Sell a House With Delinquent Property Taxes in Chicagoland
Owe back property taxes or facing a tax sale? Sell as-is for cash before it gets worse — we handle the tax payoff at closing.
- As-Is — No Repairs
- No Fees or Commissions
- Close On Your Timeline
What happens when property taxes go unpaid in Illinois
Unpaid property taxes don’t just go away — in Cook County and the surrounding collar counties, delinquent taxes can be sold to a third party, starting a clock that can eventually put your ownership at risk. Interest and penalties grow the longer it goes unresolved.
Selling the property is often the cleanest way out. We buy Chicagoland homes with tax issues as-is, and the back taxes typically get paid off directly at closing from the sale proceeds — so you resolve the debt and walk away with any remaining equity.
Why this situation is so stressful
The debt keeps growing
Penalties and interest accrue, and a tax sale adds redemption costs on top.
Your ownership can be at risk
If a tax lien isn’t redeemed in time, you can ultimately lose the property and its equity.
Traditional selling is slow
Listing and waiting on a buyer’s financing may take longer than your timeline allows.
A simpler way forward
We’re local Chicagoland buyers who’ve handled this before. Here’s what selling to us looks like:
Weighing your options? See how a cash sale compares to listing with an agent, or all your options side by side →
- We pay cash and can close fast, before the situation escalates
- Back taxes are typically paid off at closing from the proceeds
- Sell as-is — no repairs, no fees, no commissions
- You keep any equity left after the taxes and payoff are covered
How tax delinquency works in Cook County & Illinois
In Illinois, counties hold annual tax sales where unpaid taxes can be purchased by investors; the owner then has a redemption period to pay what’s owed plus interest, or risk losing the property. Rules and deadlines vary by county and are time-sensitive.
Common questions
Can you buy my house if I owe back taxes?
Yes. In most cases the outstanding taxes are simply paid off from the sale proceeds at closing, along with any mortgage payoff. You don’t need to pay them upfront out of pocket.
What if my taxes were already sold at a tax sale?
You may still be within your redemption period, during which selling can pay off what’s owed and protect your remaining equity. Timing matters, so reach out quickly and we’ll look at your situation.
Will I get any money from the sale?
After the back taxes and any mortgage are paid off, any remaining equity is yours. We’ll walk you through the numbers up front so there are no surprises.
How do I find out exactly what I owe in back taxes?
In Cook County, the Clerk’s office issues an “Estimate of Cost of Redemption” showing the full amount owed with penalties and fees; the collar counties have a similar process. We can help you make sense of it and factor it into your offer.
When listing it yourself is the better move
If the house is in good shape, you have equity, and the redemption deadline is far enough out to run a normal sale, listing it will usually net you more than a cash offer — including ours. Selling to us becomes the better answer when the redemption cost plus the repairs the house needs adds up to more than the property is worth to you, or when the deadline is close enough that a financed buyer simply could not close in time. We can tell you which of those you are looking at in one conversation.
Why trust us with this?
You should be skeptical of anyone offering to buy a house they have not seen. Most owners get the postcards — no company name on them, a mobile number, a promise of top dollar. Being skeptical of that is the correct instinct, and we would rather you applied it to us as well.
So here is what can be checked. We have bought a great many houses in the situations sellers actually find themselves in — inherited and probate homes, pre-foreclosures, divorces, tenant-occupied buildings, long-vacant properties, fire and water damage, and houses nobody had touched in forty years. Whatever yours is, it is very unlikely to be the first of its kind for us. We look at the property before committing to a number, we show you how we got there, and you are never under any obligation to accept it.
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Buying since 2021
A local Chicagoland company, not a national brand or a call center.
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100+ properties closed
$5,334,500 paid out for houses across the six counties we serve.
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Our own funds, our own name
We are the buyer on the closing documents, through a local title company.
Get your free, no-obligation cash offer
Tell us about the property and your situation. We’ll reach out with a fair as-is offer and your options — no pressure, and no cost to you.