Washington, PA · Washington County foreclosure help

Can I Sell My Washington House Before Foreclosure?

Our agreement of sale will often get a sheriff's sale postponed so we can close. Signing alone doesn't postpone it automatically; we use the agreement to ask for the postponement, and it works more often than people think.

Yes, you may be able to sell before a mortgage sheriff sale if the payoff, title work, court status, and closing can be handled in time. A tax-sale notice is a separate process, so start with the notice you received.

We buy houses as-is in Washington, PA and Washington County.

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

Call 888-274-5006

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

We give written cash offers in 24 hours.

Tell us the property address and what notice you received.

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How we work toward closing

Tell us the property address and what notice you received. We provide a written cash offer and written terms before you commit; if you choose to sell to us, the closing is through a title company. If a mortgage sheriff sale is scheduled, we use the agreement of sale to ask for a postponement. Keep checking the current notice until the sheriff or court confirms a changed date.

When you sell to us, we pay the closing costs. Pennsylvania charges a 1% state transfer tax when a house changes hands, and most towns add a local tax on top. When you sell to us, we pay the transfer tax. These promises do not pay the mortgage, liens, back taxes, or your share of current property taxes; the title company reviews those separately for 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.

Which sale notice do you have?

Mortgage foreclosure and sheriff sale

A mortgage foreclosure is a lender’s court case. If a sheriff sale is scheduled, use the actual court and sale notices to check the date, case status, and what is still needed for a sale to close. Pennsylvania Rule of Civil Procedure 3121 addresses stays of execution. Signing alone does not automatically postpone the sale.

For certain delinquent mortgages on a Pennsylvania one- or two-family home that is the borrower’s principal residence, the lender must send an Act 91 notice before filing for foreclosure. If you receive one and want HEMAP assistance, meet a designated housing counselor within 33 days of the notice; the counselor then has 30 days from that meeting to submit an application to PHFA. HEMAP is a state mortgage-assistance loan program. This program timetable is separate from any sheriff-sale date on your court papers. Read PHFA’s HEMAP guidance.

Delinquent property-tax sale

A county tax sale is different from a lender’s mortgage-foreclosure case. When property taxes go unpaid, the county can put the house up for a tax sale, and the county’s notice gives the date. If a sale closes before that date, the delinquent taxes may be paid from the proceeds if enough money remains after other liens and closing costs. A sale agreement alone does not resolve the tax claim. Call us as soon as a notice arrives; timing matters. See the Pennsylvania Real Estate Tax Sale Law, §§ 601–603.

The Washington County Tax Revenue Department describes separate Assessment and Claims functions; the Claims division handles delinquent taxes. Ask the County which desk handles your notice or account.

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.

A current lender payoff and the title record help show what must be addressed at closing. The lender and property records determine the payoff for a particular sale.

What happens next

1. Contact us. Share the address and notice. You can call or use the form even if you are still gathering the payoff information.
2. Review written terms. We give you a written cash offer and written terms before you decide whether to commit.
3. Work through title and payoffs. If you choose to proceed, the title company reviews ownership, the mortgage payoff, tax claims, and liens for the closing.
4. Confirm the sale date. An agreement alone does not postpone a sheriff sale. Confirm any change with the sheriff or court handling the case before relying on a different date.

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.

Washington County offices and homeowner help

For a mortgage case, use the court and sheriff named in your current papers; the Pennsylvania Courts directory lists the Courts of Common Pleas. For delinquent-tax questions, Washington County’s Tax Claim Bureau is the local starting point. The County Tax Revenue Department lists its office at Crossroads Center, 95 W. Beau Street, Suite 525, Washington, PA 15301, and phone 724-228-6850.

Questions and contact

Call 888-274-5006 or use the form to ask about a cash offer. You can also compare possible sale proceeds with the Washington calculator; it is a planning tool, not a property-specific offer.

Open the Washington home-sale net-proceeds calculator →

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Washington PA foreclosure questions

Can I sell my Washington house before a mortgage sheriff sale?

A sale may be possible before the scheduled date if the mortgage payoff, title work, court status, and closing can be handled in time. Check the date and requirements on your current notice with the sheriff or court handling the case; signing an agreement does not change the date automatically.

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

No. A mortgage foreclosure is a lender’s court case that can lead to a sheriff sale. A delinquent property-tax sale is a separate county process with its own notice and date. A sale agreement alone does not resolve the tax claim.

Can HEMAP help after I receive an Act 91 notice?

For certain delinquent mortgages on a Pennsylvania one- or two-family home that is the borrower’s principal residence, the lender must send an Act 91 notice before filing for foreclosure. If you want HEMAP assistance, meet a designated housing counselor within 33 days; the counselor then has 30 days from that meeting to submit an application to PHFA. HEMAP is a state mortgage-assistance loan program.

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