Can I Sell My Lincoln House in Foreclosure?
If a trustee's sale is scheduled, tell us the date right away so we can try to close before it.
Yes, selling before a Nebraska foreclosure sale may be possible if the payoff, title work, and time allow a closing before the date. A trustee's sale and a court-ordered mortgage sale follow different procedures. You can call us at any stage; if a court or sheriff's sale is scheduled, share that date too.
USA Home Buyers buys houses as-is in Lincoln and Lancaster County, Nebraska. We buy houses as-is, in any condition — no repairs, no cleaning, no cleanout required to sell to us.
Call 888-274-5006We'll give you a written cash offer within 24 hours.
We give written cash offers in 24 hours.
Takes 2 minutes. No obligation.
How we can help before the sale date
We review the house as it is and work toward a written cash offer you can compare with your other options. You do not need to repair, clean, or clear out the property before asking us to review it. We provide a written offer and written terms before you commit; closing takes place through a title company.
The useful starting details are the property address, the kind of foreclosure notice you received, the sale date, and any payoff information you already have. We can review those with the property facts and work toward closing before the date when the time and title allow it.
Which Nebraska sale is involved?
Nebraska home loans may be secured by a trust deed or a mortgage. Read the notice and loan papers: a trustee's sale and a court-ordered mortgage sale are different processes, and their deadlines should not be mixed.
Trust-deed foreclosure: trustee's sale
A lender can use the trust-deed process without first filing a court case. The trustee records a notice of default with the county Register of Deeds. For a payment default before the loan's original maturity, you generally have one month after the notice is recorded to cure by paying what is due plus allowed costs and fees; certain farm properties have two months. Principal due only because the lender accelerated the loan is excluded from that cure amount, but principal already due at maturity is not. A later cure before the sale can involve different allowed costs and fees. See Neb. Rev. Stat. §§ 76-1006 and 76-1012.
After at least one month, or two months for the specified farm properties, the trustee may publish notice of sale once a week for five weeks. The final notice must be 10 to 30 days before the sale, and a copy must be mailed to you at least 20 days before it. The sale is a public auction; the trustee may postpone it by announcing the postponement at the sale. Nebraska does not provide a right to redeem the home after a trustee's sale. See § 76-1007, § 76-1008, § 76-1009 and § 76-1010.
Mortgage foreclosure: court and sheriff's sale
A mortgage foreclosure goes through court, and a sheriff or court-appointed officer holds the sale. Within 20 days after the court's decree, you can file a written request to delay the sale; the delay can be nine months. For residential mortgages covered by the statute, the delay is three months if the original final payment was more than 20 years after the foreclosure complaint was filed, or six months if it was more than 10 but no more than 20 years after filing. See Neb. Rev. Stat. § 25-1506.
You may redeem before the court confirms the sale by paying the judgment, interest, and costs. If the auction buyer is not the foreclosing plaintiff, the statute also requires interest on that buyer's purchase price. See Neb. Rev. Stat. § 25-1530.
A contract with a business buyer
If you live in the home and foreclosure has started, the Nebraska Foreclosure Protection Act may cover a contract to sell to a business buyer. For a covered contract, you generally have until midnight of the third business day after signing, or noon on the last business day before the sale, whichever comes first, to cancel. The Act gives no cancellation right if you first agree to the purchase on or after that noon deadline. See Neb. Rev. Stat. § 76-2712 and § 76-2721.
If the notice is for unpaid property taxes
A property-tax sale is separate from a lender's trust-deed or mortgage foreclosure. The dates and steps on a tax notice do not supply the deadlines for a mortgage or trust-deed notice, and those mortgage deadlines do not supply tax-sale dates. For Lancaster County tax details, check the notice and contact the Lancaster County Treasurer.
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.
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.
A current payoff statement gives the title company a starting point for reviewing what is owed against the sale. Mortgage payoff, liens, back taxes, and your share of current property taxes are separate from closing costs and need property-specific review.
What happens next
1. Tell us the address and the date.
Share the notice and sale date, whether it is a trustee or court sale, and anything you know about the loan payoff or property taxes.
2. Review written terms before you decide.
We review the house as-is and give you a written offer and written terms before you commit.
3. The title company checks title and payoff details.
The title company reviews ownership and recorded claims, requests payoff figures, and prepares closing figures so you can see how the sale proceeds are applied.
4. Work toward closing before the sale date.
When you sell to us, we pay the closing costs, including Nebraska's documentary stamp tax. That does not include your mortgage payoff, liens, back taxes, or share of current property taxes.
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.
Lancaster County records and court contact
A Nebraska trust-deed notice of default is recorded with the county Register of Deeds. For county contacts and public records, use the notice and property address to choose the right route:
- Lancaster County Court directory — listed at 575 S. 10th Street, Lincoln, NE 68508; voice phone 402-441-7291. Use the court papers and case number to identify the relevant case and current sale information.
- Lancaster County public-access portal — provides deed, property-transfer, and GIS search routes.
- Nebraska Department of Revenue county contact directory — lists the Lancaster County Treasurer at 402-441-7425; contact the office about the tax notice, balance, and applicable dates.
Confirm the current date and required steps with the trustee, lender, court, or county office named on the actual notice.
Questions and contact
Use the Lincoln home-sale net proceeds calculator to compare estimates with your own payoff, tax, and cost information. It is a planning tool, not a property-specific offer or payoff statement.
Foreclosure questions for Lincoln homeowners
Can I sell my Lincoln house before a foreclosure sale?
If a trustee's sale is scheduled, tell us the date right away so we can try to close before it. A sale before a Nebraska foreclosure sale may be possible if the payoff, title work, and time allow a title-company closing. Keep following the current notices from the trustee, lender, or court.
Is a trustee sale the same as a mortgage foreclosure sale in Nebraska?
No. A trust-deed foreclosure can proceed through a trustee without a court case, while a mortgage foreclosure goes through court and the sale is held by a sheriff or court-appointed officer. The notices and deadlines are different, so check which documents you received.
What if my payoff is more than my Lincoln house is worth?
Think the payoff is more than the house is worth? Ask us — we've gotten lenders to come down before. A current payoff statement and the title and lien details help show what would need to be addressed at closing.
Is a property-tax sale the same as mortgage foreclosure?
No. A property-tax notice involves a separate process from a lender trust-deed or mortgage foreclosure. The dates and steps on one notice do not supply the deadlines for the other. Check the tax notice and contact the Lancaster County Treasurer about the tax balance and applicable dates.
Can I cancel a contract to sell while foreclosure is underway?
If you live in the house and foreclosure has started, the Nebraska Foreclosure Protection Act may cover a contract to sell to a business buyer. For a covered contract, you generally have until midnight of the third business day after signing, or noon on the last business day before the sale, whichever comes first. The Act gives no cancellation right if you first agree to the purchase on or after that noon deadline.
What sellers say about USA Home Buyers
Talk through the date and payoff
Call 888-274-5006 or send the Lincoln property address and the date shown on your notice.
We'll give you a written cash offer within 24 hours.
We give written cash offers in 24 hours.
Takes 2 minutes. No obligation.