Wilmington, NC › Foreclosure
Can I Sell My Wilmington House in Foreclosure?
If a foreclosure sale is scheduled, tell us the date right away so we can try to close before it. Often, you can sell before the sale if the closing and required payoff happen in time. The notice, hearing, sale date, and any later upset bids each affect how much time remains.
We buy houses in Wilmington, NC and New Hanover County as-is, in any condition — no repairs, no cleaning, no cleanout required to sell to us. Send the property address through the form to ask for a cash offer, or call us at 888-274-5006.
Call 888-274-5006We give written cash offers in 24 hours.
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How we can help
We start with the house, the sale date in your papers, and the payoff information. We give you a written offer and written terms before you commit; closing is through a title company. You can compare those terms with your deadline before deciding whether to sell to us.
When you sell to us, we pay the closing costs, including North Carolina's excise tax on conveyances. That does not pay your mortgage, liens, back taxes, or your share of current property taxes; those amounts are separate and need to be reviewed for your sale.
Mortgage foreclosure or a county tax notice?
The mortgage steps below concern a lender using a deed of trust. If your paperwork is about unpaid New Hanover County property taxes, that is a separate matter with different notices and dates. Do not use a mortgage foreclosure deadline as a tax-sale deadline. Contact the County Tax Department about the property-tax account and follow the dates on the notice.
The North Carolina mortgage process can involve a hearing before the clerk of superior court and a public auction. Here is how the main stages affect your options.
North Carolina mortgage foreclosure deadlines
Many North Carolina home loans use a deed of trust that lets a lender ask the clerk of superior court for permission to sell the home, rather than starting with a lawsuit. The North Carolina Judicial Branch foreclosure guide explains the process. Your own notices and case record control.
- Before the hearing: For a qualifying home loan on your main home, the servicer must mail a notice at least 45 days before filing for the foreclosure hearing. This rule does not cover every loan, including home-equity lines and reverse mortgages. The hearing notice must be served at least 10 days beforehand. See G.S. 45-102 and Article 11.
- At the hearing: The clerk checks whether there is a valid debt and default, whether the lender has the right to foreclose, and whether proper notice was given. If the clerk allows the foreclosure to go ahead, you have 10 days to appeal. See G.S. 45-21.16.
- Before the auction: The sale notice is posted at the courthouse for at least 20 days and published in a newspaper once a week for two weeks. The sale is a public auction.
- After the auction: A person can make an upset bid—another bid that beats the auction bid—within 10 days after the sale report is filed with the clerk. The new bid must be at least 5% higher and at least $750 more. Each upset bid starts a new 10-day period. If the last day falls while the clerk's office is closed, the deadline moves to its next open day. See G.S. 45-21.17, 45-21.27, and 45-21.29A.
Until the final upset-bid period ends, paying the loan and sale costs in full stops the foreclosure. A sale that closes in time may provide money for that payoff. When a 10-day period ends with no new bid, the sale is final. See G.S. 45-21.20.
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.
The title company can request a current mortgage payoff and check other liens against the property. 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. Your current property-tax share is separate from back taxes and from the company closing-cost promise.
Until the final upset-bid period ends, North Carolina law allows the foreclosure to be stopped by paying the loan and sale costs in full. A closing can only help with that if it can be completed in time and the required payoff is covered.
What happens next
- Tell us the property address and the date or deadline shown on your foreclosure notice.
- We review the property and give you the offer and terms in writing before you commit.
- If you want to proceed, the title company checks the title and requests the mortgage payoff and other lien information.
- The title company coordinates the closing and payoff work with the current case timeline.
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.
New Hanover County property-tax help
For a notice about county property taxes, contact the New Hanover County Tax Department. The County lists its Tax Department at 230 Government Center Drive, Suite 190, Wilmington, NC 28403, phone 910-798-7300. Ask about the account and the dates on your tax notice; do not substitute the mortgage deadlines above.
For North Carolina mortgage-foreclosure procedure, read the Judicial Branch foreclosure guide and compare it with the notices in your case.
Ask about a cash offer
Share the property address and any scheduled sale date. You can also call us at 888-274-5006.
Estimate possible sale proceeds with the Wilmington home-sale calculator →The calculator is for planning; it is not a property-specific offer or foreclosure payoff quote.
We give written cash offers in 24 hours.
Takes 2 minutes. No obligation.
We'll give you a written cash offer within 24 hours.
Frequently Asked Questions — Wilmington NC Foreclosure
Can I sell my Wilmington house before a foreclosure sale?
Often, yes, if the sale closes in time. If a foreclosure sale is scheduled, tell us the date right away so we can try to close before it. The notices, clerk hearing, payoff, title work, auction date, and any upset bids affect the time available.
What is an upset bid in a North Carolina foreclosure?
After the public auction, another person can make a qualifying higher bid during the 10-day upset-bid period. Each new upset bid starts another 10-day period. The sale is final when the last period ends without another bid.
What if my mortgage 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. We can review the current payoff information with the title work; any lender decision is specific to that loan and sale.
Is a New Hanover County tax sale the same as a mortgage foreclosure sale?
No. The mortgage deadlines on this page are for a lender proceeding under a deed of trust. A notice about unpaid county property taxes is a separate matter; use the dates on that notice and contact the New Hanover County Tax Department about the tax account.
Related Wilmington resources
We're not attorneys and this isn't legal advice. It's what we've learned buying houses in situations like yours for more than 20 years. If you want advice on your specific situation, talk to an attorney — we're glad to work alongside yours.
We give written cash offers in 24 hours.
Takes 2 minutes. No obligation.
We'll give you a written cash offer within 24 hours.