Can I Sell My House in Foreclosure in Memphis, TN?

If a trustee's sale is scheduled, tell us the date right away so we can try to close before it.

Often, yes. You may be able to sell before a Tennessee mortgage sale if there is time to handle the payoff, title work, and closing before the date in your notice. The notice and the stage of your case matter.

USA Home Buyers buys houses as-is in the City of Memphis and Shelby County. We buy houses as-is, in any condition — no repairs, no cleaning, no cleanout required to sell to us. Call about the sale date or send the property address through the form.

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How we help you work toward closing

We give written cash offers in 24 hours. Before you commit, you get a written offer and written terms. If you choose to move forward, closing is through a title company.

The title company checks ownership, the current mortgage payoff, and other liens. Whether a sale can close before a scheduled trustee sale depends on the notice, payoff figures, title, and available time. We work with you toward a closing before the date; the trustee controls its sale schedule.

Which sale is named in your notice?

A mortgage foreclosure is about the home loan. A property-tax sale is about unpaid property taxes. They are different processes with different notices and deadlines. Use the date and contact on the notice you received; a mortgage sale date does not tell you the date of a separate tax sale.

Tennessee mortgage trustee sales

Many Tennessee home loans use a deed of trust. When it gives the trustee a power of sale, the trustee can sell the house at public auction without a court case. Court-ordered sales follow different rules.

Under the usual notice rules in effect since July 1, 2025, a trustee sale notice must:

Run at least twice in a newspaper published in the county, with the first newspaper notice at least 20 days before the sale. It must also be posted online by a third-party internet posting company for at least 20 days in a row.
Be mailed to you by registered or certified mail by the date of the first newspaper notice.
If postponed, follow the timing in the loan papers and Tennessee law. Unless the loan papers forbid it, the trustee may postpone the sale one or more times without a new newspaper notice, but the sale must still happen within one year of the original date. The new date must be announced at the scheduled sale and posted online unless the delay is less than five days. If the sale is pushed back more than 30 days, the new date, time, and place must be mailed to you at least 10 days before the sale.

These notice rules come from Tenn. Code Ann. §35-5-101, as amended by 2025 Public Chapter 515. The Tennessee Secretary of State’s list of approved third-party posting companies can help you identify where online notices may appear. Check your own notice for the current sale date and instructions.

For a sale under a deed of trust or mortgage without a court judgment, Tennessee law gives a two-year right to redeem unless the deed of trust or mortgage expressly waives it (Tenn. Code Ann. §66-8-101). A court-ordered sale follows different rules. That possible post-sale right is not extra time to close a sale before the scheduled date.

Shelby County and Memphis property-tax sales

If the notice is about unpaid property taxes, follow that tax notice and its deadline separately from any mortgage notice. The Shelby County Trustee posts the county tax lookup and tax-sale schedule. For a City of Memphis property-tax question, the City Treasury is a separate contact from the County Trustee.

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. The payoff, title, and lien details show what a closing would need to cover; a lender’s decision is specific to that loan and property.

What happens next

Call or send the Memphis property address and the sale date shown on your notice.
We review the house as-is and give you a written cash offer within 24 hours.
You see the written offer and written terms before you commit. If you choose to proceed, the title company reviews ownership, payoff figures, and other liens.
We work with you and the title company toward closing before the scheduled sale. Confirm any changed sale date with the trustee named in your notice.

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.

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 from that closing-cost promise and are reviewed as part of the closing figures.

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 offices and sale information

The Shelby County Trustee handles county property-tax lookup and publishes the county tax-sale schedule. The contact shown by the Trustee is (901) 222-0200, P.O. Box 2751, Memphis, TN 38101. It is the county tax route—not automatically the mortgage trustee named in a deed-of-trust notice.

Shelby County Trustee tax-sale schedule — check county tax-sale information and use the notice for the controlling date.
Shelby County Trustee tax lookup — county property-tax records.

For City of Memphis property taxes, the City Treasury tax-information page lists (901) 636-7200 and City Hall, 125 N. Main Street, Suite 375. For a mortgage trustee sale, use the mortgage servicer and trustee named in your own notice.

Compare possible sale proceeds

Estimate possible sale proceeds with the Memphis home-sale calculator → Use it for planning; your payoff, liens, title, and sale notice still need to be reviewed for your property.

Questions about foreclosure in Memphis, TN

Can I sell my Memphis house before a mortgage foreclosure sale?

Often, yes, if the payoff, title work, and closing can be handled before the scheduled sale. If a trustee's sale is scheduled, tell us the date right away so we can try to close before it.

Does every Tennessee mortgage foreclosure go through court?

No. Many Tennessee home loans use a deed of trust with a power of sale, which can let the trustee sell the house at public auction without a court case. A court-ordered sale follows different rules, so check the documents for your property.

Is a Shelby County tax sale the same as a mortgage trustee sale?

No. A mortgage foreclosure concerns the home loan; a property-tax sale concerns unpaid property taxes. The notices, offices, and deadlines are separate. For a Shelby County tax-sale schedule, use the Shelby County Trustee; for a City of Memphis tax question, use the City Treasury.

What are the notice deadlines for a Tennessee trustee sale?

Under the usual Tennessee notice rules in effect since July 1, 2025, the sale notice must appear at least twice in a county newspaper, with the first notice at least 20 days before the sale, and be posted online for at least 20 consecutive days. The trustee must mail you a copy by registered or certified mail by the first newspaper notice. Check the current notice and sale date with the trustee named there.

What if my payoff is more than my Memphis 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's current payoff and the title and lien details help show what a closing would need to cover.

Can I redeem my Tennessee home after a trustee sale?

For a sale under a deed of trust or mortgage without a court judgment, Tennessee law gives a two-year right to redeem unless the deed of trust or mortgage expressly waives it. A court-ordered sale follows different rules. That is a possible post-sale right, not extra time to close a sale before the scheduled date.

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We'll give you a written cash offer within 24 hours.

We give written cash offers in 24 hours.

Takes 2 minutes. No obligation.

Call 888-274-5006 to talk about the notice, payoff, or timing.