Portland, ME · Seller FAQ
Questions About Selling a House in Portland, ME
USA Home Buyers buys houses as-is in Portland and Cumberland County, Maine. These answers cover what you keep after costs, repairs, timing, Maine transfer tax, foreclosure, and the questions you can ask before deciding.
Call 888-274-5006 or use the form. Start with the address and the question you want to sort out.
We'll give you a written cash offer within 24 hours.
We give written cash offers in 24 hours.
Share the address, what needs work, and the question you are trying to answer.
Money and choices
Compare what you keep, not only the sale price
Net proceeds are the money left after sale costs and property obligations are included. A listing price and a cash-offer price are only useful side by side when you account for the work, costs, and balances attached to each path.
Use the existing calculator to compare possible listing and cash-sale proceeds with your own assumptions. Mortgage payoff, liens, back taxes, and your current property-tax share remain separate from the closing costs we pay when you sell to us.
Cash Offer or EZ Sale: compare the written numbers
We have two ways to buy. A Cash Offer is built for speed, condition, and tough situations — heavy repairs, tight timelines, difficult circumstances. EZ Sale is often the better fit when the house doesn't need major repairs and you want a higher number. Either way, you compare written numbers and you pick what works best for you.
We have two ways to buy. A Cash Offer is built for speed, condition, and tough situations — heavy repairs, tight timelines, difficult circumstances. EZ Sale is often the better fit when the house doesn't need major repairs and you want a higher number. Either way, you compare written numbers and you pick what works best for you.
Swipe across the table to compare all four selling options.
| Factor | List with a realtor | FSBO | Cash Offer | EZ Sale |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Timeline | Market-dependent | Market-dependent | 30 days or less | 60 days or less |
| Price | Highest, if it sells | Varies | Lower price | Higher price than the Cash Offer |
| Repairs | Repairs may be needed before listing or after inspection | The seller handles repair decisions | No repairs | No repairs |
| Commissions | Agent commissions apply under the listing agreement | No listing-agent commission; the seller handles the sale | No commissions | No commissions |
| Closing costs | Seller costs depend on the contract and settlement statement | Seller costs depend on the contract and settlement statement | No closing costs | No closing costs |
| Showings | The seller prepares for and coordinates showings | The seller markets the property and coordinates showings | None | None |
| Who buys | Retail buyer | Retail buyer | USA Home Buyers buys directly | Goes to one of our partners |
| Certainty | Depends on the buyer, inspections, financing, and contract | Depends on finding and qualifying a buyer | Written offer and written terms before you commit; title-company closing. | Written offer and written terms before you commit; title-company closing. |
| Net proceeds | Compare the expected sale price after commissions, repairs, costs, and waiting | Compare the expected sale price after seller-managed costs and work | Compare the written price after your payoff and other property obligations. No commissions. No closing costs. | Compare the written price after your payoff and other property obligations. No commissions. No closing costs. |
Compare what you would keep after costs with the Portland, ME calculator →
Questions about the two options? Call 888-274-5006.
Portland, ME home seller questions
Do you buy houses as-is in Portland?
We buy houses as-is, in any condition — no repairs, no cleaning, no cleanout required to sell to us.
How do the Cash Offer and EZ Sale work?
We have two ways to buy. A Cash Offer is built for speed, condition, and tough situations — heavy repairs, tight timelines, difficult circumstances. EZ Sale is often the better fit when the house doesn't need major repairs and you want a higher number. Either way, you compare written numbers and you pick what works best for you.
How soon can I get an offer, and when could closing happen?
We give written cash offers in 24 hours. Written offer and written terms before you commit; title-company closing. The approved program terms list the Cash Offer at 30 days or less and EZ Sale at 60 days or less; those are program terms, not a promised date for a specific property.
How much of the sale price would I keep?
Net proceeds are what remains after sale costs and property obligations are included. Compare the written price with the costs of each path, including repairs, commissions, carrying costs, mortgage payoff, liens, back taxes, and your current property-tax share. Our closing-cost promise does not pay those separate property obligations.
What closing costs and Maine transfer tax apply to a Portland sale?
When you sell to us, we pay the closing costs, including the real estate transfer tax. Maine's real estate transfer tax is $2.20 for each $500 of value or fraction of $500, split evenly between seller and buyer by law. For transfers on or after November 1, 2025, value above $1 million also carries an additional $3.80 per $500. The county register of deeds calculates and collects the tax from the transfer-tax declaration filed when the deed is recorded. Mortgage balances, liens, back taxes, and your current property-tax share are separate from the closing-cost promise.
Can I call before I have all the paperwork figured out?
Yes. Start with the Portland address, what you know about the house, who lives there, and the question you are trying to answer. You do not need every document gathered before you call; the written terms and title-company closing give you a chance to review the details before you commit.
Can I still sell my Maine house if foreclosure is underway?
Often, yes, but the real deadline comes before the sale. Maine foreclosures go through court. On a home loan for the house you live in, the lender must first give you written notice and at least 35 days to catch up. Once you're sued, if you live in the 1–4 unit home, you can ask for mediation through the court's Foreclosure Diversion Program within 20 days of getting the court papers. If mediation is scheduled, no final judgment can issue until the mediator's report is done. If the court rules for the lender, you get a redemption period, usually 90 days from the judgment, to pay what the court says is owed, and a sale that closes in time can do that. When the redemption period ends, your right to pay off the loan ends. The lender then advertises a public sale, which is held 30 to 45 days after the first ad. If the court has entered a foreclosure judgment, tell us the date right away so we can try to close before the redemption period ends.
What if the Portland house has tenants, a city notice, or major repairs?
You can call and explain the situation before every question is sorted out. We buy houses as-is, so you do not need to make repairs or clear the property before selling to us. A lease, notice, access question, or fire-safety issue can affect the next steps for that property, so keep the actual paperwork available.
Start with a question
You can call before you have everything figured out
You do not need every document gathered or every decision made to start a conversation. Share the Portland address, what you know about the house, who is living there, and what you are trying to sort out.
Call 888-274-5006.
Local help
Which Cumberland County office handles a deed-record question?
Portland is in Cumberland County. The Cumberland County Registry of Deeds is the local office for deed records; Maine Revenue Services lists the county registries and explains the transfer-tax process.
Foreclosure Diversion Program
For a Maine foreclosure mediation question, the Maine Judicial Branch explains the Foreclosure Diversion Program and how to request mediation through the court.
Read the Maine Judicial Branch program information →More detail
Follow the question that fits your house
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.”
Start with the Portland house and your question
You can call before you have all the paperwork or timing worked out. Tell us what you know, and compare the written terms before you decide.
Call 888-274-5006
We'll give you a written cash offer within 24 hours.
We give written cash offers in 24 hours.
Share the address and what you are trying to work through.