Menu Close
house buy lien

How to Sell with Liens (We Buy Houses with Liens)

First, lets review what a Lien is. A Lien is the right to keep one’s property until the debt is paid. The most common types of liens are issued by the government such as for back taxes. Every lien functions the same and they must be cleared before your house has a clean title and you can sell it. If everything else fails, we buy houses with liens!

How Liens Work

Title problems account for 11% of closure delays, while Allied Title and Escrow report that more than one-third of property deals, the title company involved must do “extraordinary work” to deal with title issues that often go back 50 years or more. Therefore, problems with the title arise, and if you have one or more offenses against your title, you will have to deal with it before proceeding with the sale. We have reviewed the latest reports from the title deeds and consulted with an 18-year-old real estate agent with a clearing experience of the transaction to bring you this guide to:

  • The most common bonds found in the title search process
  • How you can resolve liens against your property to keep the contract moving forward
  • Prevention strategies to avoid topic issues in the first place

Mechanic’s Lien for unpaid contract work on the property

“The most common and easiest to deal with is a mechanic’s lien,” says Adrian Farmer,  a top California real estate agent who’s worked through over 775 real estate transactions. “A mechanic’s lien comes from a contractor who has worked on the home or someone who has provided materials for the home within the last 90 days and they’ve not been paid.” In most cases, to resolve the matter immediately, you can simply pay off the debt and move on. If you can’t afford to pay off the debt right away, your agent may negotiate a debt settlement for your closing costs — but you plan to deduct the cost from your home sale.

Homeowners Association (HOA) False or Unpaid Rental Liability

unpaid liens - don't stress about liens, sell your house to a company that buys houses

Homeowners’ organizations can lie about your property if you fail to pay or break the law. “If you lived in your area and you should not cut down trees without permission from your association and come in and take out two trees, they could charge you for each tree,” said Farmer. As a responsible person, the easiest way to resolve these obligations and proceed with the sale of your home is to immediately pay the lien.

Department of Revenue Lien

The responsibility of the Treasury in your area is the failure to pay state taxes. This is one of the most important guarantees and you may need to bring in a CPA or a lawyer to help clean it up. If you can’t afford to pay for a lie, work with your CPA and your attorney to negotiate with the Treasury to pay only part of the tax due. “In the worst-case scenario, you could put a collateral in place,” Farmer said. “Suppose this is your first home and you have a rental home. If there is a lie in your main home, perhaps the Treasury will agree to take that case to your lease.” Contact a real estate attorney and CPA to manage the Revenue Department.

IRS Lien

The worst debt is the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) collateral, which arises from the non-payment of corporate taxes. An attorney and CPA are almost always required to resolve IRS lies. According to Farmer, the IRS is more important than all other securities. As a unitary government, it is difficult and time-consuming to resolve. “I had one dealer who held a $ 45,000 IRS bond, and I know he didn’t get $ 45,000 since closing,” Farmer said. “The closing attorney was very active, and got the IRS to pay $ 12,000 and then take the whole case to the employer’s place.”

Due to significant delays, the buyer has supported the sale. When the IRS lien was finally resolved, they returned home to the market and started the process again. “That’s how I learned the difference between an average attorney and a good one,” says Farmer.

Four Ways to Resolve Your Lien

You must resolve all liens on your property before you sell. We have included the ways to remove the liens on your house.

1. Pay Off Outstanding Debts Immediately

The best way to avoid further delays in closing lies is to clear the lien yourself. Confirm the validity of the lien first. There is no point in paying a lien that is a mistake. In rare cases, the lien is valid but it can be removed if the issuer falsified any information on it.

2. Debate the Lien With the Help of a Tax Lien Lawyer

Often, resolving title deeds simply means ensuring that the debt is satisfied and properly recorded, such as when customers clear a mistake in a credit report. You will have to pay for a lawyer, but they can save you thousands of dollars and keep your home sales up to date. In some cases, an attorney can spread liens in one of your properties to save your home sale. Sometimes, you may need to also include an accountant.

3. Sell Your Home to Pay Your Liens – “We Buy Houses with Liens” Companies

If you can’t afford to pay a lien out of pocket, you can use the proceeds from the sale of your home. When you close on the sale, all liens will be deducted for your proceeds. If we buy your house with liens, we make sure that our offer covers all your liens so that you won’t have to pay out of pocket at closing. Selling to investors can sometimes be your only option. Especially if the house needs a lot of work on top of the liens. We want to buy your house, because  we buy houses with liens!

3 Ways to Prevent Title Issues and Delays in Closing

Get Title Deeds When you Purchase a Home

Many buyers get title deeds when they buy a home. This is done to protect them from any liens that may be in the title under the previous homeowner. Although rare, title companies sometimes ignore title obligations. When the contract is closed, the title and liens are transferred to the new owner. Title insurance to protect you from paying obligations that do not belong to you.

Pay Taxes on Time

An easy way to avoid obligations on the title of your property is to pay everything on time. While it is easier said than done, you can avoid closing delays and problems that prevent the sale of your home. If you suspect that there may be a lien, tell your real estate agent right away. Catching a lien prematurely can save much-needed time when closing. And remember that when all else fails, you can always sell your house to a company that buys houses. We buy houses with liens!

    Free no-obligation quote!

    We buy ANY house in California. Please provide some info on your property here. Or, call us at 510-954-8857