How lien and tax payoffs work
We buy houses as-is, in any condition — no repairs, no cleaning, no cleanout required to sell to us.
When you sell to us, we pay the closing costs. Your liens are paid off from the sale at closing.
The closing-cost promise does not pay a mortgage balance, lien, back taxes, or your share of current property taxes. Those are separate settlement items. The title company works from current payoff statements and account information to show the amounts due in the settlement figures.
Records to gather—and who checks the balances
Call with the property address and whatever tax bill, notice, payoff statement, court paper, or deed you have; you do not need to gather everything first. We can start the conversation while the title company checks ownership and recorded documents and the creditor or tax office confirms current payoff information for closing.
Rockland is the Knox County seat. The Knox County Registry of Deeds is at 62 Union Street in Rockland, ME 04841; call (207) 594-0422 about deed records and document recording. The City of Rockland Assessing Department is at 270 Pleasant Street, Rockland, ME 04841; call (207) 594-0303 for City assessment and tax-bill information. A Rockland mailing address may be outside the City, so check the municipality on the parcel's tax bill.
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
- Call or send the Rockland address and the tax or lien information you have.
- We discuss the house as it stands and give you a written cash offer and written terms before you commit.
- If you want to proceed, a title company checks title and works with the creditor or tax office on the current payoff information.
- The settlement figures show the sale price and the payoffs, taxes, and closing items that apply; closing is through a title company.
A property-tax sale and a mortgage foreclosure are different processes. Follow the current tax-sale notice and contact the municipality or office named on it. For a mortgage-foreclosure case, see our Rockland foreclosure information.
Maine real estate transfer tax
Maine taxes each deed transferring real estate at $2.20 for every $500 of value or fraction of $500. By law, the tax is split evenly between the seller and buyer. For example, a $100,000 sale has 200 $500 units: $440 total, or $220 each. Since November 1, 2025, the portion of value above $1,000,000 has an additional $3.80 per $500. The Knox County Register of Deeds calculates and collects the tax from the transfer-tax declaration filed when the deed is recorded.
When you sell to us, we pay the closing costs, including the real estate transfer tax. Mortgage balances, liens, back taxes, and your share of current property taxes are separate from closing costs.
Maine transfer-tax statute, 36 M.R.S. § 4641-A → Maine Revenue Services transfer-tax guidance →
Estimate possible net proceeds
Use the Rockland home-sale net proceeds calculator to compare your own estimates for the sale, mortgage, liens or taxes, and costs. It is a planning estimate, not a property-specific offer or payoff statement.
Questions and contact
You can call with the property address and what you know so far. 888-274-5006
Rockland property liens and back-tax questions
Can I sell my Rockland house with back taxes or liens before paying them?
When you sell to us, we can set it up so you don't have to prepay anything — it comes out at closing. We buy houses with back taxes and liens. A title company and the responsible creditor or tax office confirm the current payoff information for closing.
How are liens and back taxes paid at closing?
When you sell to us, we pay the closing costs. Your liens are paid off from the sale at closing. The title company uses current payoff or account information to prepare the settlement figures. Mortgage balances, liens, back taxes, and your share of current property taxes are separate from closing costs.
What records should I have when I call?
You can call with the Rockland property address and whatever tax bill, tax-sale notice, payoff statement, lien or court paper, or deed you have. You do not need to gather everything first; the creditor or tax office confirms current payoff information, and the title company checks the property records for the sale.
Is a property-tax sale the same as mortgage foreclosure?
No. A property-tax notice and a lender mortgage-foreclosure case are separate matters with different notices and procedures. Follow the notice you received and contact the office named on it; do not use a mortgage-foreclosure date to work out a tax-sale deadline.
How does Maine real estate transfer tax work?
Maine taxes each deed transferring real estate at $2.20 for every $500 of value or fraction of $500, split equally by law between seller and buyer. Since November 1, 2025, the portion of value above $1,000,000 has an additional $3.80 per $500. When you sell to us, we pay the closing costs, including the real estate transfer tax. Mortgage balances, liens, back taxes, and your share of current property taxes are separate from closing costs.
What if the payoff is more than my house is worth?
Think the payoff is more than the house is worth? Ask us — we've gotten lenders to come down before.
What happens after I contact you?
We talk through the property and what you know, then provide a written offer and written terms before you commit. If you choose to proceed, a title company checks title and works with the responsible creditor or tax office on current payoff information before closing.
Read more about Rockland seller resources, how the sale process works, or selling a house in Rockland.
Talk through your Rockland property
Call 888-274-5006 or share the address and the notice or payoff details you have.
We give written cash offers in 24 hours.
Share the property address and any notice or payoff information you have.