delay is less than five days. If the sale is postponed more than 30 days, the new date, time, and place must be mailed to you at least 10 days beforehand. Confirm the date in your own notice and with the trustee; do not assume a changed date without checking.
After a sale under a deed of trust or mortgage without a court judgment, Tennessee law generally gives a two-year right to redeem the property unless the loan document expressly waives that right. A court-ordered sale has different rules. This is an after-sale right, not extra time to close before the sale. See Tenn. Code Ann. § 66-8-101.
Sources: Tennessee's 2025 law updating mortgage foreclosure-sale notices; Tenn. Code Ann. §§ 35-5-101 and 66-8-101. The Secretary of State lists third-party internet posting companies used for notices.
If the payoff is the problem
What if the lender's 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.
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.
What happens next
- Contact us with the property address, condition, occupancy, and any scheduled trustee-sale date.
- We review the details and give you a written cash offer and written terms before you commit.
- If you choose to move ahead, a title company checks title, confirms payoff and lien details, and prepares the closing figures.
- You review the final figures and documents with the title company before closing; sale proceeds are used to pay the required closing payoffs.
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
Check the office and notice for your type of sale
For a Knox County property-tax balance or tax-sale information, contact the Knox County Trustee at 865-215-2305. The office is at the Knoxville City-County Building, Suite 427, 400 Main Street, Knoxville, TN 37902. For a mortgage trustee sale, use the sale notice and the trustee named there; Tennessee's Secretary of State also keeps a list of third-party websites used to post sale notices.
Questions About Foreclosure in Knoxville, TN
Can I sell my Knoxville house before a trustee sale?
Often, yes, if the sale has not happened and the closing can be completed in time. If a trustee's sale is scheduled, tell us the date right away so we can try to close before it. Check the current date with the trustee named in your notice and your lender.
What notice does Tennessee require before a mortgage trustee sale?
Under the usual Tennessee notice rules in effect since July 1, 2025, the notice must run at least twice in a newspaper published in the county, with the first notice at least 20 days before the sale. It must also be posted online for 20 consecutive days, and the trustee must mail you a copy by registered or certified mail by the first newspaper notice. The page explains the separate rules for postponements; check your own notice and loan documents for your situation.
Is a Knox County tax sale the same as a mortgage foreclosure sale?
No. A mortgage trustee sale concerns a home loan and its deed of trust or mortgage. A tax sale concerns unpaid property taxes and has a separate process. Knox County Trustee provides tax-payment and tax-sale information; do not use mortgage-foreclosure notice periods to work out a tax-sale deadline.
What if the payoff is more than my Knoxville house is worth?
Think the payoff is more than the house is worth? Ask us — we've gotten lenders to come down before. The lender and title company can confirm the current payoff and what is needed for closing.
What happens after I contact USA Home Buyers?
We review the property and timing, then give you written offer terms before you commit. If you choose to move ahead, a title company works through the title and payoff details and handles the closing. Call 888-274-5006 or use the form on this page to start.
Who pays Tennessee realty transfer tax when I sell to you?
When you sell to us, we pay the closing costs, including Tennessee's realty transfer tax. Your mortgage, liens, back taxes, and share of current property taxes are separate.
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What sellers say about USA Home Buyers
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We'll give you a written cash offer within 24 hours.
We give written cash offers in 24 hours.
Share the property address, condition, occupancy, and any sale date you received.