City of Wilkes-Barre Tax Office
Use the City Tax Office for City property-tax questions.
Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania · Luzerne County
Can I Sell My Wilkes-Barre House With Back Taxes or Liens?
When you sell to us, we can set it up so you don't have to prepay anything — it comes out at closing.
Yes. We buy houses as-is in Wilkes-Barre and Luzerne County, including houses with liens or back taxes. You do not have to clear every record before calling. The title company and the responsible creditor or tax office confirm the current payoff details as the sale moves forward.
We buy houses as-is, in any condition — no repairs, no cleaning, no cleanout required to sell to us.
Call 888-274-5006 to talk about the house and the notice you have.
Talk through a lien or tax question
Share the property address and whatever you have about the creditor, payoff, tax account, or notice. You can start before you have every record.
We give written cash offers in 24 hours.
Start with the address and what you know about the lien, payoff, or tax notice.
We'll give you a written cash offer within 24 hours.
Prefer to call? 888-274-5006.
How liens and payoffs work at closing
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 your mortgage balance, liens, back taxes, or your share of current property taxes. Those are separate figures. The title company requests current payoff and release instructions, and the settlement statement shows the sale price, payoffs, taxes, costs, and what remains from the proceeds.
A payoff is the amount a creditor or tax office says is due as of a particular date, along with instructions for paying and releasing the claim. The amount can change, so use a current written figure rather than an old bill or estimate.
Records that help—and who checks the balances
Start with the property address, tax or lien notice, latest payoff letter, mortgage statement, deed, parcel number, and any creditor or court case number you have. You can call before you have all of them. The title company checks ownership and recorded claims for the sale; the creditor or tax office supplies its current amount and payment or release instructions.
The County Recorder of Deeds records real-estate-related documents. An assessment record is not a payoff, lien balance, sale price, or estimate of what you will keep. Use the office links below for the question each record answers.
If the 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.
What happens next
1. Talk through the house and the notice
Tell us the Wilkes-Barre address, what you know about the lien or tax account, and any date on a notice. Start with what you have; you do not need to settle the payoff question before you call.
2. Review the house and written terms
We look at the house as it stands and put the proposed price and sale terms in writing before you commit. Read the terms and compare the estimated proceeds with your other options.
3. Let the title company and offices confirm the details
If you choose to move forward, the title company reviews ownership and recorded claims. Each creditor or tax office confirms its current payoff, release instructions, and any deadline tied to its notice.
4. Review the settlement figures and close
The settlement statement lists the price, payoffs, taxes, costs, and the amount left after those items. The title company coordinates the closing and disburses the amounts shown in the final figures.
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.
Wilkes-Barre and Luzerne County offices
Wilkes-Barre is in Luzerne County. City property taxes and County property taxes have separate collection offices. Check the exact notice and parcel before relying on a balance or sale status.
Luzerne County Treasurer and County Tax Collection
The County lists the Treasurer and County Tax Collection as routes for County-tax questions in Wilkes-Barre.
Luzerne County Tax Claim Bureau
Use the Bureau for County tax-claim and tax-sale information. Check the actual parcel and notice for the balance, status, and date.
Luzerne County Recorder of Deeds
The County says this office records real-estate-related documents. Use its current instructions for recording and deed-record questions.
Luzerne County Assessment Office
Use the Assessment Office for assessment inquiries and assessment-office routing; the assessed value is not a current payoff figure.
County tax sales, mortgage foreclosure, and transfer tax
Back taxes and a County tax-sale notice
When property taxes go unpaid, the County can put the house up for a tax sale, and its notice gives the date. If a sale closes before that date, delinquent taxes may be paid from the proceeds if enough remains after other liens and closing costs. A sale agreement alone does not resolve the tax claim. Call the Tax Claim Bureau when a notice arrives; timing matters. (Pennsylvania Real Estate Tax Sale Law, §§ 601–603.)
Mortgage foreclosure is a separate process
A lender's mortgage foreclosure is separate from a County tax sale for unpaid property taxes. Each has its own notice, office, and dates. If your paperwork is a mortgage-foreclosure or Sheriff-sale notice, use the separate Wilkes-Barre foreclosure page and check the live date with the office named on the notice. Do not assume a sale agreement alone changes a scheduled date.
Pennsylvania realty transfer tax
Pennsylvania calls the charge on a property transfer realty transfer tax. When you sell to us, we pay the transfer tax. The title company can show the applicable tax and amount in the written settlement figures.
Compare possible net proceeds
For broad market context—not a value estimate for your specific house—Zillow's typical home value is $184,986 (As of August 2026; Zillow typical home value for Wilkes-Barre, PA).
Use the editable Wilkes-Barre home-sale net proceeds calculator with your own estimated value, mortgage payoff, liens or back taxes, repairs, carrying costs, and closing costs. Just an estimate — the actual number could be more or less depending on the home's condition.
What sellers say about USA Home Buyers
Wilkes-Barre property liens and back taxes questions
Can I sell my Wilkes-Barre house with liens or back taxes before paying them?
Yes. When you sell to us, we can set it up so you do not have to prepay anything; payoffs are handled through closing. Call or use the form with the property address and whatever notice or payoff information you have. The title company and the responsible creditor or tax office confirm the current figures and instructions.
What records should I bring when I call?
Start with the address and any tax notice, lien or payoff letter, mortgage statement, deed, parcel number, creditor name, or case number you have. You can call before you have everything assembled.
Which office handles a property-tax question in Wilkes-Barre?
The City Tax Office handles City property-tax questions. Luzerne County has a separate County Tax Collection route for County-tax questions. For delinquent County taxes or a tax-sale notice, contact the County Tax Claim Bureau and check the notice and parcel record.
Is a county tax sale the same as a mortgage foreclosure sale?
No. A County tax sale concerns delinquent property taxes and is handled through the Tax Claim Bureau. Mortgage foreclosure is a separate lender and court process with its own notices and dates. Check the office named on your notice; a sale agreement alone does not resolve a County tax claim or automatically change a sale date.
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 house and the information you have, then put any proposed price and terms in writing before you decide. If you choose to move forward, the title company reviews ownership and recorded claims, confirms payoff instructions with the responsible offices or creditors, prepares the settlement figures, and closes the sale.
Talk through the property
Call 888-274-5006 or use the form above. Start with the Wilkes-Barre address and whatever tax or lien information you have.