USA Home Buyers

Can I sell my Ottumwa house before foreclosure?

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

Yes. You may still be able to sell before an Iowa sheriff's sale if the mortgage payoff and closing can be completed in time. Iowa home mortgages generally go through court, and a court judgment leads to a sheriff's sale.

USA Home Buyers buys houses in Ottumwa and Wapello County, Iowa. We buy houses as-is, in any condition — no repairs, no cleaning, no cleanout required to sell to us.

We answer 24/7 at 888-274-5006

We give written cash offers in 24 hours.

Tell us what is happening with the house and where it is located.

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By submitting, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service. You consent to receive calls and texts from USA Home Buyers. We never share your information.

How we help you work toward closing

We review your Ottumwa house. We buy houses as-is, in any condition — no repairs, no cleaning, no cleanout required to sell to us.

You get a written offer and written terms before you commit, and we close through a title company. The title company requests the lender's current payoff and works through liens and other closing details.

The mortgage payoff, liens, back taxes, and your share of current property taxes are separate from closing costs. When you sell to us, we pay the closing costs, including Iowa real estate transfer tax. No agent commissions when you sell to us. No fees.

Which sale is named in your notice?

A mortgage foreclosure and a Wapello County property-tax sale are different processes, with separate dates and deadlines. The Wapello County Treasurer handles property-tax and tax-sale questions.

Iowa mortgage foreclosure

Iowa home mortgages are generally foreclosed through a court case, and the judgment leads to a sheriff's sale. Before suing over an occupied one- or two-family home, most lenders must give the owner a notice with 30 days to cure the default and tell the owner that counseling and mediation are available.

The sheriff's sale must be posted and published, with the first publication at least four weeks before the sale. The deadline after a sale depends on the kind of foreclosure: some paths allow redemption, generally for one year, with shorter periods in some cases. If the lender chooses foreclosure without redemption for nonagricultural property, there is no right to redeem after the sheriff's sale. A written demand may delay the sale under the court procedure.

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.

We look at the lender's current payoff and any liens with the title company as we work toward closing.

What happens next

  1. Call or use the form with the house address. If a foreclosure sale is scheduled, tell us the date right away.
  2. We review the house as-is and give you a written offer and written terms before you commit.
  3. If you choose to move forward, the title company checks title, gets the current mortgage payoff, and works through liens and other closing details.
  4. We work toward closing through the title company under the written terms you accept.

Close as fast as 7 days when title and closing details allow.

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.

We give written cash offers in 24 hours.

Tell us what is happening with the house and where it is located.

By submitting, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service. You consent to receive calls and texts from USA Home Buyers. We never share your information.

Wapello County court and tax-sale contacts

Wapello County's courthouse is at 101 W. 4th St. in Ottumwa. The Wapello County Clerk of Court can be reached at 641-683-0060. The Wapello County Treasurer handles property-tax and tax-sale questions.

Questions and contact

Compare your own assumptions with the Ottumwa home-sale net-proceeds calculator. Its result is a planning estimate, not a property-specific offer or payoff quote.

For customer feedback, Read our Google reviews.

Questions about selling before foreclosure in Ottumwa, IA

Can I sell an Ottumwa house before a foreclosure sale?

Yes. You may still be able to sell before an Iowa sheriff’s sale if the mortgage payoff and closing can be completed in time.

Is a Wapello County tax sale the same as mortgage foreclosure?

No. Mortgage foreclosure concerns the home loan and court case. A Wapello County property-tax sale is separate, with its own notice and deadline. The Wapello County Treasurer handles property-tax and tax-sale questions.

Does signing a purchase agreement change the sheriff-sale date?

Signing a purchase agreement does not by itself change the scheduled sheriff’s-sale date. In some cases, Iowa court procedure allows a written demand to delay the sale.

What if the sheriff sale has already happened?

Some Iowa foreclosures allow redemption after the sale, generally for one year, with shorter periods in some cases. A foreclosure without redemption for nonagricultural property has no right to redeem after the sheriff’s sale.

What if my mortgage payoff is more than my Ottumwa house is worth?

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

Do I need to pay back taxes or liens before closing?

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 county tax-sale notice has its own deadline.

We answer 24/7 at 888-274-5006 — call us about selling your Ottumwa house as-is.

We give written cash offers in 24 hours.

Tell us what is happening with the house and where it is located.

By submitting, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service. You consent to receive calls and texts from USA Home Buyers. We never share your information.

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