Wilkes-Barre, PA / Foreclosure
Can I sell my house before foreclosure in Wilkes-Barre, PA?
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. Selling is another option when a mortgage notice arrives. Whether a sale can close before a scheduled sheriff's sale depends on the actual notice, payoff, title, and closing steps. We buy houses as-is in Wilkes-Barre and Luzerne County.
We buy houses as-is, in any condition — no repairs, no cleaning, no cleanout required to sell to us.
Call 888-274-5006We give written cash offers in 24 hours.
We'll give you a written cash offer within 24 hours.
How we work toward closing
Tell us the Wilkes-Barre property address and what you know about the notice and payoff. We review the house as it is and give you written offer terms to consider before you commit. A title-company closing checks ownership, required signatures, lender payoff, liens, and the documents needed to settle.
If a mortgage sheriff's sale is scheduled, 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. Keep following the date and instructions in your notice while the postponement request is being addressed.
When you sell to us, we pay the closing costs. That does not pay your mortgage payoff, liens, back taxes, or share of current property taxes.
Mortgage foreclosure and tax sale are different
Mortgage foreclosure and sheriff's sale
Pennsylvania mortgage foreclosure proceeds through a legal action. The dates in your lender and court papers control your case; a notice deadline for one step is not a universal countdown for every property. If a sheriff's sale is listed, check the actual notice and court information and confirm the current date with the sheriff and qualified legal counsel.
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 to seek 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. Selling is another option, and you can call us when the letter arrives. Read the PHFA HEMAP guidance.
Delinquent property taxes and tax sale
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 sale agreement alone does not resolve the county tax claim or change the date in the notice. When property taxes go unpaid, Luzerne 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. Call us as soon as a notice arrives; timing matters. Pennsylvania's Real Estate Tax Sale Law, §§ 601–603, governs this process. See the Real Estate Tax Sale Law.
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.
Share the latest lender payoff you have. The title company checks the current payoff, liens, tax claim, and other settlement figures so you can review the numbers for this property.
We give written cash offers in 24 hours.
We'll give you a written cash offer within 24 hours.
What happens next
- Contact us by phone or form with the address and the notice or sale date you have.
- We review the property details and give you a written offer and written terms before you commit.
- If you choose to proceed, the title company reviews ownership, signatures, lender payoff, liens, and any tax claim and prepares the settlement figures.
- You review the written terms and closing figures, then sign and close through the title company if the transaction is ready to settle.
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.
Luzerne County and Pennsylvania help
For a delinquent property-tax account or tax-sale information, use the county Tax Claim Bureau. For an Act 91 notice and HEMAP, use PHFA's guidance to find a designated housing counselor.
- Luzerne County Tax Claim Bureau — county tax-claim and tax-sale information.
- Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency HEMAP guidance — Act 91 counseling and mortgage-assistance steps.
Wilkes-Barre foreclosure questions
Will signing an agreement postpone my Wilkes-Barre sheriff's sale?
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.
Is a mortgage foreclosure the same as a Luzerne County tax sale?
No. A mortgage foreclosure is a lender case that can lead to a sheriff sale. A delinquent-property-tax sale is a separate county process under Pennsylvania’s Real Estate Tax Sale Law, with its own notice and sale date. Use the notice and the county Tax Claim Bureau for the tax account and sale information.
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, Act 91 requires a lender notice before filing for foreclosure. To seek HEMAP after a covered notice, 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, not a tax-sale program.
What if my mortgage payoff is more than the house is worth?
Think the payoff is more than the house is worth? Ask us — we've gotten lenders to come down before.
How can I compare possible sale proceeds?
Use the Wilkes-Barre home-sale net proceeds calculator linked on this page to compare your own assumptions. The actual payoff, liens, tax claim, title work, and written sale terms are property-specific.
Read more from local sellers on the Wilkes-Barre reviews page.
Pennsylvania foreclosure process guide → · Options when behind on mortgage payments →
We give written cash offers in 24 hours.
We'll give you a written cash offer within 24 hours.