Can I Sell My Modesto House With Liens or Back Taxes?

When you sell to us, we can set it up so you don't have to prepay anything — it comes out at closing.

Yes. We buy houses as-is in Modesto and Stanislaus County, including houses with liens or back taxes. We discuss the property and the records you have, then work with the title company and the responsible office or creditor on the payoff details for closing.

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 property.

Talk through a Modesto lien or tax notice

Start with the property address and whatever tax notice, payoff statement, or lien record you have. You can call before you have every document.

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 lien, payoff, creditor, 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.

A lien is a legal claim that can affect the property or the money due at closing. The creditor or tax office supplies current payoff information, and the title company checks the records and payoff instructions for the specific sale. Mortgage balances, liens, back taxes, and your share of current property taxes are separate from closing costs.

Records that help — and where to check

Useful starting points are the property address, a tax bill or delinquency notice, a creditor payoff statement, mortgage information, lien or court papers, parcel details, and any letter that mentions a sale date. Bring what you have. You do not need to finish collecting records before you call.

The creditor or county tax office can confirm the current amount on its account. The title company checks property records and the payoff or release details needed for the transaction. The county offices below are starting points for tax-account, recorded-document, and assessed-value questions.

Stanislaus County Treasurer / Tax Collector — ask about the property-tax account and any tax-sale notice or status.
Stanislaus County Clerk Recorder — county office for recorded-document questions.
Stanislaus County Assessor's Office — assessed-value and parcel questions.

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 property
Share the Modesto address, the house condition, what you know about the lien or tax account, and any timing mentioned in a notice. Start with what you have.
2. Review the house and written terms
We review the house as it stands and put the proposed offer and sale terms in writing before you decide. Written offer and written terms before you commit; title-company closing.
3. Check title and payoff details
The title company reviews the transaction records. The creditor or tax office supplies current payoff information, and the closing team confirms the figures and instructions that apply to the sale.
4. Review the closing figures and close
The closing figures show the sale price, payoffs, taxes, costs, and the amount remaining after those items. 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.

Stanislaus County tax-sale and transfer-tax facts

A property-tax sale concerns unpaid property taxes; it is separate from a lender's mortgage foreclosure. For a tax notice or tax-sale status, check with the Stanislaus County Treasurer / Tax Collector and the office named on the notice. For a mortgage-foreclosure notice, check the current notice with the lender or trustee named there. You can also read our Modesto foreclosure information.

California documentary transfer tax

California counties charge documentary transfer tax of $0.55 for each $500 of consideration, or fraction of $500 ($1.10 per $1,000), when consideration is over $100. Some cities have their own transfer tax, so ask the title company or escrow to confirm the rate and taxable amount for the property. The Stanislaus County Clerk Recorder is the county office to check for deed-recording questions.

When you sell to us, we pay the closing costs, including the county documentary transfer tax and any city transfer tax.

This closing-cost promise does not pay a mortgage, lien, back taxes, or your share of current property taxes; those are separate settlement items.

California documentary transfer-tax rate California city transfer-tax rules Stanislaus County Clerk Recorder

Compare possible net proceeds

Use the Modesto home-sale net proceeds calculator to compare your estimated sale proceeds with payoffs and costs. Just an estimate — the actual number could be more or less depending on the home's condition.

Open the Modesto home-sale net proceeds calculator →

What sellers say about USA Home Buyers

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Modesto property liens and back taxes questions

Can I sell my Modesto 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. Your liens are paid off from the sale at closing. You can call before you have every notice or payoff record.

Who checks the current tax or lien payoff?

The tax office or creditor provides the current account or payoff information. The title company checks the property records and works through the payoff and release details for the sale. Stanislaus County office links above point you to the tax, recorded-document, and assessed-value starting points.

Is a property-tax sale the same as mortgage foreclosure?

No. A property-tax sale concerns unpaid property taxes; mortgage foreclosure is a separate lender process. Check a tax notice with the Stanislaus County Treasurer / Tax Collector and a mortgage notice with the lender or trustee named on it.

What if the payoff is more than my Modesto house is worth?

Think the payoff is more than the house is worth? Ask us — we've gotten lenders to come down before.

What records should I have when I call?

Start with the property address and any tax bill or notice, payoff statement, mortgage statement, lien or court paper, parcel information, or correspondence from a creditor or county office. Share what you have; you do not have to collect every record before calling.

What happens after I contact you?

We talk through the Modesto property and the records you have, review the house as it stands, and put proposed sale terms in writing before you decide. The title company checks the transaction records and payoff details, then the parties work through the closing figures and signing.

More Modesto seller resources

Browse Modesto seller resources →See Modesto market information →Read the Modesto foreclosure page →

Talk through the property

Call 888-274-5006 or use the form above. Start with the Modesto address and whatever notice or payoff information you have.