You do not have to clear the debt first. It comes out of the proceeds at closing.
People sit on properties for years believing they cannot sell until the debts are cleared. It is the wrong way round, and the delay usually makes things worse while interest accrues.
Liens are settled out of the sale proceeds at closing, through escrow. That is what escrow is for. You do not need the money up front, and in most cases you should not pay these off yourself before a sale.
Title runs a search and finds everything recorded against the property. Escrow requests payoff figures from each lienholder. At closing the proceeds pay them in order of priority, and whatever remains goes to you. If there is a shortfall, that is a conversation we have before you sign, not a surprise on the day.
The thing that derails these deals is not the liens themselves. It is discovering one late. So tell us what you know at the start — nothing you disclose early is a problem.
If the issue is unpaid property tax, there is a specific timetable and it is not the emergency people assume:
So a sold lien is a three-year clock, not an immediate loss of the house. That matters, because people in this position often make a panicked decision when they had time to make a considered one. You do have room to think — you just do not have unlimited room, and the interest runs the entire time.
If a mortgage rather than tax is the pressing problem, the timeline is very different and much shorter. See selling before a trustee's sale.
Still call. We have closed on properties where the total debt exceeded the value, using arrangements other than a straight cash purchase. We will not pretend that is always possible — sometimes the answer is genuinely no — but you will have that answer within 48 hours instead of spending months finding out.
No, and you should not try. Liens and back taxes are paid out of the sale proceeds at closing through escrow, the same way a mortgage payoff works. Paying them yourself first just means using money you may not have on hand.
Call us anyway. We have closed on properties where the debt exceeded the value, using structures other than a straight cash purchase. Sometimes we can help and sometimes we genuinely cannot — but you will get a straight answer inside 48 hours rather than being strung along.
Taxes still delinquent at the end of December go into the tax lien sale held online each February. A bidder pays your delinquent taxes and receives a certificate that accrues interest. You then have a three-year redemption period to pay it off. After those three years the certificate holder can sue to foreclose your right to redeem and take title.
Not immediately, and this is where people panic unnecessarily. A sold lien starts a three-year clock, not an eviction. You have real time to act — but the clock is genuine, and interest accrues the whole way.
Mortgage arrears, property tax liens, HOA liens, mechanic's liens from unpaid contractors, IRS and state tax liens, judgment liens, and code enforcement or city abatement liens. Title will find them all, so tell us what you know up front and nothing derails later.
That is normal and not a problem. Give us the address and we will pull the county record ourselves. Frequently we can tell you about liens you did not know existed.
Send the address. We will pull the county record ourselves and come back inside 48 hours with what we find and what we would pay. You do not need to gather paperwork first.
Call or text (480) 818-4105, Monday to Friday 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM.
This is general information, not legal advice. First 48 Offers LLC is a real estate investment company, not a law firm, a brokerage, or a licensed financial adviser. Arizona statutes and county procedures change, and every situation turns on its own facts. Before acting on anything here, speak to an Arizona attorney — and if you are facing foreclosure, to a HUD-approved housing counselor, whose help is free.
One form, no obligation, and a real number within 48 hours.
