City of Lewiston Treasury Division ↗
Start here with questions about a Lewiston real-estate tax account, balance, or city collection issue. Use the property address and the account or notice information you have.
Lewiston, Maine · Androscoggin County
Can I Sell My Lewiston 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 in Lewiston and Androscoggin County, Maine, including houses with back taxes or liens. 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 record. The current balance and payoff instructions are checked with the office or creditor and the title company as the sale moves forward.
Call 888-274-5006 to talk through the property.
Talk through your Lewiston lien or tax question
Share the property address and whatever you know about the notice, creditor, payoff, or tax account. You can start with the information you have.
We'll give you a written cash offer within 24 hours.
We give written cash offers in 24 hours.
Tell us the address and what you know about the notice, payoff, creditor, or tax account.
Prefer to call? 888-274-5006.
How liens and payoffs work
When you sell to us, we pay the closing costs. Your liens are paid off from the sale at closing.
A mortgage balance, a lien or back-tax payoff, and your current property-tax share are separate from closing costs. The office or creditor that holds the account supplies the current amount and instructions; the title company checks the records and settlement figures for the specific sale.
Records and a next step
Start with the Lewiston property address. A parcel number, tax bill or notice, lender payoff statement, lien or court paper, case number, deed, or mortgage can help identify what needs checking. Bring what you have; you can call before you have everything.
The City of Lewiston Treasury Division is a starting point for city real-estate tax account and balance questions. The Androscoggin County Registry of Deeds is the county deeds and records office. A creditor or tax office confirms its payoff, and the title company checks which records and instructions apply to the sale.
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
1. Talk about the house and the records you have
Tell us the Lewiston address, what notice or payoff you have seen, and what timing concerns you. You do not have to solve the payoff before calling.
2. Review the house and written terms
We review the property as it stands 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 payoff instructions
If you choose to proceed, the title company checks ownership and recorded claims for the transaction. The office or creditor named on a current notice or payoff statement confirms its amount and instructions for settlement.
4. Review the final figures and close
The title company prepares the final settlement figures using the agreed terms, confirmed payoffs, and applicable closing costs. Review those figures with the closing company before signing.
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.
Lewiston and Androscoggin County offices
Use the office that matches the record or notice you have. A city tax account, a county land record, and a lender's court case answer different questions.
Androscoggin County Registry of Deeds ↗
The county Registry is the deeds and records office relevant to researching property documents. You can also use its land-record search; the title company checks which recorded claims apply to a particular sale.
City of Lewiston Assessor Department ↗
Use the Assessor for assessed-value and property-record questions. An assessed value is a different record from a current tax payoff, a lien balance, or the amount due at closing.
Maine Judicial Branch — Lewiston District Court ↗
If you have court papers, use the court information and the specific case documents to check the process and current status. A lender mortgage-foreclosure case is separate from a city property-tax account.
Maine Judicial Branch — Androscoggin County Superior Court ↗
Use the court's information for Androscoggin County court matters and check the case papers for property-specific dates or instructions.
Maine foreclosure-prevention resources ↗
The Maine Bureau of Consumer Credit Protection provides foreclosure-prevention information. For advice about your own court case or rights, contact an attorney.
Tax notices, mortgage foreclosure, and Maine transfer tax
A property-tax notice and a lender's mortgage-foreclosure case are separate issues. For a Lewiston city tax-account question, start with the City Treasury Division; for a mortgage-foreclosure case, check the court papers and Maine Judicial Branch resources. The notice and current account or court record are the right place to confirm the status of a specific property.
Maine real estate transfer tax
Maine taxes a deed that transfers real estate at $2.20 for every $500 of value or fraction of $500. The law splits that tax evenly between seller and buyer. Since November 1, 2025, value above $1,000,000 also carries an additional $3.80 per $500. The county Registry of Deeds calculates and collects the tax from the transfer-tax declaration filed when the deed is recorded. When you sell to us, we pay the closing costs, including the real estate transfer tax.
Compare possible net proceeds
Use the editable Lewiston home-sale net proceeds calculator to compare a possible listing with the cash you might keep after costs, including payoff, lien, tax, repair, and closing estimates. Just an estimate — the actual number could be more or less depending on the home's condition.
What sellers say about USA Home Buyers
Here's what sellers have said about working with us.
“Sixty-six years old, widowed, and the house had more property taxes than I wanted to keep paying — $5,800 a year in NH on a fixed income. My son in Boston had been after me to move south. USA Home Buyers gave me a fair number, no open houses, no strangers in my house. Closed in eight days. I was in Massachusetts before spring.”
“My parents owned a house near the Millyard for 40 years. After my mother passed, my brother and I needed to settle the estate quickly — we both have jobs and families, neither of us lives in Manchester. USA Home Buyers had a written offer the next day and we closed in 11 days. The whole process was straightforward.”
“I relocated to Boston for work and had my Manchester house on the market for three months with an agent — two failed offers, one buyer who couldn't get financing. USA Home Buyers gave me a written number the next morning and we closed before my lease on the new apartment ran out.”
Lewiston property liens and back taxes questions
Can I sell my Lewiston 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. The current balance and payoff instructions still need to be confirmed for the property.
Who checks the current tax balance and recorded property documents?
For a Lewiston city tax account, start with the City Treasury Division. The Androscoggin County Registry of Deeds is the county deeds and records office. The office or creditor named on a notice provides its current balance and instructions, and the title company checks the records and payoffs for the sale.
Are a tax-sale notice and a mortgage foreclosure the same process?
No. A property-tax notice and a lender mortgage-foreclosure case are separate issues. Check a Lewiston tax-account question with the City Treasury Division; for a mortgage-foreclosure case, use the court papers and Maine Judicial Branch resources.
What records should I have when I call?
Start with the property address and whatever you have: a tax bill or notice, lender payoff statement, lien or court paper, case number, deed, mortgage, or parcel information. You can call before you have all of it.
What if the payoff is more than my Lewiston house is worth?
Think the payoff is more than the house is worth? Ask us — we've gotten lenders to come down before. Bring the current payoff statement so the amount and instructions can be discussed.
What happens after I contact USA Home Buyers?
We talk about the house and the information you have, review the property as it stands, and put proposed sale terms in writing before you decide. If you choose to proceed, the title company and the responsible offices or creditors confirm the records, payoff instructions, and settlement figures for that sale.
How does Maine real estate transfer tax work?
Maine charges $2.20 for each $500 of value or fraction of $500 on a deed that transfers real estate, with the tax split evenly by law between seller and buyer. An additional rate applies to value above $1,000,000. When you sell to us, we pay the closing costs, including the real estate transfer tax.
More Lewiston seller resources
Talk through the property
Call 888-274-5006 or use the form above. Start with the Lewiston address and the notice or payoff information you have.